, 1873-03-19
a $500,00O LIBEL SUIT.

An OfRasaoot OF tho H1ari;er OF Jacob
nassl Botsy Rgnrpor, o1 ExotitucEey.
Lezf"gt0" tHy> Dispatch q Tho Louisville Courier
In the cot oirouit ifss5,lp con9t in ecorro,owu to
celebrated liarror slan1or uut is on trlal So.no-
wore sn ro eIuoys s91 ao 3aeoe s na MH1y ni,
origin Of thiB enit. J: Wallace Harper, tho dc.
ion!nnt, Ia n resident Of tho County OF Wood
ford, and, aa IL charged In the petition, hn3 ac.
cnnGd c ,i Adam Hotper with bciug connected With
Theno reports lad boon in circulation for quito
. whilo beforo they catno to tho Gar Of Adam
narpcr who lives In FranAlin County, and 10
put to tic necessity Of inhtitutng Ills stit lin m
only other rconlrBo would havo bcon 4 tralu untor
indictmont Id tho Criminal Court. THO Grand
Jury Of Wooaford County refused to indict lim,
Ill lia power Of clearing lin na,uo.
Tho 1irat count in tllo petition charges tho
defendant, J. WALLACE Harper, with tho follow
i,a; ing zisnsotoYn sna or yoraS. Adam md " liar
and Betny Hnrpor." Also, TINT "Adam and
hln nol Johtl 1rAl murdered Jacob lud Botsy
Harper" Tho date Of those slandorous words
i, y about 11t six months after tho killing top place:
tho damages placed Mt s500, 900. The Iarties
arc related, and botll related to tho murdered
peraons, s,-one being nephew and tho other
cousin.
=. Tho dofondants nnnwor sets up a donial Of
tho first count In tho petition, aud aso tho
second, but adds that, FROM ali lilo erculustaucoa
anu M tho had character Of Adam Harper, ho ia
belioye uutil he prove iRo contrary. % Mis nnswor
brings up tho question Of character, and upon
TINT point botll partios hnyo been industrlounly
wording, 30 TINT nov thcro- aru no less than
Eight witnessos for defendant giso Adam
Harpor 4 bad nano twanty-tlll co, Oh tho other
hand, glyo h!m good character.
1er'"0''" E 'a'e' 1 Ga:12;s 1:pa's' to tbs Cincinnati
The case has Developed good deal of evidence
Of n character rather damaging to the plainti1f,
Adam Harper, who sues for 5000, COO damages
for Blander. II is very evident from the teati--
Inony that pretty much cvery man in Noodtord
County, where tho murder was comnlittod, be-
lievos Adam Harper md his son, John, tho
guilty parties. The effort Of Adam Harper to
provo MI alii on tho night Of the murder failea.
Lis worry grcat dosiro to prove that ho could not
havo committed the decd bccauao he was left
handed, whon no ono had suspected him, is re-
garded as very suspicious. 1Ils further effort to
make some OF tho negroes who liEod on the place
confess to1laging commlttodth the c1imo, by getting
up Ku-hlnx party, and taking them ont to
hang thorn, when Eo had before stated TINT thoy
wcro going to confoss, ia regarded ~ strongly
against him..
Lerfngton, Ky. utarch 49, Dispatch 10 tho Cincinnati
Tho great Harper suit has closed, after d pro-
longotl investigation, with verdict for tile Do
fcnIa1t. Upon Ito roadng Of tho verdict by
Maj. Bradley, tho Clerli, tremendous applause
was manifested by tho crowded audience III tho
County Shorif g Office. Judge Thomas, nided by
the Sheriff, ontcnvorod to silence tho npplauao
md arrcBt tho pastieB, but failcd TO produce the
desired clroct.
11la event Of tho day WIS sensation which oc-
CURED after tho adjournr. ent Of the Court. John
". Harper, aon Of Adam Harpor, l1antiM III the
action, under tho influence Of whisky, and aggra-
vatel by tho verdict, 1nnlo MI attack on L. D.
Maitland, reporter Of Tho Lexington Daily Press,
and drew pistol on him, Finding nlatlnnd aa
q difficulty with Capt. Joo Blackburn, ONO OF tho
attorneys for tho defenae. lie drew pistol On
Blackburn. who also drew his pistol Just at
this juncturo Marshal Sinclair intcrposel and
Blackburn stood still with drawn pistol, ready
to moot him. Blackburn remarked: "Le. TIC
id assassin go; am not afraid of him. I
don't want to shoot him wl,ilo in your custody"