The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-01-24
Music Teacher May
Sue Residents For
Alleged Libel

Not content with a political row to
interest the male population of San
Rafael, fulI-sized social fight has
arisen among the women of the Marin
County town, which Will only be
quelIed I'm the courts IL Mrs. Isabelle
Marks, prepossessing and vivaciOus
music teacher of San Francisco, full
fills her threat to sue various society
folk for alleged defamation of char
acter.
Her threat to obtain retractions at
the cost of legal procedure involves,
among others, Captain v. j. b. Cheda,
who, besides being captain and a
banker, In a member of the Marin COun-
ty Board of Supervisors, Mrs. F. III.
Miller, prominent in society circles, and
Mrs. G.. G. Vanderlip, wife of San
Rafael dentist.
Mrs Marks says these people have
been talking unkindly about her; she
declares they have made statements
which implied her unfitness to attend
San Rafael society affairs; she main
tains that the tongue of defamatory
gossip wags at both ends in their
mouths, and, finally, that she has heard
on good authority that Supervisor
Cheda advised the husband of her
landlady, Mrs. Blum, that she. Mrs.
house.
All of this trouble grew out of one
OF the largest society functions held
in San Rafael in years. Herewith is
the story told by Dame Grundy Of San
Rafael:
The Masons gave grand ball and
reception on Saturday evening about
three weeks ago. 1t was held in the
summer garden at the armory. All the
society people of San Rafael were there
and Mrs. Marks, accompanied by X
Lee Duncan, was one or the pelles OF
the ball. She had more than her share
of admirers, say her friends. and TINS
fact, they allege coupled with the ad-
ditional circumstance that her escort
was a married man, though separated
from his wife, was perhaps the cause
of society's displeasure at Mrs. Marks.
Moreover Duncan's wife is MEMBER
of the Eastern Star in San Rafael
The ball was such a great success
that the Masons decided to repeat the
affair on the following Tuesday night.
1t was done. but was a failure, so far
as Mrs. Marks who went again. was
concerned This time she was attended
by Chris r. Mockler, a business man of
San Rafael while her escort of the
former. evening accompanied Miss May
McManus, Mrs. Marks friend. Mrs
Marks was snubbed and her compan-
ions, noting the fact, were distressed
and all left early.
According to Mrs. Marks an, investi-
CATION was started by her friends and
herself and they traced the gossip. so
they declare, to Supervisor Cheda, Mrs.
Vanderlip and Mrs. Miller Then the
young woman whose feelings had been
hurt appealed to a lawyer, Lucius l..
Solomon, an old-t time friend of her hus-
band. He wrote letters, which are
being as carefully watched as thou
sand-dollar bank notes, to the three
persons accused by Mrs. Marks. These
letters demanded reparation for the al
legged injury wrought and implied that
legal action would follow if apologies
were not forthcoming. Mrs Miller
turned her letter over to lawyer and
so did Mrs. Vanderbilt; then they def1ed
the author of the epistles Supervisor
Cheda answered the letter himself. He
said
At am ignorant as to the person re-
ferred to. / have met her only once.
There is evidently some mistake and
trust you will discover it."
He supplemented this letter yester-
day with the statement that he did not
have anything to retract, and that he
was too busy to bother with gossip.
Mrs. Vanderlip declared yesterday
that she did not wish to discuss the
woman IndC the matter was very
serious; that her and her husbands
were at stake, and that she
had nothing to retract.
r. Lee Duncan, who was the escort
of Mrs. Marks at the first function,
said that the whole affair was deplor-
able. Mrs. Marks" he said, came to
San Rafael Immediately after the fire.
She was a refugee. I took music les
sons from her and still am studying
hnr t. Of fHn ncf aeyfI
mable women I have ever met"