Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-11-27

I
the previous relig ious instruction OF his students
but IL was - tOuchingly told to Won. aud was
such a beautiful assurance, from himself too, of
his own tervent pety.
Now. following his example. propose 10 read
something 10 you bearing upon the matter Of
speculative law suits. II IL a re,45r. OF a law
case. Not a case that actually did happen but
very much like some real cases, and very much
Ike the one you are now trying. IL is reported
by gentleman IF great powers Of observation,
who was at one time a reporter in law courts,
and attersards rose 70 eminence in another
held; and his name Is Charles Dickens The
book IN which the case is reported Is the Pick
wick Papers at chapter "a which is "wholiy
devoted To full and faithful report OF the "a E
morable trial OF Bardell against Pickwick." 1t
wa SUIT IKE the present one, for injured
feelings. A witness OF the name of samuel
Weller was being examined, and his testimony
had reached this stage:
Now. attend, Mr.. We ler," said seriesnt Ruv.
,ua, dipping LARGE pen into tn inkstani before
mn .Ihi, Tor ne puTE.se OF trsh'.nius Sam with
inc PASSAGE, and yet saw nothing of Whist Was
SSing forward. Have you pair Of eyes, Mr.
Yes. have a pair # eyes replied ssn. and
mi lien msguifyin gas microscopes Of hextrs p0wsr
pInpS ! might be abe T. see through a hight O.
| NY vision limited.
(The same kind Of spectacles will be reopired
/ 10y you, e ntlemtn, 10 enable you 70 find the
nbelous meaning in this public alton about
| Prince.) The report proceeds:
At this answer, which VS. delivered without the
SS and Flsi ri Sa "a Ta hy fst
spectators tiIerod, the little Judge smiled All ser
| short cou,u'Sa,ion with Dod-on sud r ~, tho
| lesLn'd Sergeant again turned toSarIs Saul, = q
New, Mr. Weller, iii ask yoa gus SION nan On an
| o'h.T POINT, il you please
II on please sir, rejonsi Sam, with the utmost
DO you remember soire I'd II Mrs. Bari.jI-.
house one night IN Soyemb, .as,,"
oh. you 10 remember that, Mr. Weller" said
weshoui get At r. netting at last =
and q hi; the SPECTATORS Uttered again. sam
aLOTt th. t IfHe0ss ySP TSpi ~ TO HAS Little ak
fn M lo9 a5, k1Cwingly at TIE Jg-y;
about Tf Rs ~ tt pay tfs Ssnt but get tak
oh, yGu did get a talking about the trial. said
tion Of some impor ami di scovery New What passed.
abopI The trial will you have the goodness to tell US,
With all the pleasure in life, sir" replied sam
ArttI a lew uuimPortant observations from the
day, the ladies into a very G. eat state o admir-
alton at the honorable conduct of Mr.. Dodson and
now" This, of urse, drew general attention 10
y, dson and Fosg, who locked as yirtuJus posi-
~ he attorneys for The plaintiff" said Mr.. Ser
the honorable cOud net OF Messrs Dodson snG Fogg.
the sttoLneys for the plaintiff, did they?'
