The Press.
London, England, 1857-10-31 00:00:00

Stibl anb Volta.

A CASE OF LIBEL, which has excited considerable
interest, has been tried this week. One Captain
Thorne and a Mr. Evans were charged by the Hon.
F. W. Cadogan with having attempted to extort money
from him by an offer to prevent the publication of a
libel on him in the Times. The crcumstances of
the case were shortly these :—On the Ist of August
last certain strictures had appeared in the Times
money article with reference to delays that had
taken place in the transmission of messages by the
Submarine Company. On Monday, the 3rd of
August, Sir James Carmichael, the Chairman of the
Company, replied by letter to these complaints. On
Tuesday, the 4th, the manager of the Times received
a telegraphic communication from the defendant
Evans, then at Gravesend, stating that he was in a
position to prove that the management of the Sub-
marine Company was by no means so immaculate as
the letter of Sir J. Carmichael represented it to be.
The next day Evans called upon Mr. Sampson at
the City office of the Times, and stating that for two
years previous to 1854 he had been Superintendent
of the Submarine Company, declared that he was
in a position to controvert the statements contained
in Sir .1. Carmichael's letter as to the mode in which
the affairs of the company were conducted. The
City manager of the Times told Evans that he could
not then go into the matter, but that if the state-
ments were put into writing they might be sent in.
Evans promised to return the same day with a letter
embodying the charges he had to make. He did
not, however, reappear until Saturday, the Bth of
August. On that day, accompanied by Captain
Thorne, he again presented himself at the City
office of the Times, and brought with him the letter
which constituted the libel. The charges it made
were of a very grave nature. It imputed to Mr.
Cadogan that he was in the habit of visiting the in-
strument-room, reading the despatches, and then
proceeding at once to his brokers with a view of em-
ploying the knowledge thus unfairly gained in
operations on the Stock Exchange. It also imputed
to him that on several occasions he caused the con-
tents of public despatches to be forwarded to his
private residence, and that in one specific instance
he directed Evans, contrary to the fixed rule of the
office, to give precedence to a message of Baron
Rothschild's over several others which had arrived
before it in order of time. Such were, in substance,
the charges contained in the letter. Considering the
position of high trust and responsibility occupied by
Mr. Cadogan, it is impossible to conceive accusations
of greater gravity. The City manager of the Times
very properly declined to take upon himself the re-
sponsibility of giving the circulation of that journal
to allegations so serious, and referred Evans and his
companion to the managerin-chief of the paper. It
was then about three o'clock on the Saturday after•
noon. They left Mr. Sampson, and no communica-
tion was made to the Times on the Saturday, but a
communication was made to Mr. Cadogan, which led
him to believe that some measures were in progress,
though he did not well know their nature. When he
reached borne he found Captain Thorne bad called
there, and must have done so very soon after leaving
Mr. Sampson. Mr. Cadogan was not at home at the
time, but Captain Thorne called again later iu the
evening, and Mr. Cadogan, who suspected his pur-
pose, requested that his wife would be present at the
interview. Captain Thome called at seven o'clock,
when Ladp Adelaide Cadogan was present, and heard
the whole or the greater part'of the conversation.
Captain Thorne sent in his card, with the address
of the Prince's Club, and produced the letter set out
in the indictment. He did not seem to know very
well at the time how to go about his business. He
said, " I got this letter from Mr. Evans, whom I
know. He is very ill." Captain Thorne, it must be
remembered, had been with Evans certainly till half-
past two o'clock that day. " Evans is down at
tiravesend," continued Captain Thorne ; he has
been there four days, I believe, with bowel com-
plaint. He cannot come up to London, and has,
consequently, intrusted this letter to me to take to