- William Steinway’s diary: “Lovely day. All at Supreme Court. To our unspeakable Joy Judge M. L. Stover rendered his decision in the case of Henry W. T. St. vs. William Steinway +Steinway +Sons concerning Steinway’s Pianofabrik Hamburg, in my favor and dismisses plaintiffs complaint with costs on the merits. We all congratulate ourselves.”
- In his official statement Justice M.L. Stover writes that real estate development in Astoria has provided Steinway & Sons workers with “conditions and influences of exceptional advantage to them and their families […] thus promoting better and more permanent service on their part. […] a policy such as this, intelligently and liberally executed, might reasonably be expected to insure the continued and faithful services of a skilled and contented body of operatives.” In regard of Steinway & Sons charities, the judge wrote: “I think the plaintiff expressly or tacitly approved of or acquiesced in them and has thereby made them his own.” (Henry W.T. Steinway, before becoming a force of antagonism, had supervised the laying of streets in Astoria, donated books to the library, and had even served as a church trustee.) Judge Stover also notes that Henry W.T. Steinway has demonstrated “his confidence in the management of the company” when he bought Steinway & Sons stock in 1891, barely months prior handing his resignation. Finally, the judge writes in regard of William Steinway and his co-trustees: “there’s not a single scintilla of evidence showing that they have ever abused the confidence reposed in them or that they have used their position as majority shareholders to oppress, defraud or impose upon the minority.”
- Henry W.T. Steinway immediately files an appeal.