The San Francisco call. [volume], November 18, 1910, Page 10, Image 10

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

10
MERRY WIDOW'S
ILL FOR HUBBY
MADE WIFE MAD
Mrs. H. W. Ballard Notifies Hus
band's Attorney of Reason
for Her Disappearance
Agent Denies the Impeachment
and Suggests Scheme to
Wreck Business
The myftfriouf disappearance of Mrs.
H. W. Ballard. wife of an agent for
an eastern manufacturing concern, who
offered $100 reward for clews as to her
whereabouts, was explained by a letter
*he .wrote to him yesterday in which
she declared she never would return
to him. and was followed by the de
velopment of a string of matrimonial
woes and charges in which the Bohe
mian atmosphere, "merry widows" in
"he guise of stenographers and other
such obj^rts of hilarity, were the prom
inent feature?. /
BalJard, broken down and a nervous
wrfrk' as a result of the loss of his
wife, denied the charges emphatically
and came forward with charges of his
own in which he accused his attorney,
Donald Wj]*-on, of trying to cheat him
out of his business.
MERRY WIDOW CAUSES STORM
Ballard. his wife and two children,
rp.me to San Francisco from Kansas
City about five months ago and took
up their residence in Alameda; Bal
lar<3 hnvingr his offices in the Metropolis
building. Prior to their arrival here,
nccordina: to their friends, there had
not betn the least trouble between
Them, but the bright lights of the city,
they pay. proved his undoing.
Qusrrels became frequent. His wife
objected to his stenographers and they
i.TPted about a month each. The last
was a beauty, dubbed around the office
the "merry widow." Mrs. Ballard saw
her and she, too, went. After that she
aot*>d as her hupband's stenographer.
In the midst of the turmoil it" was
decided that Ballard should go on a
hunting trip to Washington, and he
c!id so. taking his son with him. In
his absence Mrs. Rallard managed his
affairs at the office. The final storm
broke when, on answering the tele
phone, she recognized the voice of the
merry widow.
RALLARD ROASTS ATTORNKY
JuPt what remark the merry one
made is not known, but the next day
Mrs. Ballard withdrew from the office,
arranged to have her girl stay at a
hoarding school in Alameda and came
to a friend's house in San Francisco.
Ballard. returning, found a farewell
note and hi? wife conspicuously absent.
Then he b<-gran the hunt. He is at the
Crescent hotel in Alameda.
Learning «t her husband's search for
her, Mrs. Ballard wrote to his at
torney, Ponald Wilson, saying that she
\u25a0was ready to confer with him in the
presence of others, but that she never
would return to him. Ballard's con
tention is that the letter from his wife
was sent by the orders of Attorney
Donald Wilson, who is a stock holder
in the Ballard safety appliance com
pany, of which he Is manager, and that
the lawyer's purpose is to wreck the
business.
Y. M. C. A. DEBT PAID
BY GUESTS AT BANQUET
Secretary McCoy Entertains
Ministers and Capitalists
The first affair in the new building
of the Y<"iung Men's Christian associa
tion, at the corner of Golden Gate ave
nue and Leavenworth street, was a
banquet giv^n by Secretary McCoy to
150 ministers of all denominations
from this city, Oakland. Berkeley and
Alameda. Rev. Hutsinpiller said
grace, and after the repast there were
addresses by the host, Rolla V. Watt,
Rev. W. Frederick Champett. Rev. E.
Dille, Kdward Coleman, W. H. Crocker
and Captain A. M. Simpson.
"At the olose of the repast," paid
Secretary McCoy, "there was a call to
raise the balance of $75,000 needed to
pay the obligations incurred in fur
nishing this magnificent building, and
In two minutes the amount was sub
scribed. I do not, at this time, care
to name the donors, but will say that
when the building is dedicated on
Thanksgiving day it will be absolutely
free from debt."
WORKS BOARD ORDERED
TO REINSTATE ROCHE
Bridge Tender Is Granted Writ
of Mandate
Marshall Roche, a civil service em
ploye of the city who was discharged
from the position of bridge tender on
the Fourth street drawbridge by the
board of works April 20. was ordered
reinstated yesterday by Judge Seawell.
Roche sued the board of works, and the
court issued an absolute writ of man
date commanding the board to give him
back the job.
