The Washington times. [volume], November 23, 1919, FINAL EDITION, The American Weekly, Image 29

About The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Mrs. Lillian Lindley's Shocking
Experience with Millionaire Knowlton's
Pet Ape Which Broke Loose,
Invaded Her Home,
Attacked the Babies
at Breakfast and
Threw the Bulldog
Out
the
Window
//\V7 E vert at break Cast Suddenly
VY/ a hairy monster sprang into
?? the room. I was giving the
children their oatmeal when the "ntmal
entered. He stopped and seemed to sniff
the* oatmeal with relish. My babies and I
ware paralyzed with (light."
With these words Mrs. Lillian 8. Lind
ley began the recital to a Jury In Los
Angeles of an experience unparalleled in
all the records of all the courts in the
United States. The similarity of Mrs.
Llndley's own frightful ex
perience with the hideous
events recounted in "The
Murders of the Rue
Morgue," by Edgar Allen
Poe,. ere indeed startling.
It was an experience
which Mrs. Llndley will
never tally recover from,
and the Jury promptly
awarded her a verdict of
damages against the own
er of the ape which in
truded on her little family
circle.
Frozen with terror Mrs.
Lindley stared at the mon
ster, but was instantly
aroused to action when
the hairy visitor stretched
out a long, aggressive arm
and jerked her four-year
' old baby girl, Miriam,
toward him with a brutal
grin.
Leaping from her seat
at the table the frantic
mother went to the rescue
of little Miriam, but was
shaken off by the ape. At
the same moment the family bulldog
gripped the bristly ankle of the chim
paniee. A huge brown hand descended,
seised the dog's ootlar, and "ftth an easy
backward gesture threw the growling bull
dog oat of the open window.
Inspired by mother lore and forgetful
of her danger Mrs. Lindley again tackled
the brute. Her clenched hands flitted
frantically like a bamming bird's before
the chimpansee's eyes. She beat at the
creatine's hardened chest and strained to
loosen his grasp upon poor Miriam.
Just what purpose the ape had in mind
is not clear, bat his attention was fixed
upon the child, and the attack of the
little one's mother gave him no concern
whatever As the ape's fingers circled the
throat of the little one Mrs. Lindley
screamed piercingly. He loosened his clasp
on Miriam and for the first time took note
of the mother.
As Miriam dropped to the floor Mrs.
Lindley seized the child in her arms and
looked toward the nine-year-old son, Mil
ton. The ape sensed the meaning of her
glance, and seising Milton around the neck
threw the boy across the room. Darting
to where he lay, Mrs. Lindley lifted him
and pushed him into a closet along with
baby Miriam In another moment she had
herself stepped Inside the closet and
locked the door, leaving their uninvited
guest alone In the dining room.
Before long a shout from neighbors in
the front yard told the terrified mother
that the chimpanzee had departed. He
ted made his way from the Invaded home
by sliding from a rear window down an
eave spout, after the custom of Poe's mys
terious murderer of the Rue Morgue, who
avoided paths of mankind and glided in
and out of third-story apertures by stealth
ily moving, hand over hand, over cornices,
drain pipes and shutters.
The ape in the modern instance,
however, did not depart until he had
poured onto the dining room table the
hot oatmeal breakfast Mrs. Lindley was
preparing to serve her brood when he
entered. But he is said to have Intelli
gently waited until the gruel was cool and
then to have scooped It into his jaws with
andlbte smacks of relish.
The suits for damages which Mrs. Lind
ley, her husband. O. P. Lindley, and her
son. Master Milton Lindley, later filed in
the County Superior Court named Colonel
E. W. Knowlton as the owner of the beast.
Knowlton is a millionaire patent medi
cine manufacturer and a connoisseur of
sorts. At the time Mrs. Llndley's home
was Invaded Knowlton was also a col
lector of simians. He maintained a pale
tial place at No. 3tS Grand avenue, the
famous "Millionaires' Bow" of Pasadena.
