The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-10-23
SUPREME COURT.

During the past week this tribunal has
been making the regular progress through
the docket of twenty cases per day, beginning
on Monday last at cause No. 4Si, ending yes
,erday at $50, and this evening will have
reached No. 600
The most important cause on trial was No.
4se, being that of T, Lyle Dickey VS.. Chas,
Reid ct a., from Chicago.
This will be remembered as the celebrated
"Contempt Case" in which the corporation
counsel of Chicago, Hon. T. Lyle Dickey,
and his five associates, and twenty-five of the
board of alderman of that city, were fined
the aldermen 500 each, and the several attor-
news referred TO $500 each and ordered to be
imprisoned until the fines and costs were
paid.
On Monday the case was argued before the
court, orally, BY I. Lyle Dickey. The argu'
ment was able and exhaustive in behalf of
the city council and the attorneys. The case
is now in the hands of their honors.
During the week number of Chicago as
sessment and tax cases have been reached and
submitted to the court IN printed abstracts,
briefs and arguments.
A case of some interest here is that Of The
Chicago, Burlington e Quincy Railroad VS..
Patrick McGinnls Mr. McGinnis obtained
judgment in the La Sale Co Circuit Court
not long since against this company for dam.
ages caused by their railroad track being
elevated on high trestle work in front of his
residence. This case was argued orally on
Monday by Hon B. c, Cook, IN behalf of the
railroad Mr.. McGnnis submitting his side
on printed arguments
Yesterday the celebrated Rockford libel
case against the Chicago Times, brought by
Miss Early, was argued. The history of the
case is briefly that, on the 9th OF May, 1874,
a defamatory article appeared in the Chicago
Times, charging upon Miss Early, of Rock
ford, the daughter OF very prominent poll
ticIan, the sin Of iornlcation,
Soon after the appearance ofthe article in the
Times Miss Early brought against Wilbur F.
Storey, proprietor OF the Times, an action on
the case On the trial the defendant admit
ted the publication Of the article and that the
words were actionable in themselves, but de-
MED malice and attempted to prove this by
testimony which was excluded by the court
Mr.. Storey on the stand testified that the sub
ject matter of the libel came to him in four
different letters from prominent citizens of
Rockford where the slandered lady lives;
that he opened the letters and scanned their
headings enough to discover their purpOrt,
and without reading them in full passed them
to an assistant editor, Mr. Martin, who was
acquainted IN Rockford, and knew the par
ties whose names were appended to the let.
tiers, and that Martin handed them to a sub
editor named Atwood who wrote the article
He further testified that he had never seen
the article in question, or knew that it was
published until after a contemporary men.
toned il as being false. He Storey then set
about investigating 1t and found the letters to
be forgeres and he ihereupon published a
retraction, ten days after the original article
appeared. The court refused to admit these
letters and the retraction in evidence.
The case having been tried the jury awar,
ded Miss Early $s5,0oO damages.
The court considering the damages exces.
sive, directed remttltur of ten thousand
dollars and overruled the motion for new
trial; upon which an appeal was taken to
this court. The case was argued for Mr..
Storey: by Mr.. Cloudy, and f. A. Small
and Sidney Smith replied for Miss Early. OF
course No DECISION has yet been reached