The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-18

How Certain English Papers were
Imposed Upon by DIR. kenealy's
London Echo. |

li[uuNuu I-Sho.l
The charge against Ahmed John Ke-
nealy, eldest son of DIR. Kenealy, NJ. T.,
for forgery in connection with a news
telegram, came before Mr.. Greenwood,
Stipendiary, and other magistrates yes
terday at Burslem. On the 18th OF July
paragraph appeared in the Birmingham
Daily Post and two other papers an
nouncing that Ahmed Kenealy had
blown his brains out at the village of
Whitmore, a few miles from the Static
Potteries. The news had been telegraphed
the night before from Etruria Post-otlice,
IN the name of the representative of the
Daily Post, and was of course supposed
to be genuine, which, however, was not
the case, the report being hoax. The
inquiries which had been made led to
the present charge against the reported
suicide himself of being the author Of
! the hoax.
Mr., Tomkinson, solicitor, prosecuted.
He said that a month ago he applied for
summons against Ahmed Keneay,
charging him with forgery, and at the
time he explained that on the llth of
July last telegram purporting to be
sent by the complainant, reporter for-the
Birmingham Daily Post, was dispatched
from Etruria Postot1ice to the Daily
Post and several other papers, both local
and London, containing glowing &C
count of the blowing out of the brains Of
the present defendant. Of course it was
a very serious matter to send false in
formation to newspapers, and it was on
that ground that these proceedings Were
taken. He should show that telegram
describing the alleged suicide was sent
from the Etruria Station, and that it
was beyond all doubt in the handwriting
of the defendant. Mr.. Tomkinson then
proceeded to explain what constituted
forgery at common law, and contended
that this false telegram was to the preju'
dice of the complainant and WAS fraud
upon the public. Miss Louisa Faram,
daughter of the Etruria Postmaster,
stated that she received the telegram pro-
duced on July II, from boy, 1t was
addressed to the Birmingham Daily Post,
Daily Telegraph, Stattordshire Adver-
tiser, Liverpool Courier, and Manchester
Examiner. She dispatched the message
to the several addresses. 1t was
on press form, and was paid for at press
rate by the defendant.
Mr.. W. p. Bruton, the complainant,
stated that he was the representative of
the Birmingham daily Post in this dis
trict He had sent the telegram which
had been read. No portion of ii was in
his handwriting, and he never heard OF
the unfortunate tragedy until he saw il
in the papers on the morning of the 18th
of July. The proceedings were taken by
the direction of his employers by the de
fendant.
Several witnesses were called to speak
to the handwriting and the defendant
being in the neighborhood of the Etruris
Office at the time the telegram was sent
away.
, The case was dismissed, with an intima
, , tion from the bench that the defendant
had written the telegram.
This termination of the case agains
Mr.. Ahmed Kenealy is in every way un
satisfactory. The magistrate expressed
an opinion that Mr.. Kenealy had sen
, the false telegram announcing his owl
suicide, but he decided that the ofiens'
; was not forgery. If not forgery was i
, , an ohense at all7 Certainly it ought t(
!, be. IF such an action is not punishable
, , newspapers and their provincial cor
respondents will be altogether at th'
!. mercy Of malicious and mischievou
Y fools.