When Knowlton took the witness stand
in his own defense and that of his pet's
reputation, he testified to the human char
acteristics of the beast which Mrs. Lind
ley alleged had disturbed the tranquillity
at her home.
According to Knowlton, the pet tre
l?ssfly wore clothes like a ****** muled
"Frozen with terror Mrs. Lindley stared at the moqpter, but was
stantly aroused to action when the hairy visitor stretched out <
loof, agfressnre arm and jerked hef four-year-old baby girl,
Miriam, toward him with a brutal grin."
a cane, smoked cigarettes, had been a
movie actor, and meant no harm to any
child, especially to Mrs. Lindley's.
At this point the court cnt the million
aire's testimony off shortly by ruling that
culture was merely superficial and that
all monkeys were wild beasts no matter
what their training.
When Mrs. Lindley appeared on the
stand, her appearance corroborated the
story of nerrons pho-k given her by (he
monkey. Her face was thin sad drawn. Even
her hair was cnt short, for she said she
could not bear its weight when grown to
normal length. A nurse, Mrs. Lillian Mc
Eneny, from a local sanitorlum, accompa
nied Mrs. Lindley to the courtroom and
cared for her during the trial. Dr. Ross
Moore, a Los Angeles physician, testified
for her.
Knowltoa's contention throughout was
that Mrs. Lindley had suffered no shat
tered nerves and that his chimpanzee
meant no harm.
A demand of total damages amounting
to $56,250 was made in the complaint filed
by the Lindleys in the Los Angeles Su
perior Court, June 24, 1914.
Of this amount Mrs. Lindley demanded
$40,000, alleging she was made sick snd
hysterical by the behavior of the beast,
and the amount was necessary to repay
her for her sufferings.
The balance of $16,250 was demanded
by O. P. Lindley to reimburse him for ex
penses of medical treatment for Mrs. Lind
ley and his individual loss resulting from
her illness.
A Jury in Judge Louis W. Myers's court
awarded the Lindleys $2,000 damages. May
2*. 1916; $1,750 for Mrs. Lindley and $250
for her husband. Judge Myers denied
them a motion for a new trial July 26.
1915.
But the Lindleys returned to the attack
on November 5, 1917, when their son Mil
ton, filed suit in the Los Angeles
Superior Court for $15,000.
It was claimed in this complaint that
Milton constantly dreamed of monkeys
and had not slept soundly since the day
he was attacked. In the subsequent testi
mony it was brought out that Milton made
"monkey faces" in school at his classmates
since his terrifying experience with the
chimpanzee. The cane was heard before
Judge Dehl, who, under date of January
22, 1918, rendered a verdict of $1,000 for
the boy.
In the meantime Knowlton had appealed
the former case from Judge Myers's "court
to the Supreme Court of California, and
on November 19, 1918, Justice H. W. Mel
vln In 8an Francisco affirmed the decision
of the lower Lot Angeles court which
swarded $2,000 damages to Mr. and Mrs.
Lindley.
Much interesting detail regarding the
chimpanzee was brought oat during the"
legal episodes. The simian's name was
Charles H. Fuller, so christened by Mr.
Knowlton in honor of an esteemed friend
of his. a Chtcagoan, who bore that name.
The animal was the largest in Knowl>
ton's collection, which then numbered
more than thirty. His weight was 166
pounds and he ?
stood slightly more
than four feet in
height He is said
to have been of
prodigious strength.
"Never again,"
expressively
groaned millionaire
Knowlton, accord
ing to a newspaper
correspondent who
interviewed him a
few days after ths
first adverse legal
decision.
. "Never again will
I monkey with
monkeys on my
place."
The millionaire
held up one hand
as he declared it,
as though he were
taking an oath.
_ "I am disgusted.
A man takes an in
terest in something
and he tries to ac
complish a little^
and other people
immediately begin
to try to make
trouble for him."
The millionaire
hotly yet mournful
ly admitted Charley
Puller had become
the property of
other parties in
Mrs. Lillian S.
