Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-10
DISPENSE WITH
ATTORNEYS AID
WOMEN TRY THEIR OWN CASE
IN COURTS
Justice Young Has a Weary Time
Listening to Wranale over Suit.
Logic Of the Contestants
startes the Court

Armed with legal documents galore,
which they did not understand, and adj
dressing the Judge on subjects of law
In manner which he failed TO appre-
| oiate, Mrs. Florence G.. Falkner and
Mrs. Mary McPhessen, Los Angeles
dressmakers, neither of whom had ever
before been In q court room, yesterday
| undertook the trial, without aid of at
| torneys, of a suit for debt brought by
the one against the other before JUS
tice Young of the township court.
The case has been continued for some
time past by Justice Young In the hope
that the women might settle their diff
culties without carrying the argument
| into legal circles, for the Justice had
| his ideas about "a woman's argument
| relative to law and he feared the meet
| ing.
Yesterday Mrs Falkner, the plain
| tiff, appeared in court and announced
herself ready to proceed. The case was
continued until after the Besold hear
ing had terminated and then the plain
tiff, after counting out the three e-dollar
trial fee with great care, proceeded to
march to the attorneys table, while
Justice Young, with last despairing
glance for a chance to escape. wearily
mounted the bench and began the trial.
Deals Out Double Negative
Mrs. Falkner was the first to be
sworn and as soon as she took the wit
ness stand she began long statement
of her personal dealings with Mrs. Nc
Phessen, while the justice looked on in
awe and occasionally attempted to in
terrupt by such EXPLANATIONS as "Ex-
cuse me, excuse me, madam, but that
evidence Is immaterial," but Mrs.
Falkner paid no heed and the court
listened in silence to the grafton.
A bunch of bills, made out by Mrs.
| T0TO L
Mrs. Falkner started to read them. The
justice interrupted with the suggestion
that according to the rules of law the
| defendant might see the papers before
they were introduced as evidence.
| Mrs. McPhessen marched forward,
looked at the papers and when asked If
she objected to the papers, nodded her
head and stated:
| "I don't owe her no money"
Fifteen minutes were again taken up
! before the justice Strengthened out the
tangle and by explanation and inuendo
managed to have the papers admitted
as evidence.
The two women bad met in Los An
| geles and had planned to go to Seattle
and there open an establishment. When
they got as far as San Francisco Mrs.
| McPheSsen alleges she borrowed $24
from Mrs. Falkner, giving. a pawn
ticket for 1886. loaned on diamonds, as
security.
Mrs Falkner had an itemized account
of railroad fare, meals, such as break
| fast, supper and an occasional lunch,
room rent, moving of trunks and in
| addition the interest on the loan, fig
ured out to nicely, and the costs of
the suit.
Judge In Despair
The latter had to be stricken from
the bill under protest.
:. Then the women argued the case in a
manner so thoroughly feminine that the
Justice fairly gasped In an attempt to
understand the line OF argument.
One long statement would be made
only to be refuted by the single SEN
| tence:
at did not"
When the Justice would ask the rea-
son the indignant reply would be:
| Just because"
After the reasoning had gone on for
two hours the Justice in wave of de-
spair settled the suit by giving the
| plaintiff damages for $38.36 and costs.
The defendants reply was that she
would pay when she got ready. and
| she left the court room.
The plaintiff asked where she could
| get the money and what good that
judgment business was going to do her,
and the justice, after begging that the
talkfest be discontinued suggested
that she swear out an attachment on
| judgment.
This Mrs. Falkner did not under
stand, but paid the costs without a
murmur, living in hope.
| AS for Justice Young, he cast one
glance after the departing figures of the
attorneys and then with sigh of re-
| lief began to read the latest pamphlet
on anti-woman suffrage.