The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-03-08 00:00:00

LAW'.

Tke follcorieg ealrnordinirg ease is extracted
from The Morning didoertiser of this day :
COURT or Klaaia BIIPCH, TuESDA?,
MARCH 6.—P:.0 NEVI'S re Tee MoRNiNG PAPERS.
--This was an -adios of trespass brought against
the Morning Advertiser, the „Morning Herald,
the' Morning-Post, and the Morning Chronicle,
for a libel on the character. of Major PLUNKETT,
husband of the Celebrated Mice GUNNING. The
libel stated, in an article from the Police-Office of
Marlborough-street, that•"..Major Plunkett had
been charged at the suit of Mr. Northwood, of
Molitteaux-street, Mary-le-bonne, with forging,
ao acceptance to a bill of exchange, pull-porting tor' •
be of the value of 651.; andlifre. Plunkett, who
had some time before been charged with forget,. •
at the suit of Mr. King, was charged with alter.
ing the said bill of exchange, knowing it to be •
forgery."
• " This statement, hoirever, Wit erroneous, in..
asmuch as the Major had only accompanied his wife
to the Public °thee. Of, this mistake the Editor • •
of the Morning AdveNiser was never informed
until the evening of the 13th of November, whet.
Mr. Plunkett's Solicitor served him with notice
of an action .having been commenced against the .
said paper.--It was proposed to the Solicitor-
(Mr. Parker), that a full and complete contra.
diction shoUld be given to the erroneous article
and such apology made as might satisfy the :bound-
ed honour of Major PLUNKETT. To this prep°.+
sition the Solicitor very candidly replied, that coo.
tradiction or apology was not the Major's
.object
but that he sought. for pecuniary compensation,
either by the verdict of a Jury, or.otherutioe..
This hint was perfectly understood, but It could
knot be acceded to, and the business was suffered to
proceed in the regular channel alloy. Even to
the last moment We were ready to make any liter
racy compensation I but when it wait proposed to
take•a nominal verdict of 6ve pounds, without • , '
making any Afore. in Court, and to publish such
an account as the Miios might, please to diet rte,
Certainty the door to reconciliation was.completely
shut 1
" We muggier% however, teemark, that on the
day after the interview with Mr. Parterb we did
Insert a paragraph to .coutradict,. aphis, and •
apologise for tilt offensite *stick. • •
i• " This case came on,_ la the Cond.of King's • •
Bench, Guildhall, on Tuesday, where Mr. Tot- -Is • -
name fee the Plaintiff, _without any preface, , •
agreed, with the approbation of Mr. Past, out '
tounsel, to accept One Slailling damages, ac.
knovrledgieg that the Vespers' originated in ails. •
take, and that nothing wilfully defamatory or Mee.., 4, • •
lido*); had been intended.
• "The damages laid by the Plaintiff were 0100*:4
rhousand Pounds—Verdict,. ONE SudeerNis."
COMM OF COMMON PLEAS, Marten 7.
itttet.eson't v. IMRE. . • •
. This was an action to recover the Value of a
,ship
_to eargo, dap:eyed by the ttegitgeocar 4-
the Defendant. ft appeared that the 110,:feittlent's
Ship had run foul of the Janet mad Catherine; a ,
vessel belonging to the Plaintiff, in consequence of
which she received so. much injury thatsshe Sunk,
after having been abindoned'hy, the crew, The
accident occurred while the vaieels before men.
'tinned were returning with convoy from•the " • •
tic. Negligence was imputed to the Defindiet. •
'The Jury .gave a verdict for the
J •
-stages 12001.
—oareee. p.
SMITH, IVIDOIr, O. THE CoMME,O4AL TRAM,. -
I LEM' soCIIITT, 01F on= SIR E11.1131.0'
PRICE, KART. IS FREMDENT.
Betere Sir lons Patatso, Harts and C.LIUDIIIS -Sta.
s.si an HVNT t R, Emt. Aldermen.
- An important decision to the poor widows of
deceased members of the Travellers' Society, took
place a few days ago—a case brought before the
Magistrates, by Mr. Pearson, of Elm.cuurt,
Temple, Solicitor, for which•he deserves the high.
cat praise. .
Mr. J. MOORE, as Counsel for.the Claimant, itx
an able and appropriate speech, stated, that the
Hobjeet of the Society watt° provide, a fund for
the relief of eick and distressed members, their wi.
dows, and children, in the manner, prescribed by .
'the lawl of thaSociety ; and that .1 Ohn Smith!, the,
late husband of the claimant, became a member in •
Itiouary, 1804, and died on the 7th Nov. 1807.
—That under the 18th Article of the Society,
the claimant was plearly entitled to an annuity of
Moore dwelt with much energy on..
tka true construction of the Articles, and clearly
pointed out the widow's right. lie stated it to
be a great cruelty. on the part of the Committee,-
acting as they did, for a society for, benevolent
sod humane purposes, in compelling the claimant
to the'dclay and et:pence of an application to the
Magistrates; and at a time, too, when they ad.
mined themselves possessed of a fund of .e 33,000
stock, not one farthing of which would the claim.
ant be entitled to, if she was possessed of any .
other property. lie said, that gentlemen who
took upon themselves too act on Committees for
benevolent. purposes, shold not forget the ob.
ject for which they Were formed. That by a bye
law of the Society itself, passed in 1808., and-oree
since acted upon, the Society had clearly putt
the saitio construction on the Rules as he .bpd dune.
PoOLET, as Counsel for the Society, con. r
tended, at considerable length, that in;smuch as th
•deceased, through whom, he said, the widow must
claim, not having been. an admitted member for
the fall space of four years, theNidow was entio
tied to no allowance from its fund., and feljell on ,
the 14th article of the Society. •
The M tOISTRATIM were, however, decidedly:,
of Opinion, that the claimant was entitled, and ,
dered tho witlew to be paid her. annuity, with two
years arrears due in N'ovingo. lasi,
As many of the robtietiet and burglaries which • _ -
take place in the cenotty are plettned by the low
gamblers who frequent the faces -and fake with
0. 'and other 'Ambling tables, letters have been.
irovinaial

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4$

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addressed to tho Prot, Al Mitgistrateg, strongly
reeornmeriding the total anppreislont of such ftau.
dultut and illegal

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