The San Francisco call., 1904-03-10
POLICE COURT WITNESS TWISTS
LANGUAGE AND CONFUSES JUDGE
Lodging House Clerk Describes Quarrel Scene
and the Official Stenographer Is Still Trying
to Get Kinks Out of the Tangled Testimony

n Haturalzed citizen named Bruno,
night clerk Of the Kearny street lodg-
lng-house in which Stella Smith and
George Spring assaulted and battered
each other last Sunday morning, con-
trbuted the comedy element to the
hearing Of that celebrated case yester-
day in Judge Mogan's court. 1t was
not the facts stated by Mr.. Brune, but
his method Of stating them, that light
ened up the gloom of the tribunal He
ventilated dialect that would assure
the fortune of any German monologist
who could correctly initiate it, and he
pronounced his words and twisted his
sentences in a way that left his testi-
mony in tangIe and the court stenog-
rapher in despair.
Mr.. Bruno opened his discourse by
dardy limiting he had been 'intirnated"
by persons who desired that he should
not testify in the case, else he might
cast "asparagrass' upon their charac-
ter, but he had braved their disap-
proval and was there to "exclose the
truth" which he proceeded to do ac-
cording TO his light, while the Judge
oistractedly endeavored to interpret his
oral flow.
But oral evidence was not needed to
prove that something had happened to
both Miss Smith and Mr. Spring. Their
faces bore silent testimony to that fact.
and II only remained for the witnesses
/ 10 state how the abrasions had been
administered. 1t was stated that Stella
I blackened both of Georges eyes by
/ planting straight left punch upon the
/ bridge Of his nose, while with a full
right swing she uprooted a few of his
teeth, and that IN retaliation George
struck Stella's forehead with a hammer
! and then kicked her downstairs.
, The case was continued till Saturday,
I by which time the stenographer hopes
I TO have the kinks taken out Of Mr..
Brune's testimony.
Judge Cabaniss dismissed a petty lar
/ eeny case in which the parties We're P.
Synoplis, inventor of the anti-gout spe-
I cific, and Drs. B. Gerino and Nelson.
The evidence went to show that the
/ two medical men visited the laboratory
+ of Synoplis, at 62S Montgomery street,
and there obtained a vial of the alleged
!
they paid 81 cash and for which the in
/ ventor declares they paid nothing. The
/ Judge did not consider Synoplis' case
+ thoroughly proven.
Joe Sullivan. accused by Detectives
/ Ryan and Taylor of having robbed a
/ traveller Of a few dollars at the Third
and Townsend streets railway station,
( informed Judge COnlan that he was
Z playing coon can" in an O'Farrell
street saloon at the time the alleged
! robbery took place. and witnesses were
there TO prove the alibi The court con-
fessed ignorance Of what constitutes
the game of coon can" and after
searching inquiry learned that ii is
played with cards. Unless the detec-
tives can produce new evidence against
Sullivan he is likely to be dismissed
when the case comes up tomorrow.
Mrs. Lydia Prescott. associate super
intendent of the Pacific Humane So
ciety. appeared before Judge Mogan
and pleaded not guilty to the charge
of stealing a satchel belonging to Mrs.
/ E n. Hammond of go Montgomery
street. and also waived jury trial The
case was set for hearing next Saturday.
A distressing story Of maternal neg
lect Of a minor child was unfolded in
Mogan's court. where Thomas Newman
and his wife, George, were accused by
Secretary White of the Society for the
Prevention Of Cruelty to Children of
having ilI-treated their ten-year-o.d
daughter, Catherine.
The Newmans manage a seamen's
boarding house at 7e Jackson street,
and. witnesses testified that both OF
them are in the habit of drinking TO
excess. ~ A few days ago Secretary
White received information which led
him to visit the place and there he saw
the little girl i'll with a burning fever,
while neither of her. parents could be
! found. The child lay upon filthy couch
and was in an extremely unclean con-
dition. Inquiry developed the fact that
+ the father was at Port Costa and the
mother had been drunk and absent
1 from home since the previous day
/ After removing the little one to the City
! and County Hospital the officer pro-
cured warrants and had the parents ar
/ rested.
Mrs. Newman. middle aged and
rather comely, sat in court and silently
wept into a handkerchief while the re
cital OF her cruelty was in progress
and the husband and father sat be-
side her. He pleaded he had been out
OF town several days prior TO his ar
rest and did not know his child was
I'll or had been neglected, and then he
opined that the case was inspired by
rival boarding house keeper, who de
sired to drive him out Of business.
1.-The inspiration of the case has moth
ing whatever to do with the facts which
have been brought out in evidence"
said the Judge. 1T has been pretty
thoroughly proved that your wife was
drunk and absent from home all night,
while her child lay sick and in a most
filthy condition. ] find her guilty ds
charged and continue your case until
ascertain just how much you are re-
srOnsfble for her OffeHse Meantime