Emanuel Seifert, Law-suit
WON HIS SUIT.
Member of Knaben Kapelle Discharged by the Manager.
The St Louis Globe Democrat, August 14, 1898
Published at DVHH.org 29 May 2020 by Jody McKim Pharr

     On April 24, 1898, there arrived in St Louis from Vienna a young musician named Emanuel Seifert. He was brought here under a contract made with Nicolas Schilzonyi, leader of the so-called "Franz Josef's Hussaren Knaben Kapelle," under which he was to play in the band as fleugelhorn player for a period of six months.

     Arriving here, he immediately reported for duty, and for some time thereafter was treated quite well. Another musician. whose place Seifert was to take, did not leave, and Seifert claims that it was then determined to get rid of him as expeditiously and cheaply as possible.  After his arrival here, Seifert began to suffer with sore lips, which is quite common in players of wind instruments. Ordinarily the lips  heal in eight or ten days if the player is allowed to rest. But Seifert was kept playing in the band. Finally, on June 30, Mr. Schilzonyi discharged Seifert, and then the claim was made that he could not play his instrument properly.

     Seifert, sorely troubled, spoke of the  misfortune to a friend and countryman, Mr. Frederick E. Koppel, who interested himself in his behalf and secured for him the services of an attorney, who, upon hearing the facts, very promptly took hold. An attachment suit was at once filed against Schilzonyi and the uniforms of the band levied upon.  Schilzonyi gave a forthcoming bond and was permitted to keep the uniforms.

     The case came up for trial before Justice F. A. Cline last Wednesday, and was concluded Friday. The defense was that Seifert, was not a fleugelhorn soloist, and in general was incompetent, as a musician. But, the plaintiff not only showed testimonials from some of the most eminent leaders of the Old World, such as Eduard Strauss, C. M. Ziehrer and others, but produced five of the leading musicians and bandmasters of this city, who testified that Seifert was a fleugelhorn soloist, and was indeed an artist upon his instrument. It took the court but a short time to find a verdict for the plaintiff. The judge awarded judgment for $310, being his salary for the I full, six months. less what had been paid him.