The order carries with it .judgment
for costs against the board, and, fur
thermore, Roche will receive his salary
at $90 a month for the seven months
he has been under suspension.
When the board of works discharged
Roche it gave his position to a non
civil service' employe named Hayes.
The appointment was declared t by
Judge Seawell to be invalid.
TRUSTEE OF HASTINGS
ESTATE PASSES AWAY
William A. Giselman Dies at His
Home Here
William A. Giselman. for many years
a -trustee in the famous Hastings es
tate, died Wednesday morning at his
home. 1720 Golden Gate avenue. He Is
survived by a widow, Mrs. Anna M.
Giselman, and two children. His
daughter. Grace, married William A.
I^ange. the famous baseball star, and
his son. Marshall W. Giselman, was
organist at Calvary church for a num
ber of years.
Giselman was born in Westphalia,
Germany, and was 66 years old. He was
a member of the George IL Thomas
post of the Grand Army of the Re
public
The funeral will be held this
morning at 8.30 o'clock from the home,
aiter which a requiem high mass will
be sung at Holy Cross church. The
body will be interred at. Santa Clara.
JERSEY CITY CHANGES
"SALOON" FOR "CAFE"
• NEW YORK. Nov. 17. — "Saloon" has
.gone out of existence In Jersey City.
By edict of the Hudson county liquor
dealers* association it became known
today the word "cafe" is hereafter to
be substituted. Further yet, the bar
tender has been done away with, now
freinff known officially, as a. "server."
Writer Scores Divorce Laws
Inequality Called a Crime
Wife of Bank President
Shows Necessity of
Speedy Reform
Branding as "a nation'-s crime" the
lack of uniformity in the divorce laws
of the several states of the union, Mrs.
L Lowenberg, wife of the president of
the City and County bank of San Fran
cisco, and one of the leaders in club
dom and society here, has taken occa
sion in her latest novel, bearing that
title and published yesterday, to point
out through the medium of a forceful
story the imperative necessity for a
remedying of the existing laxity in
this regard. This is her second work
of importance. h*he first. "The Irresist-.
ible Current," dealt with the chasm be
tween .lew and Gentile. -
The theme of "A Nation's Crime" is :
merely the probable working out of.
the • laws as they are. Much of it has
the appearance of being based on actual
court records. The tale in brief is that
a Maryland woman, who is unhappy
with her husband, secures a Reno di
vorce. Immediately after the divorce
she is married to the man of her love.
Many years later, after the birth of
two children to the second husband, a
will contest arises and bj* the laws of
Maryland it is held that her second
marriage was illegal and her children
in the eyes of the Maryland law illegit
imate. . .....
MISERY CAUSED BY LAW
Around this situation arc woven the
miseries of the mother, the blighted ro
mances of the children. The startling
feature, of it all is that with the hap
hazard divorce laws and haphazard di
vorce decisions, is the probability -of
the conclusion drawn, by the author.
The safeguard which the law has been
popularly supposed .to hedge the offi
cial acts of a sister state are broken
down by present day decisions and
Mrs. Lowenberg makes it clear, that
until the states adopt some uniform
rule, misery, sorrow and suffering of
the innocent are bound to follow.
Quoting the judge who gave the de
cision which declared illegal the mar
riage of the main characters in her
book. Mrs. Lowenbers says:
The results of our divorce laws
are sad as well as disgraceful.
What a reflection on the legislation
of a people^ where a man or woman
. is married in one state and not in
another: is lawfully married in one
latitude and longitude, and a big
amist or a bachelor in another. Of
all the states in the union only in
two states are the laws of mar
riage and divorce alike. And that
the same laws of a uniform mar
riage law do wot exist in every
. state of the union is a nation's
crime. p
LAW DECLARED UNREASONABLE "
Speaking on this topic she again
says:
They knew and felt that though
the marriage might be declared
illegal it was through no fault of
the Allersons, but executed through
ignorance and through a wrong
conception of the law. And though
it was a violation of the law, the
law is unreasonable, unknown to
most lawyers as well as to most
laymen of the state of Maryland:
and that the law of these United
States in not haying a uniform
divorce and marriage law, to be
recognized in one state as well as
in another, is a mound of iniquity,
a world of wrong, the cause of the
most disgraceful complications,
plunging innocent families, par
ents and children in the most reck
less way into the gulf of despair,
and crying aloud for reform. This
cry can not be heard too soon, for
in these days of lax and rapid
divorces these entanglements may
be expected to occur more and more
frequently.