Lindley Who
Saved Her
Babies from
Mr. Knowlton's
Chimpanzee.
San Francisco for a consideration. The
rest of his collection was offered for sale.
Fuller, who was a perfect specimen of
a chimpanzee, valued at $10,000, first burst
into prominence when be arrived in Pasa
dena August 1, 1909, direct from Africa
to take up his habitat with Knowlton.
The "chimp," who at that time had not at
tained his full proportions, dame with a
chattering contingent of three other
monkeys of lesser stature?a mandrill and
two ringtails?whom Knowlton promptly
presented with the names of three of his
intimates?Bessie Bartholomew, E. E. Lee
and Mayor Early. The latter was a name
sake of the Pasadena mayor at that time.
Always Knowlton named his monkeys af
ter his closest friends.
The surrounding neighborhood first held
Fuller in considerable admiration. He was
feted royally, given as many cigarettes as
(Q UU, Utanattwal r?tw? ferric*, lac.
The Ape, "Charles H. Fuller," Fondling a Child. Mr. Knowlton,
Owner of "Fuller" Testified at the Trial of the Damage Suit That
the Ape Was Educated and Gentle; but the Judge Ruled That
j\ll Monkeys Were Irresponsible Wild Beasts and Their
Education and Culture Were Entirely Superficial.
a returned soldier and treated to delica
cies. According to Knowlton, small neigh
borhood boyB developed an attachment for
the beast which later was to Invade the
sanctity of the home In Eagle Rock. These
lads communicated to the "chimp" the
rules and ethlcB of modem baseball suffi
ciently to make a heavy slugger and ex
cellent base mnner out of him.
The animal was petted by millionaire
Groat Britain Bigkte liwnH -
Knowlton's wife and young daughter. It
acquired the art of needlework and spent
many afternoons with the ladies In Knowl
ton's sewing room.
Then Fuller became interested in what
lay beyond the horizon To him the
horizon was the wall surrounding the mil
lionaire's spacious grounds. *
He went on a voyage of discovery Into
neighboring yards, and so thoroughly an
joyed the expert*
esc* be hired tin
rest at the Mon
key tribe ta
Kaowltoa'a pri
vate boo aext tine
to p> with hta.
A3 way* the oage
doora wen Ml
op a lor tMr
em vealeaee, a*
Kaovttm mw
believed la keep
lag theai p|?
It was aot long
/until the Bight
Rev. Joeepb John
(OB, Kaovl|oa'a
k nearest neighbor,
obfected to hav
ing monkey faces
peerlag into his
windows at aO
boors the
day and light.
The presence of
the hnge chim
Hmee skulking
around his
g r o a n d 8 also
aroused h?s irv?
Reginald D. Joh?
son, the free' n
er's eon, u.
plained to tbe c'
authorities. a,u'
an ordinaire va>
passed wfcich e
quired monkeys
to be caged or
chained to barrel
organs, .\fter the
ordinance tbea
existlag in New
York City. The
ordinance was
adopted in tbe
Pall of 1911, and
Fuller, with his
cronies of lesser
sise, pined in
their cages until
the morning he
tore the Imprison
ing bars away and
loped easily over
the two miles in
errenlng between
Knowlton's hone
and Eagle Rock.
Throughout his
excursion that
morning he dem
onstrated t h e
stealthy trickery
Poe depicts in V m
Rne Morgue mur
derer. Tbe chlm
panaee held up a
startled barber
and approrriated
the barber'i hat
With a m<wlt ej
ture of courtesy
be glided away,
keeping a w^tcb
fal glanc r ?r
h' ahoalder at
the discomfited victim Then he rang
? doorbell and a horrified housewife locked
'him oat.
Record time wu reported to have bee*
made on his home trip after frightening
the Lindley household. He stopped but
once, and then It was to enter a residence
where an old rentlemaa awoke at hearing
a rattle in the cane rack In time to see
the Incredible apparition of a slouching
chimpanzee exiting with the old gentle
man's favorite walking stick!