The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-12-12 00:00:00

A LIBEL CASE.

In the Court of Queen's Bench, the cause " Morris
r. Railing has been tried, and was an action for libel.
The defer;dant pleaded not guilty. The plaintiff was
a surgeon, residing in Colchester ; the defendant the
proprietor of the Essex Standard.
' "-' " - •

oMr. ern ge, in opening the case, said that the libel of
" ' 1 I
which the plaintiff complained arose out of the election for
Colchester which took place in ISff;, and in which Mr.
Kerslake had been successful. A petition was presented
against his return, and plaintiff was one of the petitioners;
but, awing to some informality in the recopiisances, the
petition tel to the ground. Shortly atterwards a do-
cument was published by the defendant, and sold
extensively for 2tl. each copy. It WAS a kiwi ef parody
on " The House that Jack Built,•' and some persons might
consider it a humorous production ; but it was otie witch
caused great poin and annoyance to the plaintiff, and not
the less that he had been for years, and then WA medical
attendant to defendant and his family. The document was
headed, " The Little Petition the clique sent." In the
marain opposite each verse WAS a srotestme figure purport-
ing to represent the several petitioners, anti am ingot others
ths plaietiff, who was eallml " the Apothecary." Lt opened
thus :

This is the Petition
;cow sent to perdition
Ity those who were wishin'
To unseat the now Member we've chosen.

" This is the man with the auburn hair,
Who, is his great rage and his will despair,
Persuaded the others to sign the petition,
Now sent to perdition.
By those who were wishin'
To unseat the new member we've chotien.
This Is the man mho mended the chair
Fr that other nice man with the auburn halt,
ss- no, in his great rage and his despair,
Perstia.ed the others to sign the petition,
Now sent to perdition,
11 those who wcre
To unseat the new member we've chosen."

Not content with selling this production, a copy was placed
as a placard in front of defendant's newspaper office, and was
daily read by crowds, who jeered at the plaintiff whenever he
passed by. The defendant having declined to tipping cc, the
pre,ent a. tioti w. instituted ; but plaintiff was not proceed-
ing with it when he was forced into the court by the defend-
ant, who obtained a rule of the court for that purpose. Even
now, it the defendant expressed regret, he
,M rColeridge, was
willing to accept a nominal verdict.
Inc Lord Chief Justice: What do you say to that, brother
Parr
Mr.y. Serjeant Parry submitted that there really yes no libel
In the production in iptchtion. NOM that the Liberals
had achieved a triumph he thought they might consent to
withdraw the recont.
The Lord Chief Justice said he hail looked over the libel,
and, although a great number of people might be content to
treat such a production cc ith contempt, yet there were others
whom it would sting and annoy.
Mr. Serjeant Parry: It was only an election crow. (A.
laugh.
The Lord Chief Justice: You cannot with impunity put
a man in a grotesque attitude for every passer-by to laugh at
Mr. Serjeant Parry: There Is scarcely a number of
Punch my lord, in which public characters are not as
plat,.
The Lord Chief Justice : oh, Mr. 2Puneh is privileged.
(Laughter..
Serjeant Parry: I should be sort, to say he w. not.
The Lord Chief Justtce : Most °Geis have appeared there at
one time or another.
Mr. Set jeant Parry: I am sure your lordship never appeared
there except in a complimentary form.
The Lora Chief Justice: I am not so sure of that.
'Laughter., I saw myself there ou one occasion, and if I
could have appeared in such a form I should have been
ashamed of mj self. I think in this case your client ought to
apologise.
The plaintiff was then culled, and, in the course of his
examination in chief, Mr. Serjewit Parry said he was pre-
pare ito yield EU h s lordship's suggestion. The publication
Pi question was miry a mere electioneering squib, and there
were few who WVUIEI 110; have bee. disposed to laugh at it.
Therehul been no desire on the part of the defendant to
give the plaintiff frith, and if such hat been the result he
had now .mly to express his reg. 04 for it.
The Lord Chief Justice: That is a very proper term C nation

of the ease.
Mr. Sergeant Parry : I hope the Liberal party in Colches-
ter will lot make too ninth of my concession, or call it
" glorious triumph of the Liberal party." Laughter.
Mr. Coleridge: I think loan asiure my learned friend that
the Liheral party are just now diipose I to be uniformly
generous. Renewut If
----•- • •- • •

a-
A verdict for the plaintiff, damages 4. Wan then
entered.

RESULTS of the GENERAL ELECTIONS
FROM 1832 10 1868.
Date of
Gen. Election. Premier.
1t422 Earl Grey

Reformers. Tories.
509 149

Liberal majority, 300
1835 Sir Robert l'eel
Liberal majority, 54
1837 Viscount Melbourne
Liberal majority, 16
1841 Viscount Melbourne
Tory majority, 82.
Protec-

Liberals. Peelites. tioni-sts.
1847 Lord John Russell 338 ... 120 ... 200
Ministerial majority, 18

1852 The Earl of Derby 7,339 . . 319
Liberal majority, 20.
Liberals. Tories.
:371

1857 Viscount Palmerston
Liberal majority, 85.
1859 The Earl of Derby 353 ... 302
Liberal majority, 5L
1865 Viscount Palmerston 366 292
Liberal majority, 74.
1868 Right Hon. B. Disraeli.
Minimum Liberal majority, 107.
HORRIBLE OUTRAGE.

On Saturday morning a moot atrocious ontrage was
perpetrated at a small farmhouse, in the occupation of
Mr. Richard, on the slope of the mountain in
Cwmdare, near Aberdare. At the time mentioned the
inmates of the house, ten in woolen% were alarmed by a
terrific explosion. The men working at the Civindare
pit both saw and beard the explosion, and hastened to
the spot. They found a small cask of gunpowder had
been placed in the dairy and pantry, a tram laid, and
then tired. The roof if both rooms was completely
blown off, every domestic article in them destroyed,
and some articles of clothigg hanging on lines in the
kitchen were burnt. he whole of the inmates of the
house were in bed at the time, and, marvellous to
narrate, escaped uninjured. The person who
peepetraVul the outrage is said to be a Thoinas Morris,
living at Aberarnan. He was found by some workmen
not far from the farm, with his clothes burnt off him,
and his person burnt severely from the breast almost
to him feet. In the dairy was found a cap, a bilk
umbrella, and a collier's lamp, which Morris's wife
identified as belonging to her husband, who now lies
in a precarious state.

From further particulars it appears that the man
Morrie, the perpetrator of the villanous attempt, still
lies in a dangerous state. From a statement which he
has made he seems to have been not the only person
engaged in the murderous crime. His statement is
that two men, besides himself, proceeded to the Park
pit, whence they took an iron bar, and made their
way to the powder magazine at Cwoolaro, f which
they forced open the door. Out of this building they

took three casks of powder. Two of the they
carried to the Park pit and hid them in the cow-house.
The third they carried to the premises of Mr. Richard,
put it through& small window Into a dairy, laid a train
and set tire to it, destroying the building and severely '
injuring the man Morris himself. The police, guided
by Morris's son, have since visited Has cow-house,
where they found the two casks of powder as described
by Morris, who has also given the names of his two
companions, but which are not yet made public. It
also appears from statements made by friends of
. Morris, and represented as coming from him, that he
was simply a tool in the hands of others, and had
received money to carry out their own vile projects.
He has not yet given any reason or motive for their
desiring him to commit the desperate deed. He lies
in a very precarious state, the whole of his clothes
having been blown from him by the explosion, and his
body blistered from his breast almost to his feet.