Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-11-26

eating en- infamous story ref ecttn A rectjy anon
person charging imnrara hty or evil practices,
or criminal VIOLATIONS OF law, wherever there is
deliberate, purpcsed fabrication of a false
hood, and publication given, to the dstrime MT
OF another, am not at All particular about the
amount of damages that shall be visited upon
the maker of such lie. And, gentlemen there
Will be no sneers on part, levitv or lau Oh
Ter at the sancttty OF reputation rs nv friend
,eid you there would be- Reputation is All the
possession some of Us have, and If clsssly
scanned, some men might be startled a. the
small size OF their possessions. A good reputa-
ton is not a matter OF accident. I do not quite
agree with that chivalrous Virginian cited by
the gentleman. who said that "God had given
him a reputation" God does not generally
confer regulations good or bad He creates a
man, and places him, surrounded by associates,
and his re Putation Is the product of his good or
evil conduct amid his associates and fell
lows. A man comes to be known. He
daily associates with friends and neighbors,
and that which IL essentially part of him ra-
dates from him; makes an atmosphere around
him. and he becomes attractive as he is good,
or repulsive So he lie bad. And what he appears
to be to his neighbors comes to be his reputa-
ton. man does not acquire one in a day. 1t
l. not the growth OF month; it is not the pro-
duct OF year; but il is the beautiful foliage
towering and fruItsge OF long years of upright
ness and virtue, and pure living. And it com g
TO he part and parcel of the man. part and
parcel OF his possessions. 1t is thing that A
single article in newspaper, a little puff Of
persihage, cannot strike down. The pretence,
gentlemen, that here has been a high minded
and virtuOus man of twenty-five years living
aud growth in the city of Washn gton. who has
accumulated TO himself the inestimable treasure
OF good reputation, and that one little VIII II
or badinage, one little whistle of humor
through an evening paper is to dissi pate IL, Is
simply 10 say that good reputation is of no
value under the heavens. We do not hold our
regulations by any such slight or frail tenure
AS that. 1t is not mere color and tint in the
sky, that simple Intervening cloud or shadow
can dash forever of, but il is a part and parcel
OF the man, having its root in An up
right heart, and it Is the outgrowth OF
years of virtuous and pure life. 1t may be de-
molished, but IL lie only tn rough a persistent
course OF Misrepresentation; large and general
poisoning Of all the sources and of all the ave-
- Breathe On 1t and it dies" may be a postic
figure, but it is not true in fact thing so help
les' and intangible as that can have no existence
In contemplation of law. 1t only occupies the
by the gentleman; is a thing which cannot be
reached by vulgar mortals; is not compre-
hended; has no existence. save in the imagina-
ton OF poet in his upper flight. 1t is not
that with which we are dealing; but ii is
the solid and substantial part of a man
and he would not recover SO much for
susceptible of injury by ordinary slander-but
for an attempt to injure 1t. Nor do complain,
gentlemen, that the law has fixed money value
on reputation, and esteems it among the vulgar
goods and cbattels of a man that he cannot ex-
acty buy and sell, though he may take a partner
In when he seeks to tinker up bruise or batter
In IL. And do not object il a man seeks to
coin 1t into gold, and takes money for blows.
II man is mercenary enough for that, the
courts and the law permit him to. But Islander
suits would thrive, aud 80 might the bar. /
snacks in SANDER Suits new to me. We dill
not get such lessons in the west, your
Houor, where We were educated for
the bar. am finding no fault with
any body. do moi set myself up as a standard.
l do not make that an item of the case, out the
evidence on this point was not contradcted by
the plaintiff; and when you hear a sonorous
G lanlor here for outrageous damages. only ask
that you shall RENE mber TO whom they are going;
that Prince and his reputation are of the least
in the world here, only as msr-
Honor suppose old Judge Callett would have
said, or Chief Justice Hitchcock to such a
But what is there of this ever
lasting great case? for am obliged to deal with
II as matter of some Importance and some
significance. have no canting way of talking
about duty. Men may say that do or do not
DO my duty, l do not care what they say about
that. If ! think do it, am not going to brag
about it for the cake of aggravating damages,
nor reducing them. l am going to deal with
this case, If ever get to it, man fashion, and
1t shall not be my fault If it is misapprehended
again; for know at least have the capacity
to make myself understood, and have CAPACITY
enough to understand case IS difficult even As
this, swollen and magnifed as it is. confess /
have to strain my Imagination a good deal to
encompass and comprehend 1t in the way it has
been presented, and 1 doubt whether L do If
that goes in aggravation of damages, let it 20 to
swell the $50 ,0C0-it will be needed
Well, now, about this case. confess when L
come to turn from the huge figure that was ex-
hibited before you to look for this case, cannot
ind It But We will grope around until our eyes
rom, and this atom floats within our grasp, and
When 1t does we will seize and look at it.
Here wes very decent sort Of a man, by the
name OF Prince. Tha unluckiest thing that
ever happened to him was to bring this suit He
had perfect right to 20 to court, and bring a
uit With him into 1t. am not complaining of
hat The course of the law Is open to him. He
1idnt seem to have any difficulty in securing
Now, how came 1t here? Why was it? The
was not with US. Mr.. Prince was
carrying on rs place up thers-which was
phce-and in some way there came to be story
,hoat about him and his place. Now, il The
Star manufactured it, and 1t is libellous, hold
The Star responsible; but if The Star didn't
manufacture 1T, and has not given it circulation
or the purpose OF iDjuring Prince, IL GER
ainly is not f:iir m hnl. &c Star responsible.
Why. gentlemen, you hear little story on the
treet-a pleasant story, that creates pleasant
republication of 1t. You tell 1t simply because
t is good story. Or the honest and sstimabls
vie Of some one of you hears q little story
he story that Is particularly hurtful TO anybody,
,nly little pleasantly. Sne relates 1t to a
neighbor; you did not know any thing about it
At the time, ana yet you are responsible for
what your wife says. Would not you think 1t q
very hard case that you should be sued and
brought into court, and have two distinguished
gentlemen, from two Of the commonwealths of
his great republic, occupy a day or two in
blowing UP such case as that, and ring
Dg the changes upon the msndacity and
malice OF your innocent wife. who hap
Pened 70 PICK up, and carelessly tell the
story2 Why, your Honor, that is all there Is of
his But how came the story itself to get
agoing? 1t appears that sometime about Christ.
mas, 1869, fOmebody-nobody knows who-nor
can anybody tell-Prince himself leaves it In
1Oubt-passed upen him q ten dollar note.
Ii was really counterfeit or not does
not appear, for nobody has testified directly on
that point. But 1t Is in testimony from Prince
that he put marks upon the note which very
much defaced it, or rather "bebacked' 1t, for
believe he placed something on the back OF
it, and then put it under q goose, hot or cold,
and there has been q good deal of gooSeiing In
this case. Well, sometime in March, 1870, we
find him in pursuit OF somebody to take that
bill back. He says himself that il had been
in the hands of man by the name OF "B' o."
" hich seems probable when we rememb~- lie
whole case. For some reason, when you take
the other testimony in connection with the
Princes, he, unfortunately for himself, singled
out Mrs. Thomas l.. Hume.
Now, whatever may be said about Mr.. Hume,
he is a gentleman who uniformly respects the
rights of Others, and Is ONE OF those who Is a
little sensitive where anything affects his honor
and anything that touches Mrs. Hume comes