The San Francisco call., 1905-03-01
DECLARES KNAPP
WAS INSULTING
Wife of Civilian Employe of
Navy Will Prefer Charges
Against Officer of Solace
SOCIALLY OSTRACIZED
Woman Says Transports Ex-
ecutive Caused Her HUI
initiation During Voyage

Lieutenant Commander j. ]. Knapp
is executive officer of the navy trans
port Solace. Mrs. ]. M. Costello, a
! motherly looking matron, who was a
passenger on the Solace from Cavite
on the voyage which ended yesterday,
says that Lieutenant Commander ]. J.
Knapp repeatedly insulted and humil
lated her during the trip. She intends,
she says. to lay her grievance before
the Secretary of the Navy in order
that other wives Of plain. ordinary civ
ilians, whom circumstances may COM
pei to travel on navy transport, may
do so without undergoing the mental
torture to which the actions Of Lieu
tenant Commander Knapp subjected
her
Mrs. Costello. who was accompanied
by her small boy, is the wife of a CIV
ilian employe Of the navy. Her hus-
band is foreman of the boiler making
department at the Cavite Navy Yard,
a skilled mechanic and as good an
American, says Mrs Costello, as Lieu
tenant Commander ]. j. Knapp. Mrs.
Costello has been visiting her HUSBAND
at his station in the Far East. When
she got ready to return to this country
she was provided with f1rst-class trans
portation for herself and son on the
navy lIdASROkl 6Ol0(S-
The Solace Is q passenger boat and
as Mrs. Costello had first-class ticket
she concluded that she would be al
lowed to walk the deck with the other
f1rst-class passengers.
Lieutenant Commander Knapp said
no, however, and as what the executive
officer says on board ship goes,
Knapp,s mo" went and therein lies
Mrs. Costello's grievance.
fnrhiddnn cI IA n uQ n sir
or walk on the starboard side Of the
promenade deck. Every other woman
passenger had the freedoni Of the ship,
but by Knapps orders Mrs. Costello
was compelled to take promenades or
sun baths on the port side or at the
extreme after end on the starboard
side. She protested, she says, to Com
mander Bull, but he did nothing, she
declares. to lift or ease the social ban
under which Knapps orders placed
her.
HE told me that that part Of the
deck was reserved for the officers and
their friends. He spoke to me as no
man ever did before and as he would
not have dared to do had not I been
lone woman and he in a position Of
absolute authority. I did not care es-
pecially for that particular part of the
deck, but 1t was humiliating to me as
a woman and as an American to be
barred from crossing an imaginary line
because my social standing did not
come up to Mr.. Knapp's standard.
The other women went where they
pleased. felt like q leper. Even my
little boy saw that the other people
thought there was something wrong
about his mother. He's little chap,
but he noticed it and that hurt my
pride more than anything else. Other
wives of civilians who are not in So
ciety will have occasion to travel on
the Solace and am going to do what
can to save them from the bitter
experience that has been mine on this
ship I intend to prefer charges
against Mr.. Knapp with the Secretary
Of the Navy"
Lieutenant Commander Knapp
acknowledged that Mrs. Costello had
stated the truth. but said that she
had tried to force her acquaintance on
other passengers and that he had
drawn the social dead-line to save
these others from being annoyed by a
woman who was socially impossible.
"And, my dear SIR" said the gall
| liant officer in conclusion, "if there was
| a little more Of this kind of discrimi-
nation on the regular liners. travel
| would be freed of one of it's greatest
/ annoyances''