New-York tribune., 1912-01-06
NEAR THREAT FOR PORT|A
"lf You Were a Man"-aS Far
as Suffrage Lawyer Got.
CELEBRITIES GAIN A POINT
Court Admits Letter Which
Party's Counsel Tried Hard to
Keep Out of Evidence.

Mrs. Jean Nelson Penheld, city chair
man OF the Woman Suffrage party, occu-
| pied the witness stand most of yesterday
afternoon in Part 2 of the Supreme Court,
| Brooklyn. After Charles T. Suffern, coun-
sci for the party, and Amy Wren, counsel
for the Elder side.<and Justice JaycoX him
self had examined and cross examined her,
Miss Wren put her hands on her hips, In
her favorite legal attitude, and hurled this
question at the witness:
"Supposlng Mrs. Elders reelection as
| borough chairman on October u to he
| Illegal. who, in your opinion, is Brooklyn's
chairman now? Or do you consider Brook
| lyn TO have been without chairman since
! October 14?"
| Mrs. Pentield, after a good deal of hesi-
tation. said she supposed the old officers
| held over i'm such cases.
! But the charges Of unfairness and ille-
galtv against Mrs. Elder, the former chair
man. complicate the matter in this in
stance, she explained.
There were no charges against the other
! Brooklyn officers were there? No charges
against the secretary? Then why Gidn't you
! invite her to the convention you planned
for December IS? Hadn't the party's Brook
lvn secretary a right to attend the election
! in her own borough" demanded Miss Wren.
| 1t was conceded that the secretary wasn't
! invited to that December IS convention dhe
convention that never convened, because
| the Eldertes enjoined iU, and another Of
those smiles to which Mr.. Suffren so strenu-
ously objected yesterday appeared on Miss
Wren's face.
The imperturbahility OF the Elderites
Portia is getting on MIR. Suffrens nerves
dreadfully as the trial advances. There
were times yesterday when he was that
peeved at her that the sweat stood out on
his brow. In spite of the fact that Miss
Wren is bigger than he il, it was evident
once that something might have happened
| If il hadn't been for her sex. 1t was when
she had made one of her somewhat fire.
ouent objections TO something he was try
| ing to do.
| If you were a man. he spluttered. jump
ing to his feet, If you were man I'd
| But Justice Jaycox told the irTitated Mr..
Suffren rebukingly that in courts of law
men and women were alike: and Mr. Sut-
| fren's own wife, who was in the witness
chair being examined by him, shook her
head al him with fTown, and he subsided.
A telling point made by the Elderites yes
terday was the introduction I'm testimony
of the letter upon which Mrs. Elder found
Miss Ida Craft Mrs. Priscilla Hackstaft
and Mrs Grace G. Wolterbeck guilty Of
GislOyalty to the party 1t is the letter
which, the Elderites say, was sent 10 every
Assembly district header Of the party in
Brooklyn, asking them to join the Kings
County Woman Suffrage Alliance and to
make their districts auxiliary to the alli-
ance Mrs Wolterbeck was president of
the alliance and Mrs. HaCkstaff's and Miss
Croft's names were among those of the
directors Mrs Elder held that this was
an attempt TO disrupt the party. Mr.. Suf-
fern tried hard to have the letter kept out
of the evidence, but the court ruled it In.
There was a lot of mcrrimcnt when Mrs
Wells, secretary for the party, described
the dinner to which Mrs. Penfeld sum
moncd the opposing factions for a confer
ence last month as "a friendly gathering"
Il didn't mean to imply that It was a
brbe" said Miss Wren. Let US call it a
treat"
The case will he continued at 10 o'clock
to-day. 1t may he ended to-day. No one
seems to know.
After the session yesterday Mrs. Woltor-
beck was found in one of the side rooms in
an exhausted condition, supported by her
daughter and a friend.
Where / used to live and vote. out
West. such things never happened. she
walled. This New Ycrl. is a dreadful po-
Z nj