The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-12-16
PoRTER'S PLEA.
His Libel Suit Against the
Union
Synopsis of the Principal
Points Made.

UttitO Vt0uCt
This morning the declaration in the libei
suit of Samuel r. Porter, ex-County Treas
urer versus the Rock Island Union for ten
thousand dollars damages was filed in
the circuit clerks Office by the plaintiffs
LAWYERS Sturgeon 81 Olsen and W. Fl. Gest.
The declaration is very full and complete
and covers a number of pages of closely
written foolscap The main points Of the
suit are includs.4 in the following digest of
| the original bill:
THE INSTRUMENT.
sets forth that the Union printing com
pany is an organization under the laws OF
Illinois, and it makes Walter s.
Johnson and William Hy Burtiette
the defendants of plea of trespass on the
case 1t affirms that, whereas the plain
tiff, Samuel R. Porter before, and at the
time of the several grievances hereafter
mentioned, was a person of good
name, credit and reputation, and deserved
ly enjoyed the esteem of his neighbors and
other worthy citizens of this state. The
declaration also states previous to the
grievances complained Of. the plaintiff had
been elected to the office of County Treas
urer of Rock Island County and had such
office, and was such Treasurer for a
period of six years, from the month of
| December 1878, to the month of December
1879, and by virtue of said Office was
County Collector of taxes, and while in
that Office, the plaintiff did honestly and
faithfully discharge the duties required by
| law.
Along time after the plaintiff had set
| tied all his accounts as such officer and
had retired from said position, the Board
of Supervisors of Rock Island County by
its committee made a certain investiga-
ton of the books of the plaintiff, employ
ing so-called expert accountant; made its
report stating in substance that the plaintiff
was in default as such officer in the pay
ment to the county of certain moneys
stated to have been by him collected as
such collector and by him due and owing
to the county.
THE SUIT
At the May term 1881 4he Circuit Court
of said county, and before the committing
were instituted in said court against the
plaintiff and others as sureties of his off
cial bond for the use of said county, and
for the recovery of the moneys stated to be
| due.
Trial of one of said suits was had
at said term of said court, and there
on it appeared and was satisfactorily
shown that said report of said committee
was erroneous and false, and thereafter a,
| the September term, 1881 of said court
said suits by the order of said court were
dismissed at the costs of the plaintiffs
! therein.
After the trial as aforesaid the DICK Is
land ARGUS and the Moline Despatch pub
| lished certain articles concerning the plain
tiff and the trial to the. substance and eff
feet that thesplaintiff had been "vindica
ted" as such officer from the charge of being
in default to said counts as reported by
said committee.
| THE DEPENDENTS,
well knowing the premises, but wickedly
and maliciously contriving and intending
to injrre the plaintiff and to bring him into
puolic scandal and disgrace, and with the
further malicious and wicked intent OF
charging this plaintiff with being de.
faulter in his said office. and as such officer
with having collected large sums Of money
belonging to said county and others, and
with having failed and refused to pay over
or account for the same as required by law
and with the malicious intent Of charging
the plaintiff with being member of an
association, ring or combination of persons
| whose object was to control said Office of
county treasurer, and to illegally appro-
pirate certain of the moneys collected to
| the use of said association, and other
wise making illegal uses of the money SO
collected.
TIE ARTICLES.
| The defendants did falsly, wickedly and
maliciously on the goth day of January,
| 1881, in certain newspaper called the
DAILY Union" compose and publish and
cause to be composed and published of and
concerning the plaintiff and concerning
| his administration of the Office, which ar
| ticle was as follows:
The claim of ring organs that he (mean-
ing the PLAINTIFF has been indicated; the
efforts of the two organs of the treasury
ring to create an impression that there has
been vindication in the recent Porter
cases, renders necessary plain statement
of actual facts. If there is anything pain
| fu1 in these facts Mr.. Porter has no one to
blame for their appearance at the present
| time but his fool friends, who would rep
resent him to the public as an angel perse-
cuted by legion of imps who get on his
wings and thus prevent him from soaring
into the empyrean.
| The Rock Island ARGUS, which repre-
sents the democratic independent portion
of the ring, says "the Union has waged
war against him from the beginning, and
now when his innocence is declared has no