Hotel's Claim for Alleged Breach of Contract Before the Senior Consul's Assesser, Mr. Ivanoff, in the Mixed Court, last Friday, the Shanghai Hotels, Ld., brought a cairn against Mr. Demensthein, one of their musicians, for $3,200 for breach of contract. Defendant was not present.
Mr. F. J. Schuhl, for the company, said that defendant entered into a contract on October 20, 1990, for nine months. He was to receive $250 per month and his board and lodging. In February he left at only a day's notice and joined the French Club orchestra and the Astor House management were put to considerable expense and trouble to fill his place. Another musician left at the same time and judgement had been obtained against him in the French Court. The management were not vindictive and, though they had claimed a large sum, they were willing to accept the actual excess expenditure of $550, to show defendant and others that this sort of thing would not be\tolerated, Mr. W. S. Bardarson, manager of the Astor House, said that it cost them extra money for a substitute and $100 a month more for a permanent man in defendant's place. He estimated the falling off in receipts during three months, consequent on defendant's action, at $1,500.
At this point it was stated that, by an oversight, the defendant had not been served with a summons and the case was therefore adjoufned till next week.
There was a further hearing of the case in the Mixed Court, on Wednesday.
Defendant declared that he was too sick to continue working at the Astor House, The Assessor said that defendant, had not shown that he had sufficient ground for breaking the contract. Judgement was given for the plaintiffs for $500 and costs.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.