The San Francisco call., 1909-03-19
SOCIAL GOSSIP
INTRODUCED IN
CALHOUN CASE
TaIesman Quotes Ned Green
way as Refusing TO Bar De-
fendant From Assembly
Real Estate Broker Indorses
Opinion Regarding Treatment
of Born" Gentleman
By w. Russell Cole

! ionable hotel Hobbies and bathrooms
was heard yesterday within the pre-
cincts of Judge Lawlor's court. AS a
,whereon the Calhoun trial goes for
ward with painful slowness was IL
lumined for the time by social side
lights.
Herbert S Bonifeld, a young real
estate broker with admitted social
aspirations. succeeded in dragging the
case out OF its usual rut and fur
nished an afternoon of the nearest ap-
proach TO real entertainment that could
well be injected into a trial based on
felony charge. At that it was evil
dent that the entertainment was
largely Of an unconscious nature as
far as the chief actor was concerned,
but this fact made it none the less
enjoyable to an appreciative audience.
SOCIAL LEADER QUOTED
Rumor has it-and rumor, 1 under
stand, is to be relied upon in matters
purely social-that Bonifields knock
has already resounded at the portals
of society. If this be true, careful
perusal by the social powers that be
Of the transcript of his testimony as
a talesman should Immediately entitle
him TO a card of membership. The
stamp of social prestige on the face of
the examination was too plain to be
overlooked. Casual references to the
Henry T. Scott ball, hints of drawing
room gossip and incidents touching
upon personal relationship with some
of fashions leaders were sprinkled
through it in abundance.
Ned Greenway told me- said the
talesman
But this is taking matters out of
their logical sequence. To begin at
the beginning, Bonifleid was examined
by Earl Rogers of the defense during
the morning session of court and was
passed This happened despite the fact
that he said he knew District Attor-
ney Langdon slightly and was well
acquainted with DIR. Percy Dollman
Of Langdon's staff, acknowledgements
which, under some conditions, are con-
sidered adequate grounds for disquali-
fcation.
OPEN MIND PRESENTED
The matter of acquaintanceship was
pursued no further than this, and Boni-
field was turned over to the prosecn-
tion after he had declared that his
mind was free from opinions, bias,
prejudice or emotions which might in
nuence him in reaching a verdict.
Under Heney's catechism, which
drifted over beyond the noon recess.
Bonif1eld arrived at the statement that
he had been a classmate of Stanley
Moore during three years of his course
at the University of California. He
said that he also had the pleasure of
acquaintance with two members of Pat
rick Calhoun's family, whom he men
toned by name. and that he had met
Thornwall Mutually at the Scott ball at
the St. Francis
AT the beginning Bonifield professed
an almost complete ignorance of any
and all graft matters, saying that he
had read little about the EXPOSURE and
trials.
TIRED OF READING STORY
"As a university graduate, a citizen
Of the republic and businessman.
didn't you take any interest in these
matters?" inquired Heney
Il read some Of it for the first year
and half or so, but 1 got tired of
it," was the answer.
He was finally brought down to the
point of saying that he had no recol-
lection of hearing that the supervisors
had confessed or testified before the
grand jury, but a minute later he ex-
pressed himself as decidedly opposed
TO immunity 'as a general thing
though willing to leave it to the dis
cretion of the district attorney in the
local cases. Until recently, he said, he
had not known that PhornwelI Mutually
was under Indictment
How did you find it odt?" asked
Heney.
Ned Greenway told me-" answered
Boniheld. Here we get back to the
starting point of the story.
NED GREENwAY QUOTED
I was walking through the Fair
mont hotel with Greenway," continued
Bonifeld, and a man stopped him and
said he had noticed an editorial in the
Bulletin concerning him and asked why
the Bulletin was going after him. /
walked on, and when Greenway caught
up with me in the lobby l said, I. too
have noticed that the Bulletin is going
after you Greenway said: Yes, and III
tell you why 1t is because James D.
Phelan came to me and asked me TO
withdraw invitations te the Friday
night cotillon-or assembly, / should
say-which had been issued to Mr.. and
Mrs. Calhoun and Mr.. Mutually. And
I'll tell you what l told him. | said.
PCOPAG diC ldulSS ana RenIie-
men, and they were born So while some
people l know were not"'"
The quotation from Greenway was
followed up with question from
Heney as TO what the juror himself
thought about it, and BonifieId said:
L didn't think it any of Phelan's
business who went to Greenway's par
ties. and If he didn't like it he didn't
need to 60"
OBJECTION HALTS INQUIRY
Heney started to go deeper into the
question at hand, but an objection
stopped him and switched the sub
ject to another course. Bonifield said
that he had given some thought to the
question of Calhoun's guilt or inno-
cence, but had not formed any belief
or impression. Heney asked IL the
juror would believe Calhoun innocent
until he was proved guilty" and re-
ceived an Affirmative answer. Earl
Rogers took exception to the form of
the question, saying that it was word
ed so as TO confuse the juror over the
distinction between the words BELIEF
and presumption"
1T is what is commonly known as