The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-27 00:00:00

NING, AUGUST 27, 1862.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.-Aug. 26.

MARYLEBONE.—EXTRAOBDINAItY CASE OF
LIBEL.—Mr. George Loseby Worth, of 2, Cain's-
terrace, Highgate, appeared before Mr. Mansfield,
charged by virtue of a summons, " that he did, on
the 29th of July last, in the parish of Ilighgate,
unlawfully, wickedly, and maliciously write and
publish a false, scandalous, malicious, and
defamatory libel of and concerning Parton John
Heins, in the form of a certain article, reports, and
information in a certain paper, published by the
defendant, called the North Middlesex Weekly
Express, on the 30th of July last, well knowing the
same to be false, to the damage; scandal, and dis-
grace, &c., of the complainant."
There was also a second summons against the
defendant for another alleged libel on the 6th of
August.
Mr. William Hammond, solicitor, Vinehley, ap-
peared to prosecute; and Mr. Lewis, jun., for the
defence.
On the case being called on, Mr. Hammond said
—I appear for Mr. Parton John Heins, who prose-
cutes in this summons against the defendant. My
client, I must tell you, is a pharmaceutical chemist
at Highgate, carrying on a good business. In ad-
dition to which he is postmaster and manager of
the district telegraph of that town. The defendant
in this case is the editor and publisher of a paper
called the North Middlesex Weekly Express, and
which was first brought out by him, and circulates
in Finchley, Highgate, Hampstead, Hornsey, and
other places in the locality. The article complained
of is dated the 30th of July, and runs thus It
occasionally happens that a bear, afloat on an ice-
berg, drifts into a warmer latitude than the latitude
of eternal frost (laughter) and as the iceberg melts
and melts under the increasing heat, the bear shifts
and shifts, finding his footing passing from beneath
him, and at length howls piteously to know that the
dissolution of the iceberg must in time occur. This is
our text—now for a parallel. John Parton Hams,
step this way; you shall be the bear. Let that animal
by your side dance this way." lam sorry to detain
your worship,but I intend to read this article from be-
ginning to end, because it shows a most malignant,
malicious, scandalous, and degrading form of libel
ever published. What follows is an allusion to a
party who is in no way connected with my client.
It "goes on :—" Heins, printer, accompany that
individual ; be his cub, and now that we have you
before us, let truth and justice guide us to award
you your deserts. John Parton Heins, you have
been drifting since first we knew you ; your foot-
ing we have found umertain. We found you
slippery and could not rely upon you. Your last
act upon which we commented has been perfected
by the ludicrous proceeding of the Birthday Club
on Wednesday, the 23d of July last. We now in-
tend placing before the public generally the cha-
racter of a man who had dared to question the pro-
priety of the publisher of this paper's name remain-
ing on the list of its members—the members of the
Birthday Club. Hitherto we have watched this
creature drifting—drifting along the stream of dis-
cord which alone ends in a sea of trouble. We
once advised, counselled, urged him to a different
course, as the one which alone could redound to his
success and honour; reason absent has by pro-
gressive stages led on the lower mind to such
tricks before high Heaven as "must make his best
of wishers weep. John Parton Hains, you have
called into question the character of a man you
yourself introduced into the homes and society of
many of our local supporters; how comes it we find
you drifting ? John Parton Heins you introduced
us into the sacred chamber as one well worthy a
fraternal greeting; why are you now drifting ?
John Parton Hains you have more than once
publicly declared the man you now endeavour to
injure was the man who could and would reflect
credit on the patronage and support the inhabi-
tants of the hamlet might extend to him. From this
past testimony why are you now drifting? John
Parton Heins we must now sacrifice all past con-
ditions. We now stand man to man. You have
assailed us in the dark, as a secret, mean rascal.
We will act with more honesty to you, and leave
the light of our readers' wisdom to decide the truth.
When first we knew this slippery gentleman, he
urged upon us the importance of writing up his
numerous virtues. He growled down his neighbours,
and would have us condemn all who had not his
own peculiarities. He desired entire control of our
journal. This was too warm a request. It was then
we first began to melt—we found the footing uncer-
tain, the man slippery. This was the earliest drift.
Having no longer his own way, he felt angered.
