All Kinds of Compliments and Charge of Threat to Assault Mr. Cornell S. Franklin appeared in the U.S. Commissioner's Court on Saturday morning charged by Mr. A. Tilton Steele with threatening assault. My. Steele was unrepresented by counsel and on seeing that Mr. Franklin was represented Messrs. P. F. Faison, F. J. Schuhl, and R. S. Haskell remarked that he had not expected to see "'this galaxy of legal talent," to which Mr. Lurton replied, 'You must always be prepared for anything in a law case,' and Mr. Steele retorted, 'I realize that in Shanghai one must always be prepared for the worst."
The plaintiff stated that on Thursday afternoon the defendant had threatened him with assault, the two being at the time in the office of the District Attorney, Mr, L. G. Husar. He stood over plaintiff, saying in a loud voice, "Take off your glasses and I will smash your face,"' and had also threatened to "fix him." The only witness to the interview was Mr, Husar's stenographer, who said that she heard the words "Take off your glasses and T will smash your face," that she then glanced up quickly, and returned at once to} her work (quite in the manner, of the immortal Charlotte, who, "hav-Jing seen his body, borne before her on a shutter, like a well conducted person went on cutting bread and butter.") The witness refused to commit herself as to the violence of the tone or as to any threatening attitude, saying that there were often many people in that office, that she went on with her work and didn't see Mr. Franklin threaten Mr. Steele. There was no other witness for the plaintiff.
Mr. Franklin said that he had been engaged by Mr. Steele to represent him in a_ suit brought against him by the firm of Rodger Haskell and_ the trouble he had with the plaintiff was over his fee which had not been paid. "After Rodger & Haskell had been forced to sue for their fee and after Mr. Steele told me that he did not expect to pay Mr. Fessenden the remaining half of the fee due him, and told me I would have to sue him to collect my fee, I told him he was a d—d dead beat," said Mr. Franklin, He told me I lied and then I told him if he would take his glasses off I would knock his face off. He did noe take them off." Mr. Franklin further stated that he did not assault the plaintiff or advance upon him in a. threatening manner. On crossexamination Mr. Franklin denied having said that he would "fix" the plaintiff.
The plaintiff in his final statement stated that he did not refuse to pay the defendant's fee but said that inasmuch as he intended to
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