The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-12-08
HOW MRS. HOWARD GOULD
PROSECUTED HER BUTLER.
Offending Servant Caused Her Pub
lie Appearance in Court and She
Dominated the Scene as She
Used to Do in Her Old
Starring Days on the
Stage

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
New York, Dec. S.-Mrs. Howard Gould
has appeared as complainant against hel
F, former butler. Exc Hamilton. in the court
of Justice Of the Peace Allen, Port Wash
lngton, L. ]. Hamilton had been butler for
Mrs. Gould less than a week, but in that
time he had violated all the rules Of her
household by which her servants are gov
erned, caused q disturbance at her town
house, No. Sa Fifth avenue, and had been
elected from her country house. Castle
| Gould, Port Washington. where no raised
| such q row that Mrs. Gould sent to the
| village to secure a Constable to place him
under arrest
Mrs Gould. assisted by Lawyer A. H
Kaffenburgh Of the firm Of Howe 4 Hum
mel. related to the Court the story In de-
| tail of her m with that ter
rible butler" as she called him She was
accompanied to the court by her maid and
two footmen. She wore a sable-iined CLOAK
that brushed the floor, and a Gainsborough
hat. trimmed with iamingo feathers. This
Is the substance OF Mrs. Gould's story:
Recently she engaged Eric Hamilton a.
butler. She selected the man from q large
number Of applicants because OF his hne
per,onal appearance and dignified bearing.
After engaging him she gave him the Key
to her linen closet, placed him IN cnafge
of the family plate and glassware. n
instructed him in the duties OF ms ONCE.
Among other things, Mrs. Gould told MIN
that one of the ha~rd-and-fast rules OF the
household. with whick her score or more
servants were expected to comply, was tnas
zone should stay out beyond the hour OF
10 o'clock o. M, unless he hrst secured
special permission. -
The first evening and all the next Gay
Hamilton acquitted himself In such . man
ner that Mrs. Gould felt assured tnat she
had secured a butler who could be THOR
onebiy relied upon. On the second evening.
when he came to her and asked Tor an
hours time to pay a short visit to . Iffeno
she promptly granted It. The new butler.
howeve- did not return until 80 the next
morning. He was up and about early I
his duties. though. and. IN view OF inc
elaborate excuses and apologies he made to
Mrs. Gould for his offense. which she ex-
planned to Justice Allen, was his nrst one
he a been in her employ hardly forty
eight hours-she pardoned him. b en-
Joined him, however. never to repeat the
offense on pain Of immediate discharge.
The following night Mrs. Gould's maid
was taken sick. and, calling Hamilton, che
gave him q so bill and dispatched him to .
neighboring drug store to = . prescrip-
ton filed. Hamilton did not return that
night. Mrs. Gould said hat she had In
0tructed him. a. well a1 her other servants,
that on Saturday morning she was going
down to Castle Gould. one Of her summer
homes. where she Intended to entertain q
house party during the Thanksgiving week.
The family was to start for Port Washing.
ton early In the morning. 10 4 m, and the
house was to be left In charge of ouly
TWO OF the servants. The new butler had
not put In an appearance before the Gould
household had started for Port Wellington. |
About II a. M, however. Hamilton N. =
f1ved at No. "a Fifth avenue and rang the |
front door bell, as If no were In great haste
20 enter: One Of the servants In charge
oDeneo inc inside doors and glanced inquir- /
ingly through the outside door a. the nev |
butler. Mrs. Gould had left Instructions |
..et Il .e returned he was not to BE- "a. |
mitted to the house. Hamilton eestured |
.lant'caliy that he desired a4mittancc. He |
Through the basement cate he vas told |
mat In his absence he had b&en discharged.
he raised his voice for the 1enett ef pass-