The sun., 1919-07-16
CHALONER WINS 20
YEAR SANITY FIGHT
Court Prepares to Dismiss
Committee of Person and
Property Here.
NO FAMILY OPPOSITION
Settlement of Battle Over
Mental Status Helped by
Women Relatives.

John Armstrong Chaloner ended yes
terday afternoon his twenty year fight to
have his sanity recognized in the State
and city Of his birth. Supreme Court
Justice Ford, at the conclusion OF the
argument of Morris Streusand OF Kaplan,
BOSNIAN & Streusand, Chaloner's attor-
neys, announced he would await only a
formal perusal Of the papers before
granting ChaIoner's motion for the dis
missal Of Thomas T. Sherman as COM
mittee Of his person and property.
The motion was unopposed by Louis
Stuyvesant Chanler. Robert NJ. Chanler,
Winthrop Astor Chanler or any other
member of his family with whom Chalo-
ner has fought a bitter legal and literary
feud since they caused his commitment
to Bloomingdale in 1897. With the
formal granting OF the motion Chaloner
will enter into his share Of one OF the
oldest and wealthiest OF the Knicker-
booker properties OF New York. netting
him well over $1,000 year.
Notwithstanding this promised vindi-
cation, Mr. Chaloner told a reporter for
THE SUN yesterday he would not RESUME
residence in New York city and the place
IN its society to which his family oonnec-
tions would entitle him
AFTER i escaped from Bloomingdale
In 1899" he said. II went to live at
Merry Mills, Virginia, and I've become
accustomed to country life. That's the
way I'm going to go on living. But you
can bet I'll come to New York for many
q visit"
Mr. Chaloner set foot in New York for
the first time in twenty years this spring.
His appreciations of the changes In the
city at that time compared New York as
he left her to a gawky girl Of II who had
bloomed meanwhile into the full flower
of womanly beauty.
80 we'll convinced of Mr.. ChaloneTs
sanity yesterday was Justice Ford after
the recital of Mr.. Streusand that he re-
fused to question the petitioner who was
present in court and ready 10 suprnlt
himself to an examination.
81 have a pretty clear idea Of the
merits of this case already" Justice
Ford said.
Mr.. Streusand had reviewed the legal
aspects OF the long battle of Mr.. Cha
Toner from the time he was ad1udged
incompetent by a SheriRs Jury while
he was locked I'D in Bloomingdale and
unable to be present in his own defence.
After he had escaped from Bloomingdale
under sensational circumstances and fled
through New York and philadelphia to
Virginia a friendly neighbor In that
State brought an action against him to
have him declared an escaped lunatrc
and returnei to New York or to have
him adjudged sane. The Virginia courts
after a hearing declared him to be sane
and he established residence there and
in North Carolina, where his sanity was
likewise established.
In 1917 he applied to the Supreme
Court of New York to reestablish his
sanity here, for though sane in Vir-
ginia he was still under the cloud OF
the old New York process and could not
enter this State. The bulk of his prop
erty was here and was in the custody
OF Mr. Sherman. From II he was al
lowed from $4,000 to 100000 a year.
Justice Tierney found at that time that
service on all OF the interested parties
had not been completed and rejected the
application without prejudice TO its
proper renewal
Meanwhile Chaloner had devoted him
self to voluminous literary work. He
reviewed the lunacy laws Of the world
and published a textbook on them tn
show the iniquity which he insists stu
exists In the New York law. He pub
lished privately volumes OF plays and
poems many OF them dealing incl
dsntally with his own dramatic case.
Upon the marriage OF his brother,
SHERIFF Bob" to Lima Cavalier. the
singer. a marriage subsequently ended
by divorce, Chaloner attained fame by
sending from his enforced retreat in
Virginia this laconic telegram:
who's looney now?'
some Friends in Family.
He had already changed the spelling
of his name. He has always expressed
friendly feelings for 'Sheriff Bob
though he has refused to meet him. He
Is also understood to have maintained
friendly correspondence with the women
of the family. though he has said that
Il was because of Observation-Disclosures with
his sisters over his marriage to Amelie
Rives, the novelist. now the Princess
Troubetskoy, that all of his family
troubles arose. The women OF the fam
lily, however. are reported to have beer
instrumental In Withholding opposition &c
the proceedings concluded yesterday.
This attitude of the family was ex'
pressed yesterday by Harold Taylor
their attorney After reviewing Chal'
oner's efforts TO secure what he termed
his rights" Mr.. Taylor said OF him
Tin the league of common sense every
body knows he Is competent"
Mr. Taylor agreed with Herbert J
Bickford. attorney for Mr.. Sherman, thai
1t was unnecessary TO have a referet
and that Justice Ford could decide the
case on the statements made and tho
papers submitted. Mr.. Bickford saic
that Mr.. Sherman neither approved mol
objected to the discharge of Mr.. Chai
oner's property from his custody. Mr.
Taylor introduced Chaloner. who was ar
interested spectator in court, to Justice
Ford and suggested the advisability o.
asking him questions to expedite tn,
formal decision.
In addition to the decision OF thu
southern courts this ia the third time
that Mr.. Chaloner's sanity has beer
judically osta blished. He collected q
verdict OF $4,000 awarded to him by
Washington jury against the Washington
Post which had cast aspersions on hi,
mentality and a jury in the Fedora
Court here recently awarded him $35. 00t
damages against the New York Eventnt
Post Tor a paragraph which Chalonei
alleged to have called him a lunatic
The latter verdict, though reduced b.
stipulation to S17,500. has been appealed
by the Post.