The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-17 00:00:00

of a conviction of the serious offence with which
he was charged.
Mr. Baron Channell summed up the evidence at
great length and care, and left it to the jury to say
whether or not they believed the charge was
brought home to the prisoner.
The jury found the prisoner Not Guilty.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.—LiNcoLN, MAncll 15,

(Before the Lord Chief Justice Campbell and a
Special Jury.)
NEWCOMB T. WILLISON.
Mr. Macaulay, Q.C., Mr. Mellor, Q.C., and Mr.
Field were counsel for the plaintiff; Mr. Serjeant
Hayes and Mr. Beasley for the defendant.
This was an action brought by the plaintiff (pro-
prietor of the Lincoln, Rutland, and Stamford Mer-
cury) against the defendant (the editor of the Lin-
colnshire Chronicle), on account of certain alleged
malicious and defamatory libels published by the
latter against the former in the defendant's news-
paper, which it was stated by inuendo imputed to
the plaintiff that he had improperly and unjustifi•
ably broken off a certain agreement of marriage
entered into by him with a young lady whose name
did not transpire. The defendant had pleaded-
1, that he was " not guilty ;" 2, he traversed an
averment in the declaration that the engagement
was broken off forjust cause ; and 3, set forth, by
way of justification, that the alleged libels were
true statements of facts.

Mr. Macaulay addressed the jury for the plaintiff,
who it appeared had been in the medical profession
until the death of his uncle, Mr. Richard New-
comb, the well-known late proprietor of the Lin•
coin, Rutland, and Stan ford Mercury, and the
owner of large paper works at Wansford. Upon his
uncle's death he succeeded, under his will, to the
large fortune of the late Mr. Richard Newcomb; to
the proprietorship of the Stamford Mercury, which,
it appeared in evidence, was worth several thousands
a year, to the paper works at Wansford, and was
made sole legatee under his uncle's will. The
plaintiff employed a responsible editor to conduct
the paper of which he was the proprietor, but not a
syllable had ever appeared in that paper reflecting
on the defendant. For some time, however, pre-
vious to the publication of the libels which were the
ground of this action, a series of articles had ap-
peared in the Lincolnshire Chronicle impugning the
honour and personal conduct of Mr. Newcomb, and
having reference to a certain provision made in the
will of his late uncle. The first alleged libel
appeared in the paper of October 15th, and was as
follows :

" Matrimonial Contretemps.—Hardly has the gossip aris-
ing from the circulation of a handbill about the non-erection
of certain schools in Stamford died away than the town is
rife with the report of a rupture between the party we refer
to and the fair fiancie to whom he was to have been married
on Tuesday last. Unlike the schools, about which nothing
has been done beyond the proprietor of our contemporary
and sole recipient of his uncle's property allowing his name
to appear, with others, upon a committee for building
schools at the public expense, in the face of a clause in the
will bequeathing the munificent foundation of a site, with
£2,000 for the erection of buildings, and £4OO a year as an
endowment, a bequest which our readers are fully aware
remains up to the present moment unfulfilled—for the wed-
ding day everything has been duly prepared—wedding suits,
wedding rings, wedding favours, and the day, the important
day, was already fixed, when, ere it was allowed to dawn,
the fates—ever more prone in the plenitude of their va-
garies to dash the cup of happiness from mortal lips than
bid them drink—shivered in a moment the hopes and joys of
the bride elect, who, left to reflect on whatever may be
said about marriages being made above, may be consoled
with the conviction that, in this particular case, the fates
were no parties to the suit. It is said, however, the case
will give rise to an action in the law courts, and that pro-
ceedings are already commenced. IA good deal of sympathy
is felt for the lady, who is said to be very amiable and ac-
complished."

The second alleged libel appeared in the same paper
of October 22, and ran thus :
.