The frequent resort to his neighbour's opposite
brought the mind to a degraded level." I should
inform you, sir, that the neighbour opposite alluded
to is the landlord of the Angel Hotel, which place I
shall have presently to allude to. The learned gen-
tleman then went on—" Night broils and overbear-
ing rudeness brought censure from many of those
who had once wished him well. We became his
phantom—not that we acted ill to him, but that
having felt our slight censure in not complying with
his request, like all who suffer from monomania, he
believed alone that we were his enemies. Time
passed on. We frequently saw him under the influ-
ence that could have but one ending, and prove that
a foolish child is the heaviness of its mother. We
recall to mind that the last occasion we saw him
under, to a certain extent, the influences of mind
and stimulants, addressing himself to a well-con-
ducted serving-maid in language of a blasphemous
and obscene nature, compelled at last to acknow-
ledge his disgraceful conduct, and asked pardon—
pardon from the woman he had vilified in name.
We have watched this man's antics for two pur-
poses. First, we felt something was wrong at the
heart ; and, secondly, we felt sure he would sa-
crifice all feelings of honour to gain his ends.
We have by us numerous of his communications we
intend publishing. Those who know his caligraphy
can then see the original documents. We are so far
in possession of weapons he little thought, while
manufacturing, would some day, by his own folly,
turn against him. Space demands our brevity. We
now leave to our numerous readers to judge how
far a man, as we have shown above, is capable of
distinguishing between right and wrong. How far
he is capable of distinguishing the errors that may
exist 'in another, when he himself has so many.
Time will show the end of a man drifting on a sub-
stantial basis. It will exhibit him shifting from
one side to the other, a turn-coat to his best friends.
It will exhibit him on the slippery path of false
friendship, and when at last he sees the false grounds
he has taken his stand upon, like a coward and one
who dare not face boldly the truth, we shall hear
him piteously howling under the garb of a sycophant
the injuries he has sustained." The learned gentle-
man then proceeded—This is the article that shows
the number of libels contained and the damage my
client is liable to sustain. In the same paper is a
report of a society held at Highgate, from which
the defendant had been excluded, called the Birth-
day Club. I will not trouble you, sir (the magis-
trate), or Mr. Lewis, with going through the whole
of it, but take it up at the paragraph in it as fol-
lows :—" At that meeting Mr. Parton John Heins,
who not long ago had to apologise in the presence
of a number of persons for using indecent language
to Mr. Dunning's servant girl, was foremost, and
we can tell him of our own experience that he has
been the cause of one young man getting into trouble
by leading him into drink and dissipation, and the
public may judge as they like; but we charge him
with saying one day to a gentleman connected with
a Dissenting congregation at Highgate, Oh, he is
a Dissenter, and he ought to be —, for they will
all go to —.'"
Mr. Hammond proceeded to read the remainder of
the alleged libel, which made a great number of
other statements. He then went on to say that in
another paper of the present month appears these
remarks :—" The business of opening letters and
reading them before they leave the office." There is
also mention of the burning of letters. These state-
ments prove or tend to show the very enviable state
of feeling towards Mr. .Hains. It also goes further,
and states that Mr. Hams refused to let a person
have any postage stamps because he advertised in
the _Highgate Express, which is quite an untruth.
I may say that these
. are only samples out of many
papers launching forth upon Mr. Heins scurrilous
and scandalous abuse, of which he has not taken
any notice, thinking that the defendant would tire
of the game that was being played. (The learned
gentleman then read an extract from another paper
of June 25, of a libellous nature, and then said that
that was all the papers he should produce, but asked
to bind the defendant over to stand his trial at the
Old Bailey in his own surety, and two good men
bail for him.) All that is contained iu those papers,
with one exception, are gross and malicious concoc-
tions. Mr. Hams is a chemist at Highgate, carry-
ing on a good business, and he certainly did upon
one occasion commit himself at the Angel, at High-
gate. It took place at the end of 1861. Then, as
regards the birthday club, the defendant was ex-
pelled from it because he was not deemed fit to sit
with the other members in it. I have a paper in
my hands in which it is stated that the defendant
dined at Mr. Hains's house to commemorate the
Highgate Express starting, and on which occasion
they appeared as bosom friends. After this, a paper
appears about the girl at the Angel, and in which
it states that that affair, if it comes out that he (de-
fendant), had done it for the public good and benefit.
That he would expose him for having allowed him
to come into his house in company with his wife
and family. I have to ask you, sir, to commit the
oefendant for trial before 12 men, when I hope he
will meet his own deserts. I must say that he has
been bankrupt twice and--
Mr. Lewis—l object to your going back. It is