The Washington times., 1906-10-23
Mr.. Bonaparte Hailed Into
Court as Defendant
in Action for
$27.28.
DECISION RESERVED
BY LEARNED COURT
Same Tin Can Has PreVi-
ouSly Caused Trouble,
and the End Is
Not Yet.

BALTIMORE. Nd. Oct. 23-CharIes
j. Bouaparte. Secretary Of the Navy,
was defendant in a SUIT before Judge
Sharp in city court. in an action for
S2I2S, brought by Mrs. Eleanor Merry
man, of 28 Lafayette avenue.
1t was an expensive action, the basis
of which is one Tin can, two inches in
diameter, four inches long. aided and
abetted by one lot of coffee grounds. one
collection OF CONCEALED grease and one
lot Of broken egg-shells. Because all
this got into the sewer and backed
water into his house, and because Mrs.
Merrymun had the sewer fixed up at a
cost Of about S1g. and because Mr.. Bona
parte refused 10 pay "a share az the cost
Afr. Merryman is making il interesting
for AIr Bonaparte, for himself and for
the entire neighborhood The suit is 70
recover what Mr.. Merryman claims TO
be q just contribution toward common
fund for community safety 1t is
brought by his wife. but Mrs MerTyman
did not appear I'm the proceedings YER
LdlIy or by document as a witness.
Judge Sharp took the case under ad-
visemeut. pending a consultation with
Judge Stockbridse. who, with the late
ties growing out OF the same tin can on
his hands.
Plumber on the Stand.
". S. Fardweu the plumber. the ap-
IaIri0uueur of whose bin among prop
erty owners has raised all the disturb
aucc. testified that the stoDpage was
caused 1y a tin can, some grease. COf-
fec grounds, aad egg shells, and that
had it not been for the fatal Jiu can
the other distractions would have fold
"a their tents like the Arabs and silent
Iy stolen away. He explained technical
construction OF q well, ana then threw
some light on the much-mOOJed question
of whether it's more expensive TO buy
Ice in summer and coal in winter. or
serd for the plumber.
George Gather, Iu6 Calver, street,
verified everything that had been said
about the tin can, egg shells, coffee,
and grease, and le. too. blamed all the
trouble on the tin can. Another neigh
bor-John e.. ScHCrer POI East Lafay-
ette avcuUe-turue1 ont also TO be a
bitter enemy OF tin cans. for ne ac-
cused the offending can with such pos
iUycuess that 10 seemed almost preiu-
dice. Mr.. Merryman himself took the
stand and established beyond doubt that
IL was the tin can. and not the grease,
the coffee grounds, or the egg shells.
except In q contributory sense.
Prosecutor Gives Testimony.
''The tin can could not have come
from my house" Mr.. McTryman said
II have lived in that house twenty
years, and we never used such a tin
cant" IT had been testified that the
plug in the IT. in Mr. AIerryman' 8
house was found missing. while the ad-
Joining houses had their plugs, and the
defense had been trying 20 lay the tIr
can at Mr.. Merryman's door
Explaining the whole case from his
viewpoint, Mr.. Merryman said that
finding the sewer stopped up, he had
Immediately summoned a plumber and
left notice for AIr. Bonaparte OF the
pending financial crisis incident 10 pay.
ing the bin. Others agreed 10 pay their
proportion.
Denied Being Litigious.
Mr. Bonaparte took the stand. II,
had been previously sworn. He was
bland. and smiling. and gentle. Ht
bore no resemblance whatever to &
man who has ben called from the sea
of war by a tin can. He said that tht
house in question had been occupied
by six different tenants during thC
period OF incubation of the present
trouble. When he turned the property
into an apartment house II was neces
Continued on Second Pagel