The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-12-08
JUDGMENT BY DEFAULT
Entered in Case Which Had
 Many Unusual Features
Very Amusing Series of Happenings That For Time Threatened to Destroy the Domestic Place
 of One Home.

In the Common Pleas court at OdH- bury, Wednesday, judgment by de- fault for s35O was entered in the case of Jacob von Gal against Harry Chapman, Of Brooklyn, N. Y., and Lake Waramaug. MT. von Gal, who was attacked by Chapman when he found him in an automobile in com pany with Mrs. Chapman, was an en- tirely innocent party to all that hap pened but he was pretty well beaten up by the Brooklyn man and after wards entered suit against him. On the day upon which the alleged as- sault occurred, which was July 25, 1910, MT. Chapman called on some friends in Ridgebury. Mrs. Chapman and her hostess, in Ridgebury went into the fields to look at a colt, Ieav- ing MT. Chapman and the host III the house. While they were gone town-to have one of the tires of his automobile fixed. The man at whose house he was, accompanied nm. When Mrs. Chapman got back few
 minutes afterwards she started to- ward Danbury on foot.
 It chanced that Edward von Gal s chauffeur, man named Pierson, drove his car along the Toad from Ridgebury to Danbury a few minutes after Mrs. Chapman started. Jacop von Gal was riding with him. They overlook Mrs. Chapman and observ- ing her evident haste, proffered her q ride, which she accepted. In the meantime she who had been hoste0s to Mrs. Chapman disturbed at her guests sudden departure, had tele- phoned in an effort to locate MT. Chapman and succeeded in getting into communication with him. When she told Mir. Chapman what had hap speued he jumped into his car ana started toward Ridgebury to meet his wife. He met the von Gal car and stopping it, held out a figuratWe ,cIive branch to his wife. "The ideal" exclaimed Mrs. Chapman, to MT. von Gal and the chauffeur, I don't know him. Please drive on." Chauffeur Pierson, taking the woman at ner word, drove on.
 As soon as MT. Chapman recovered from his surprise he wheeled his car around and started in pursuit. He said afterwards that he supposed the men in the car were running away with his wife, who apparently ap- peared to be willing party to the idea. Chapman overlook the von Gal car and passing 1t, swung his ma obliged to put on the brakes to avoid a collision and the instant the car came to a stop the man in the other machine, who was an entire stranger, to both Pierson and von Gal, made an attack upon them. Pierson and von Gal imagined that the man was attacking them was trying to stsa, the woman who was in their car and they defended her. Chapman, final ly succeeded in taking his wife from the von Gal machine and getting her into his own car and started toward Danbury. Messrs. Pierson and von Gal became the pursuers now ana they followed and reported the at- tack to the police. Chapman was ar rested on a charge of assault.
 When he was taken into the police station he left his wife sitting in the car. Mrs. Chapman recognized a young man who passed few mo-
 nents later as boy she had seen at the Green garage and calling nlnl, explained that she was alone and was in great hurry to get to Lake Wara- maug and asked him to drive ths ed and when MT. Chapman emerged from the police station half an hour afterward, after securing his release upon bail, found that his automobile had disappeared. He reported the loss of the car. to the police and ifi- vestigation showed that the machine had gone in the direction of New Milford. A telephone message inter cepted the car in that place and the driver was arrested.
 The, final act in the comedy occur red during the Danbury Fair, the following October. MT. von Gal had determined to bring suit against Chapman for the assault. and when it was announced that Chapman was to drive his automobile in race ar engagements were made to attach the machine The deputy sheriff had just entered the Fair grounds with the att tachment papers when he heard a crash and saw cloud of dust at the other side of the race track. He found that Chapman's car had run off the track and crashing through fence, had been so completely wreck ed that there was little or nothing left to attach. Chapman received a broken leg in the accident.