EXCUSE FOR SUICIDE
A girl, declared illegitimate by a
court decision, commits suicide and at
her gTave this ensues:
The minister continued: "She
. who Is sleeping the eternal sleep
is innocent; she had not committed
any crime; the nation is responsi
ble for its unwise, unjust laws,
therefore it is a nation's crime."
The people did not condemn her,
but in the sincerity of their hearts
bowed their heads in adoration.
The tendency among a certain type
of judicial officers to tear down the
1 popularly accepted principles of law is
again brought forward by Mrs. Low
enberg in a vivid manner when she
gives what is evidently an accurate re
print of a Chicago dispatch in a news
paper:
Let me read you this — the article
taken from a Sunday paper:
"Weeping wives and frightened
husbands besieged the office of
Marriage License Clerk Salmonson.
in, the county building yesterday in
a vain effort to learn whether they
were legally married or whether,
according to a recent decision of
Municipal Judge Beitler. they had
been united by justices of the peace
who had no authority. Many
women carried babies, while others
led small children. All had read
of-Judge Beitler's ruling that mar-
OVERCOATS-RAINCOATS
WINTER SUITS
There are three chief reasons which decide- what clothes
you will buy— rappearance, quality and price. The order
of their importance varies as men vary, but these are
QTFIW RI nPH
oMAR 1 CLU I nbo
Score perfect on every count and, as sold by us, give the
utmost of style and quality to be had at any given price.
ROBERT S. ATKINS
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jluo fc«j u l I.CI **r tree l
THE SAN FRANCISCO. CALL. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER: 18, 1910,
MRS. I. LOWENBER.G
riage ceremonies performed by jus
tices of the peace who had no au
thority were null and void. Judge
Foster, acting chicf • justice of, the
municipal court, declared the law
was ' plain and that undoubtedly
every marrirtge performed by jus
tices of- the peace since the munici
pal law went into effect was.ille
gal. If the decision Is affirmed a
special act of the Illinois legisla
ture may be sought that will legal
ize all such marriages." -
CHARACTERS EXPRESS VIEWS
These are the conditions which -Mrs.
Lowenberg points .to ''as \u25a0'constituting a
nation's crime. In Illinois she finds in
stances of children being declared' ille
gitimate by the decision of a court,, and
In Maryland by the unearthing "of a
forgotten statute. And in her book she
puts forward the question:' "Where is
it to end? Is the social: status to be
undermined by tho technical knowl
edge of a judge?" . .
Of the divorce question itself she
says little in her own right as author,
alowing her characters to express their
views on the subject' according to their
various ideas.
By these means . the two sides - of. the
argument are presented, the following
being an instance: . ,
"Divorce is one of the evils of
the times, j Nowhere in the world
are the laws so lax as in the Unit
ed States in regard . to tljo legal
separation of man, and wife. Now,
if you knew there was no. release
for you on this earth your dislike
would never have grown to this
deadly hate." .. - '\u0084.- ,
"I am low "church; you' -are high
church. If you keep on you will be
calling divorce and marriage, with
your rigid ideas, adultery."
"We must/ call things 'by their
proper names." .....
"•But be careful', not -to make mis
takes." :,' - \u25a0.-'.'-; '- ; i : \u25a0 .
"Any divorced man.'or, woman re
marrying is a bigamist. , My opin
ion-Is decided on that point."
"Well, 1 father, do not- be too de
cided — you know there was a time
when .Servetus was burned .at the
stake for denying the. trl-personal
ity of the divinity, i and now we
wonder at such narrowness. Times
change."
"I repeat that the legal dissoluu
tion of those ties does not vindi
cate that-remarriage Is equitable —
It Is iniquitous."
"A Nation's Crime" Is published by
the Neal • publishing company. It Is
well printed and, bound. .
