The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-08-23 00:00:00

ACTION FOR LIBEL.

The Under-Sheriff for Suffolk (rr. Jame. Sparks)
and • jury sat at Bury St. Edmund's on Friday, to
mese the damages is a case of libel, in which judg-
ment had been allowed to go by default. Mr. °Malley,
Q.C., and Mr. o'lllalley appeared for the nlatmiti,
and Mr. Mayd for the defendant. The plaintiff is Mr.
John Dobede, a gentleman of fortune, a magfitrate of
Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, and a deputy-lieutenant of
tile latt.ir county, aul the defi ',dant, the Rev. Erskine
Neale, is the vicarot the parish of Earring. Ike libel was
written on a post card, dated the 12th of June last, and
forwarded to the plaintiff by &circuitous route, which it
woe alleged had been clone for the purpose of obtaining
greater publicity. The words were as follows: --
" Your love of in cry is notorious. To acquire it has
been the aim and object of your life, but at 84 you nod
it must coon part. Will it avail you where you are
going? Thi, propensity of yours, Co lamentable in one
so old, explains your unjustly withholding my Easter
dues for the last two years. Well, instead of taking
you into the Connty Court and enforcing them, as I
could do, I make you a present of them. Once more
you have your own way, but I greatly question
whether the recollection of t! is transaction wi I make
your dying pillow easier, or tire great r hinge that awai's
you more welcritne.” It seemed front the evidence that
the partir a had for some time not been on go A terms.
The defendant had on verliour occasions ramie use of
cffennive expiessioue to Mr. llohede, and had ref raid
to him so pointedly in the curse of his sermons that
his family had felt compelled to leave the church.
There had been alao unpleasaritnese between them as
to the shooting over the glebe, which WM e ..nt• time
hired by the plaintiff, who rec,iit I Lotice to ter-
minate the agreement in a very offensive form. Dif-
ferences hurl arisen SA ti the p..yurcut of Etc Cr does,
whicu the plaintiff had declined to pay for two
year.. o.her pcort carte from the defendant t e
we Usti within the fist three yr am, were
put in to show the malevolent feeling of Mr. Neale
towards the plaiutiff, in which reference was made to
thc probable early departure of the plain ill from this
life, and the. retribution which awaited him in the
next for Ilia money•gettiog propensities. For the
defencu it was mairitained that the origin of the quarrel
wac a di-puts about shooting over the glebe laud ; and
in niitigatdm of darnagel it we, urged thot the defend-
ant had offered through his molieit is an ample apology
and a withdrawal or the libel c-iiiplained of. The
learned Under Sheriff having summed up, the jury
awarded the plaintiff £lO. The damages were laid at

MAKRLAGE OF THZ DITIM Of EDINBUROII.
The f'zir will leave it. Petersburg shortly for a series
of mil.tary inspections in the south of Rustia. Ills
Majesty will subsequently proceed to liivatiia, where
all the members of the Imperial family have assemblel
to ree-ive the Duke of E tailturgli in the course of next
month. Hitl Royal flag Inlets witl remain at Li • wit*
ntitil ih.tober, will then return lor a ahort time to Eng.
land, wal wit' &al., in St. l'etersburg ming the
month of December. The nuptials of Ins Royal High.
nese with the Grand Duchess Marie will be celebrated
in St. Petenburg in January, Pi 74.