New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-04

There is Il novelty in novels in the latitude
of Bostou--a romance that is regarded as
hbclous and became 50 by being stranger than
fiction, that is To say, true. The story has
performed the unusual feat, or combination
of fcats, Of making the author known and
involving the publishers III net
work of libel suits. 1t came about
in this way. 4 bright Connecticut
girl, Miss Sally Pratt Mclean, happened to be
appointed teacher Of day school in Cedar
swamp, a quiet Cape Cod village, away from
the line of the railroad, and full Of the quaint
tyrcs familiar in New England districts not yet
invaded by the locomotive. the daily newspaper,
the horse-car and the telephone. Miss Nc
Lean. i'm her leisure moments, constructed
story, which is said to be photograph, Tor
accuracy. of the life OF the place. She went so
far in her fidelity as to give the real names oil
fine persons she was describing, doing, per-
haps, to some extent, an injustice; because
tbougb the correctness of the portraits OF her
characters is said to be noteworthy, 1t could
hardly bc that she would not give to a char
actcr some features belonging TO the type
rather than to the individual
The book was completed, offered to the pub
Usher and BROUGHT out under the name OF
"Cape Cod Folk" It made a fair success on
H., merits, The news that the people oil
CcdarJwamp had been "put into book
soon reached that peaceful village and the
echoes began to be heard. Some Of the char
actcrs who had sat for their pictures without
knowing it were amused; others were az
gricved and indignant; many more took no
thought about it, not being accustomed to
books, and having no appreciation OF fact
that would make some stir III any IN
telligcnt community. The public discus
sion of the grievance OF CcdaTswamp
naturally stimulated the sale of the book a
second edition was soon disposed OF, and
considerable bonus was offered for copies. Then
threats of legal proceedings were heard, and
soon fine Attorney General OF Massachusetts,,
acting however, in his private capacity as n
lawyer, appeared with four suits for damages,
two of $4,000 ana two of $1,000 each.
Furthermore the property of the firm was at
tachcd until bonds were given for the total
amount claimed, and the intimati0n was con-
yeyed that all the characters described III the
bool, were about to take the same course.
Some circumstances connected with the begin
ming of the suits indicate that they were in
brokers. and were not the work originally of
the aggricved persons. The publishers, mean
time. stopped printing the story until fictitious
names could be substituted for the real.
The use of the actual names in such a way
"a 10 make the Identification of the owners
certain was, of course, utterly unjustitiable,
and probably the author herself would now
be the first to admit it. But the profit in
bringing libel suits against the writer of
faithful description of ones daily life and
visible personality is not clear. 1t does not
appear that the book was in the least ma
licious, or lbelous in the ordinary sense of
the word. The original of the quaint, whit
Ting Yankee in Mrs. Stoves "Old-1Own
Folks" certainly would have had no ground
for libel suit, if his name had been given;
and we doubt whether, if all the Cape Cod
fishermen stand in the flesh before a jury,
they can prove that Miss Mclean has dam
aged them in reputation and feelings