BUSINESS RIVALRY
TAKES MEN TO COURT
One Jeweler Says Rival Sat
on Him ,
Business rivalry . brought two jewel
ers from -the Mission district before
Judge Shortall yesterday.. Ike Hassen,
who has a jewelry store . at 2951 1 Six
teenth street, appeared as the "complain
ing witness against Fred Steffan,
whose place of business Is 2518* Mission
street/ Hassen. claims Steffan stands in
front of his \u25a0 store i and obscures the
show windows with his bulk. When he
remonstrated threw him down
and sat on him, Hassen alleges. Steffan
says he does such a big business that
Hassen is jealous of him, and when he
was walking past his- rival's store
Wednesday Hassen ran out and struck
him. The case, was, continued.
FINANCIAL 'GENIUS'
WANTS MONEY BACK
University Instructor Alleges
That He Was Led to Give
Up $5,500 by Fraud
H. L. Bruce Borrowed $25,000 to
Float Realty Venture; Told
He Was Second Harrimari
Painting him as, a Croesus and com
paring him to the late EH. Harriman
were among the ruses employed in
inducing, H. L. Bruce, a reader in the
department of English at the Univer
sity of California, to assume a debt of
$25,000, from which he is endeavoring
to freehimself through an action filed
in. the superior- court of .Contra Costa
county" yesterday. "Accerding to the
complaint; Jennie P. Bousfield, her hus
band,-Robert E. Bousfleld; :L. M. ver
Mehr, W, G. Dodge, P. C. Mills and the
Do'dge-Ver Mehr realty company,: all of
Berkeley and Claremont, defendants in
the action, so *enchanted the young
plaintiff,^ who .Is only 22 years of age,
that he all the- money his
mother, relatives and he could raise,
purchased- a group of precipitous cliffs
in Contra Costa county just out of Dan
ville and. then waited In the offices of
the Dodge-Ver Mehr company for the
part of. Croesus assigned to him. Be
fore Bruce could be declared a financier
he had to pay $25,000 for the land which
was to make him a money baron. Now
he asks- the courts, through his attor
ney,l William Crittenden of the firm of
Putman, • Van - Wyck & Crittenden, to
free him from' the iniquitous contract
and give him judgment against the
defendants.
LISTENS TO FAIRY TALE
In the recital of details it -\ appears
that Bruce, who Is an assistant to Prof.
"Charles Mills Gayley at the university,
came in contact with a financial third
rail in the persons of Robert .E. Bous
field and his wife, Jennie, residents of
Claremont and original, owners of "one
of the most magnificent' pieces of real
property in the hills of . Contra Costa
county." He gave ear •to a tale of
spreading, population and rapid migra
tion through the foothill tunnel to the
Bousfleld- property. Possibilities be
came probabilities and were reduced on
maps to actualities, and Bruce; was to
be the great beneficiary — for $5,5.00.
- As soon as yie young man found him
self burdened with the contract and the
property he became an. active realty
dealer instead of a college instructor,
and worked with . great, industry and
zeal to sell all his rights, title and in
terests. He finally concluded that he
had been the last of the crop, and. with
Interest and principal piling up, he fled
to the arms of his, counsel. In floating
the deal he was informed that he had
embraced a great opportunity and that
his pictures would be at a premium as
soon as the world realized hla financial
acumen. Highly lithographed folders
were published, exploiting the new
property, and elaborate steps taken to
market the acreage.
BOUGHT PART OF ROAD
On the only occasion when he had an
opportunity to sell, the. prospective pur
chaser discovered that the lines of the
acres as represented on the map actual
ly extended Into the middle of the road.
This was a revelation to Bruce, who
has figured that he invested more
than $700 of- his payment- of $5,500 In
the public highway of Contra Costa
county. Alleging misrepresentation and
fraud,, he will make his fight for the
return of the borrowed money.
UNCLE SAM WANTS MEN
IN NEW CUSTOM HOUSE
The United States civil service com
mission announces that examinations
will be held in | San. Francisco at. an
early date for ' the purpose of filling
vacancies in the positions of elevator
conductor and marble polisher in the
new ' custom house building in this
city. Applicants must be citizens-of
the United States and must have had
previous experience in that kind of
work to be eligible for either examin
ation. Application blanks may be ob
tained from the secretary of the
twelfth civil service district, room 241,
postoffice building, San Francisco. Ap
plicants are requested to indicate the
name of the examination that they de
sire to take. -
BOY IS SERIOUSLY
HURT BY AN AUTO
Harold Dammersteln, 12 1 years old,
36 Belcher street, 'a student at the
Parental school at Seventh and Bryant
streets, was run down by an automo
bile while on his way home for lunch
yesterday. Charles Klelnt, 753 How
ard streat, the driver of the car, picked
the boy up and hurried him to the cen
tral emergency hospital, where it was
found the lad's skull had .been frac
tured.
