The Express.
London, England, 1862-02-26 00:00:00

don't think we had a bottle of champagne, and that Mr.
drank to my emcees at the benefit. Perhaps Mr.
rerrd will recollect better than I. (Laughter.)
Mr. Paul Bedford was then called. His appearance ex.
cited considerable merriment, which increased as the well-
known comedian, on entering the box, gracefully bowed,
first to the learned judge, then to the jury, and lastly to the
audience.
Mr. Serjeant Bellautine asked if be took the part of the
fair Jerome in the drama performed in ktichardson's show
at the Crystal Palace! (Laughter.)
Witneem (with the vocalization familiar to the public in
the Adelphi phrase " 1 believe ye, my boy")
—Yes, I luxu-
riated in that pent. (Laughter.)
Mr. Serjeant Hallantine—You were present at Mr. Toole's
interview with Mr. Ledger about discontinuing the adver.
timment!
Witness—Yee. _ _ .

Mt.SerjealTiiitallantine—l am now, Mr. Bedford, going
to ask you a delicate question. Did a bottle of champagne
conclude the interview!
Witness—Most decidedly. (Laughter.) I must, however,
beg to promise that being early in the morning it was only •
pint bottle. (Laughter.)
Mr. Serjeaat Ballantine—Was the entertainment at the
Cr Palace conducted with perfect propriety?
Crystal
Witness--Yes • my petticoats were very long, I assure
you. (Roars of heighten)
Cross-examined by Mr. M. Chambers—The interview at
Mr. Ledger's office Listed a quarter of an hour, and it was
friendly sad good-natured. Mr. Ledger said to Mr. Toole
he would be glad to insert his alvertisements for nothing.
Did you have a pint of clounpegne to yourself ?
Witness—No.
Surely you did not have • pint between three ?
Witness—Only • pint.
Then you called for another?
Witness—No. It was lunch.= time, between 2 and 3.
Th• and recollect.
Witness—l sometimes luxuriate in champagne, but on
this occasion I think it was not more than • pint. They
mill it a pint., but it is only about half a pint. (Laughter.)
What. half a pint between three? Surely you must
have forgotten. (Laughter.)
The witting then left the box amidst much laughter.
Mr. Thomas Stuart, an actor at the Adelphi, said—ln
1868 I was playing Belphegor at Sheffield. There was a
complimentary notice in • Sheffield paper about me, and I
seat it to Mr. Ledger, with a request that he would insert
it in his paper. I received the following letter in reply :
" Quite as good a notice has already appeared in the Era.
Any notices from other journals are inserted at Gd. a line,
and the authority for them must be named. I must live
dear Sir Thomas, as well as yourself. With every good wish
for your future-7 . . .

pp good ercerestanined—Asa notice of me as that in the
Sheffield paper a in the Era. It was • perfectly
fair criticism, the author of it is unknown to me.
Mr. Wm. Willett--Some years since I IMO principal pro-
prietor of the Era. Mr. Ledger had then a small interest
to it. In 1656, I ceased to be proprietor. In my time such
advertiaementa as those set out in the plea were allowed to
be inserted with certain alteratioes—the offensive passages
were struck out. I and Mr. Ledger had some conversation
on the subject. I jobto them, but, as it was a matter
of business, we sQeed to that arrangement of leaving out
the offeesive passages. The charge was higher for them
than ordinary advertisemeets.
An officer connected with the Society for the Sappreesion
of Vice was called to produce the publications he had re-
caved by post in answer to his letters sent to the addresses
in the advertimemeota.
Mr. M. Chambers objected to their production unless
evidence were given to show that the letters reached the
addresses in question, and that the answers came from
those places
The Lord Chief Justice said, although there could be no
moral doubt that the publications came from the places to '
which the letters were addressed, Mr. Ledger was only
responsible for what appeared on the face of the advertise-
ments themselves, and that it would therefore be better to
dispense with the proposed evidence.
This being the tube for the defence,
Mr. Ledger was called by Mr. M. Chambers. Hs said—l
have been sole proprietor of the Bra for live years. Its
circulation is between 5,000 and 6,000 weekly. He did not
write the articles about the Dramatic College, but he in-
serted them, nor did he write the letter signed "J. V."
The writer was a gentleman whose name he could give
but it wee not the practice of newspapers to give thi
names of their contributors. Ile is not one of my
regular contributors, and I even don't know him personally,
but he seat his name and address. When Mr. Toole called
upon me he said, " This is a disagreeable affair. I never
knew that the governor (meaning Mr. Webster) was such a
tyrant. He has forbidden me to insert my advertisements
in the Era." land, "Never mind ; you can get an en-
4ament at Drury-lane, or at other theatres. It is migrate-
ful to me, after what I have done for you, to be such a tool
of Mr. Webster;" I also told him never to mind, and that
I would insert his advertisement for nothing. That was
when we had the sherry, and before the champagne. I
think we had two pinta. On Friday mowing 1 found Mr.
Tools's advertisement in the editor's box, and I inserted it.
It was a printed hand-bill. Mr. Toole said that he bad a
row about the advertisement with the tyrant Ben, but be
did not tell nie not to insert it.
On mu-examination the witness said that be did net
insert the advertisement in order to annoy Mr. Webster.
though be knew it would have that effect. lie denied that
he had seen any of the indecent publications advertised in
his paper, and stated that he had given orders for the ex-
clusion of the advertisements in future.
On re-examination he stated that previously to this affair
be and Mr. Webster were good friends, and that Mr. Web-
ster never complained of the mode in which he conducted
his newspaper.
The learned Judge having summed up,
The jury, after an shame of a quarter of an hour, re-
turned a verdict for the plaintiff—Dainagas, la.