The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-07-04
LANDLORD SUED
BY TWO BELL BOYS
Say DR.. TitcOmb Kicked Them
Down Stairs,
ONE SEVERELY INJURED
LIVELY INCIDENT AT FIFTH
EAST HOTEL.

DR.. Charles B. TitcOmb. the propri-
etor OF the Fifth East hotel. has been
made defendant in three suits behind
which there is a story. The suits We're.
brought in Justice Morris Sommer's
court by Moses Thoresen and w J.
Cullen, two of the hotel bell boys, and
the papers were served upon Landlord
Iltcomb Tuesday evening. Two OF the
suits are Tor wages GAINED to be due
the boys; the other IS Il suit brought
by ThOresen to recover 1898 damages
for injuries claimed to have been in
hlcted by DR.. IitcOmD at the hotel on
Sunday morning.
The story that young ThOresen tells
is that he was discharged on Saturday
evening by Mrs. Eliza TitcOmb TIE
mother of the proprietor of the hotel
while the doctor was absent; that he
went back later in the evening with
Cullen, who had been discharged in q
similar way; that ne wished to explain
the cause Of his leaving TO the doctor
and 10 get his wages The doctor. he
says, refused to pay him and ordered
him on the place; then he says he
asked for money enough to hire a bed
for the night and that the doctor told
him that he would not give him money
but he would give him punch in the
face Then ne claims that DR.. TitcOmb
caught him by the shoulders and threw
him through the open door, through the
screen door and down the steps TO the
pavement. Having no place to stay, the
boys state that they went to the rear
of the hotel and slept in the laundry.
Sunday morning they went in to get
their clothes, but DR.. TitcOmb, it IS
alleged, caught young ThOTesen in the
kitchen, ordered him out, pushed him
down the stairs and struck him num-
her of times. He then ordered them
to the front office to settle with them.
There he told them to get out and ne
would pay them on the 19th.
Kicked Down Stairs.
As Thoresen was going out, he says.
the doctor gave him a shove, a punch
and a kick all at the same time, and
the boy landed at the bottom OF the
steps across the iron railing with the
breath knocked out of him by the fall
He declares the doctor then rushed
down and kicked him once in the eye,
twice in the stomach and once on the
right knee. Young Cullen then aimed
a blow at the doctor with his cane, but
missed him.
After this the boys went to the
Richelieu and secured d room. On
Sunday evening, they say, Dr. TitComb
came to them and offered ThOresen 81
and promised him more. II ne would
keep quiet and say nothing OF the at
fair. Monday Dr.. r. w. Fisher was
called in to attend young ThOresen, as
his head was badly swollen and his
knee was giving MIN much trouble The
knee was stiff, and the doctor ordered
thal he remain perfectly quiet for an
indefinite time His right eye is still
badly discolOred. He was being cared
for BIZ young Cullen. On Monday the
law firm of Smith & Walton was con-
suited, and as result the three suits
referred 10 above We're Instituted.
Young Thoresen stated that as soon as
he was able to get about he would
prosecute for assault and battery.
Cullen is D. and clained To have 1886
coming to him; ThofeseH is 20, and
claims to have $ll.O6 coming to him.
DR.. Titcomb's Statement.
DR.. Titcomb. when seen at the hotel
yesterday afternoon, said he would
rather nothing whatever be said in the
papers.
1T is bad enough to have such id
mustangs about at all" he said. with
out having newspaper notoriety about
them. The fact of the matter is that
these two mustangs left saturday
evening While / WAS at the lake. About
II o'clock they drove up in carriage
and demanded their wages, and cusSed
and yelled about the place. Now. 1 al
ways pay all the help on the 10th Of
the month. and certainly did not pro-
pose to pay them any sooner when
they came q me in that way. l ordered
them of the place, but instead of going
away they went around to the rear and
slept in the house anyhow. On Sunday,
When 1 found them still in the house,
I threw them out, and that is all there
is to it."
As to striking and kicking young
Thoresen, DR.. Titcomb said: Wei. I
used enough force to throw him out Of
the house. He wanted fight. and he
got it."
Three other employees, Arthur Jones,
Hattie Haines and Marie Brown, have
quit the hotel as the result Of the
trouble, and all were paid their wages.