Sensational Sale of House Dresses at $ \£!L
One piece dresses of heavy linene in checks or stripes. Many pretty
colorings ; high neck and lopg sleeves ; pearl buttons ; a particularly attractive $2.00
style. Sizes 34 to 44. Today, and Saturday if quantity lasts, but $1.45 each*
Girls' $5.00 Dresses Girls' $6.50 Dresses
igreatbigFridaTandSat- Jfcr* SO ' ' The latest st -, e -. sailor $>1 «75
urday Special. Handsome *A'^= dresses of exto quality navr £}*==
new winter styles in serges, - extra f f m and very becomm^ sa ii or
plaids and mixtures, trimmed silk blouse, neat plaited skirts. All sizes, 6
piping, braid and gilt buttons. Sizes to 14 years. Cost you $6.50 anywhere
6to 14 years. .. •% else.
Women s Jpl.ou f-,^o3^ sweater L^oats
Eiderdown qqc Worth $i .95
\u25a0Sacques. »» /^^fc,s3.so for 1"
From ouiMUisurpassed as- £(p/^M^^^^W Positively the best value
sortment of warm winter /W%W^^^^^ oft ' ered h - v this or an >' other
house garments, we have se- St ° rG this seasoll - Full length
lected for an extraordinary \u25a0 )W over-the-hip coats, of heavy -
Friday and Saturday special Vf )[) « aU w°olw ° o1 >' am; white^ red or
200 fine Eiderdown sacques: A) V (Bl "gray; a handsome novelty
i -, nA Wrt ii MXWi/mVb serpentine weave: two pock-
colors, gray and red; well / /B|| U^ g^ pearl^ bu| .
made and neatly finished /|lp/l tons. Sizes 32 to 44. Special I
with crochet edges. Sizes 34 iitf Friday and Saturday, -if
to 44. Only 98c each. lfff/Tr^^\ enough, only §1.95 each.
I Boys Rnssian Blouse $C.oo| liJB^& f
Children's Genuine Beaver Hats — //^^\~^^^
MM Boys' Shirts and $fr am jSs&^^^''^jKF --. mmww^T^^^'^ I^^ •\u25a0 w
Blouses — Regular $1.00 i^'j^ma^a jfi* /L I I
I MfnTFe^Hlts 0 -?-^! / O/J g2M /f U$%T &T M/UL ORDERS 1
g\u25a0; and $2.00 values $1.45 Jg^JCr %MII!LFMJI&A k&A. f/LLFD g
H CWSiy your Healilil \u25a0•^11 •
M^|] I It isn't the quantity of food you eat, but llliiiSlfS
apHPffl«if| II that portion of it that digests that brings health |^7j?-r-f^
iS^*"^*".^ I M Lard-soaked food never has been, never can g fr^ir2~S^
'^f^--^^/\ G be digestible and nourishing, because of the hog P |- —^ -7*-?^
j^v •' yf J j/'\ H fat it contains. %.- b ir^"*' !l ' &^gf i
S Cottolene is far more healthful than lard | fHs/v^e-"*'
jj^^li ; because Cottolene. is a vegetable product, makes It" J'^sg^yS*
iffi '^'>*£\ H food rich \vithout being greasy, and can easily P \u25a0 Jt^ •""« «sfe
TheyVsayStheiway to a * man's* heart r is JP*^^iv >>!^&
$S^ 2^ vV through his stomach." People, who have /P%i *&*&%*\!i
and are using Cottolene for all shortening and
p-£ r^j^^ health is •••^pj^^&^'iß
%^^3^M through the use pf Cottolene. Klfe^lwSfv?
THE N. K. FAIRBANK COMPANY
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};\u25a0 — --—^EyERYTHING'COMES TO HIM WHO USES THE CALL* WANT ADS ' f-