New-York tribune., 1879-11-01
THE CASE IN COURT.

THE CASE IN COURT.
SCENES AND INcID 4NTs OF THE TRIAL-THE STORY
OF THE oUARRtL-
lrRoN Tue REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRrBUNE.]
LONDON, Oct. 17.-Three weeks having elapsed
since Mr. Edward Levy Lawson assaulted Mr. La
bouchere, the matter has how reached the police
court. 1t is not Mr.. Labouchere who invokes the
protection of the law. but MIR. Lawson. This may
pass for Of the eccentrictes of English justice
Mr.. Lawson, however, has not summoned Mr.. La
bouchere for being assaulted but for not putting
up with his thrashing-such as il was-in silence.
On the day after the assault. Mr. Labouchere chal-
lenged Mr.. Lawson: who, after taking the better
part of day think of il, and the advice of the
ladies of his family. declined the challenge In de-
clining it, he sent word To Mr.. Lahouchere that he
had thrashed him because Mr. LaOouchere had IL
belled hun and his uncle-thrashed him as he would
dog-and that if he libelled him again he Lawsonl
would thrash him again. Libelled again MIR. Lawson
certainly was but thrashed Mr.. Labouchere was
not. Mr.. Lawson appears 10 have hot aud cold
mood. AT one moment he gives his friends TO un-
derstand that he will accept challenge. A little
later having meantime taken counsel. as above
noted with the female members of his family, he
decides to refuse it. At moment he bravely
threatens Mr.. Labouchere with another tOgnng.
Presently il turns that he prefers to bis
wounded honor through the medium of the Police
Court. And that is how ii happens that the papers
of tais morning supply with half dozen columns
of literature which is entertaining to the general
public, but not should suppose. very pleasant
reading to Mr.. Edward Levy Lawson.
My muse to-day is trihe sore-footed. and can
not sing the wrath of this Peterborough Court
Achilles at any great length. Long the story is,
and dire the woes Achilles Lawson has had TO en-
dure but the brefest summary of them will per-
haps rce to make the police court proceedings in-
telgiOle. Between MIR Lawson. part owner and
whole editor of The Daily Telegraph. and Mr.. La
boucheIe, the owner and editor OF Truth there is
feud of long standing. In the columns of tins latter
paper have appeared "a good many paragraphs about
Mi Lawson not of an adulatory kind. They belong
TO a style of Journalism which do not admire. but
which is beyond doubt, popular with a large p0r
..on of the British pubiic. They were brilliantly
wrtten and if generally believed, would certainly
be damaging TO Mr. Lawson personally, and might
even affect the circulation of his paper-a crcula-
tion which he persistertly and most errone-
ously declares to be the largest In the
world. Whether all AR. Laboucheres charges were
true or not is than can say. but one OF them
and that the most dangerous. certainly was true In
substance He has never ceased to assert that The
Teleqrdph hattered Mr.. Gladstone so long as he was
in power and that when he had 10 longer any
favors to bestow this sane paper turned round ana
reyiled him. Mr.. LabOuchere. as his way is puts
II IN strong language, but anybody who reads Ihe
Teleordpk knows that the paper was devoted 10 MIR.
Gladstone, whom it vulgarly called the Peoples
william and supported the Liberal party till he
and they went out of Office; and that II
Is now devoted to Lord BeacOns6eld and
has been the chief oracle of the Jinqoes
In one word-a good historical word in
English politics-The Telegraph has rated. On tins
and many other points MIR. Labouchere dwelt un-
ceasinely Not long since MIR. Lionel Lawson. the
uncle Of Edward. and half-owner of The Telegraph,
died. and Mr.. Labouchere published column or
two of remarks Oh the deceased The remarks
were not such as would have been published
bv a man who had earnest desire to abide by
the conventional standards Of decorum, but they
had an air Of good humcr, slightly eontemptuous
xv,tha and were spced with story OF his OF kind
at which the world readily enough laughs. MI
Edward Lawson says they wounded him deeply,
and that he resolved tbereupOn TO assault Mr.
Iabouchere, by way of indicating his uncle's
memory There sceptlcal people who hint mat
Mr. Lawson, stung and sore with the continual at
tacks upon himself, found II convenient to avenge
his personal wrongs pretcxt Of sacrlhcing TO his
unce's names. As the avenger OF his own injuries
he may not have felt confident OF that puOhc sym
pathv which he might appeal to more confidently
when appearing to resent an outrage upon dead,
lint "a be puts IT, an unburied uncle To make the
vindication more complete. he determined that
the cause of his departed relative should
-. the instrument OF Mr.. Laboucheres cbastse-
mept. lie employed q friend, Mr.. Montagu Wui-
iams.a a spv upon his enemys smovements,and when
this emissary brought hIm word near midnight 'ha'
Mr. Iabouchere was coming out of his club. be
xxavla,d hun. and beat him. Naturally, the reports
of the encounter vary in some particulars. but
there il no dispute about what Is here stated nor
doos Mr. Iawson denv that he waited for Mr. La
houchere at the bottom of the stairs and came up
behind him as he walked away. lhere was
conflict which lasted a minute OF TWO, IN whlch
ns;,her combatant was hurt The challenge fol-
lowed. aud, upon Mr.. Lawsons refusal 10 hgn' MI
Iabouchere addressed him the letter which Mr.
I1awson has made the basis of criminal proceedings
twas not good letter. Ii is violent. and most OF
tbe eotbets applied to Mr. Lawson are such as come
naturally from the tongue of angry man. Mr.
lawson is called a vulgar snob. disgrace TO Jour
nal,sm. "A base, serve wretch. who, when Mr. Glad
.tope Was in power sneaked up the Liberal Dack-
stairs TO pick up crumbs of news aud who, In nope
of curryiug favor and obtaining some sort of social
eurrency. bespattered Mr.. Gladstone WIN sia'ish
adulatioD This is far beneath Mr.. Labouchere's
ability lie is commonly the coolest OF men. ana
one secret Of his power is the command he Keeps
over his temper He has the ar: OF saying very dis
agreeab things In a tone of complete indinerence
of suggesting what he does not assert, and wnen
his shots hit the mark. they generally do, the by
stander who sees the contortions OF the victim is
half persuaded that il was all an accident But no
man is equal to himself at all times. and this letter
only proyes that Mr.. Laboucbere is human. 1t con-
tans good passages. but the whole OF II Is spohed
bv language which is not only abusive. but COM
monplsce.
But why should Mr.. Lawson betake himself TO a
,,ao;s,r.ta for redressf He had begun by taking