fh'nG 'cdS O. than 70 hare take. Ep fbs cass on
sPsr' and to charge Hofhng al az C2r costs, unless
1t is added, gentlemen, that this revelation
damaged the plaintiffs case as it always does to
tam with speculative orr yin and purpose "a case
which il is pretended is brought and prosecuted
only Tor honor. Mr.. Stanton here, amid much
amusement, compared the eloquence of Princes
counsel 10 that Of Buzfuz and said that the same
principles of construction had been applied to
the article complained of, which were applied
TO Mr.. Pickwick's celebrated notes about chops
ana tomato sauce and the warming PAM Tie
then continued:
Gertlsmen, YOU have heard great deal in
this case abOuo the hcenti0usness of the press
IL Is a me thing to rave over this theme, to eN-
press high moral indignation about 1t, and to
MAKE the walls OF this courtroom reverbera5e
with denunc!atiOns OF it. But there is a thing
OF more practical Importance to you and to the
pubic. IL is that Justice shall be here and by
you imiEiStered between the particular PAR
ties who come before you, upon the particular
circumstances of each case; and that outside
matters shall be left to take care of themselves
III the HcentiO1SnesS OF the press is 80 great in
this city as Gen. Darlington saws; If Washing
ton i Sodom and GomOrrah in this respect
(and for the honor of our citizens DENY that
our city Il worse than any other,) il all this be
so, and If, as Prince says, the services OF coun-
sci can be obtained gratuitOusly, with no risk OF
eNpenset.to the client, then there can be no
difficulty in bringing here a case OF ac-
tual and shameless calumny. If our journals
are teeminG and rocking with libels every day,
theh there Will be no difficulty in quickly bring
ing one before You, and striking it down with
punishment. right then and there. Judge NJ ac-
Arthur paid handsome compliment TO The
Star when he set aside the former verdict in
this case, and spoke of the journal as a decorous
One-mOre decorOus than any other here. And
yet COUNSEL Dy tne same species and COnStruc-
ton and argument which they have emploved
throughout this case, took this handsome com
Plment and smeared Il all over with their own
insnuations. and converted 1t into a dark cal
umny against the whole press of this District |
am not here for this purpose OF general yindica.
tlon. L propose 70 bring this case to close
All ask OF you Is simply that you will let out
side matters take care OF themselves and abide
heir own time; and although you have heard
OF such matters already, and will hear OF them
again, that you viii just make up your minds
al %. a
90 justice between the two parties Who are now
before you in this present matter.
CLOSING SPEECH FOR TEE PLAINTIFF.
Mr.. l.. q. CarrIngtOn closed for the plaintiff |
in a very earnest appeal to the jury for q YER
diet against The STAR, to rebuke the licen- |
tiOusness of the press and do justice to a worthy
citizen who had been assailed. Mr.. Riddle, he
said, lad attempted to counteract 10y ridcule !
the efforts of Gen. Darlington to impress upon
the jury the many serious questions involved. !
But he was saCisfed by the solemn cOunte-
naGces Of tie jury that the attempt had failed. |
MI Riddle had said, in commenting upon Gen. |
CarIingtOn's argument, that when Mr.. Car |
ringten wept nobody wept with him, she did |
all the weeping himself" Now, when |
Mr.. Riddle laughed nobody Laughed with /
Having failed in that they bring here Charles |
Dickens tor the purpose of drawing the atten- |
ton OF the jury from the real issue. He had no !
desire TO say anything against the gentlemen on
the other side; no desire to impugn the honesty
or integrity of their clients individually; on the
contrary. he heard Mr.. NOyes spoken OF as an
amiabe, quiet, pleasant gentleman, and he had
no disposition to say one word against him, but
he did counsel here, feel q disposition TO
rebuke the RIGHTEOUSNESS of the Star. The
insertion of the article in the Star may have
been mistake, but il Is a Elista Ike for which
the Star is responsible; these newspapers are
restrained by certain laws like any other cor
poration, and If it transgress the law let il suffer
the same penalty which follows a similar viola
ton by private individual"
Mr.. Carrin gton proceeded at length to give
his construction OF the law OF libel, and con-
tended that under the definition OF libel by the
Court, that il the publication tends to make
citizen infamous, odious or ridiculous, he has a
right to have his character indicated. All the
nonsense about speculative fees had nothing
whatever to DO with the case; the only question
for the jury was what constitutes a libel. and
whether the article comes within the definition
given.
Coming to the defence, he said, the first at
tempt to make game of General Caring
tons argument. The next attack was to insin-
uate that counsel had undertaken this case
prompted by Tdd motives-that they would
not have turned a wheel except they expected
pay. He trusted, though not known personally
TO members of the jury, he had So con