Daily globe., 1883-07-30
The Great Libel Suit.

The libel suit of A. W. Edwards against
the Fargo Republican company Will be-
called in the district court at Fargo, it in
expected, early the coming week. TIE
suit will attract much attention, both on
account of the large damages claimed.
$4,000, and the prominence of the
parties. Much difficulty is anticipated In
the matter of finding jury as the case
is so notorious that It would seem that
twelve men not cognizant of part of the
facts, one side or the other, would be hard
to find. The case is about as follows:
There was an insurance company which
for some years did business in Chicago
under the name of the Protection Life
Insurance company. It was on the mutual
plan, keeping track of death rolls, and
collecting assessments with which
to pay losses. The secretaryship of the
concern was assumed by A. W. Edwards
in 1878. The president was L. P. Hillard.
In 1878 the company went up in cloud
of smoke, which savored of the smell of
birthstone, and which arose from the
streams of curses of policy holders. Ed
wards and Hillard were indicted by a
grand jury, of Cook county, Ill. For soaue
reason the indictments never came to trIaL.
and they are said to have been quashed- Be
this as it may, there has never been any
action taken to prosecute them.
When the company vanished into thin
air, so very thin that there was nothing
left for the policy holders, it was alleged
that about $270,O00 had been stolen by tbs
men who had charge of the concern, and
in an article on the subject, which ap-
peared in the Chicago Tribune, April I5s
1880, an alleged expose was given Of ths
! ways and workings of the so-called steal
While Edwards was secretery of the Pro-
| lection Life, a paper was published b5
that company called the Protection AdvG-
! cate; of this paper DR.. Hall. now Of ths
Republican, was supposed to be managing
| editor, though he states that his position
was that of clerk, who did work for tina
paper occasionally. After the explosion
Hall and Edwards came to Fargo, the total
possessions of the former being twenty
| dollars, and of the latter little less t&aE
| $500. Edwards had lost, for himself an&
his immediate relatives, about S80000 iB
! the explosion of the company.
| Upon their arrival here Edwards agd
Hall and son of the latter formed Co
partnership and established the Fargo
! Republican. This was in August, 1878. In
! September, 1879, the copartnership was
dissolved by the purchase by Hall Of I'd
wards share in the paper. Hall alleges tlat
Edwards agreed to leave town, which
agreement, however, does not appear in the
coutrac5.
A month .afterward, Edwards brought
new material and established the Argcg,
and since then, at irregular intervals, have
occurred periods of newspaper warfare
which would have done credit to protes-
sional blackguards. The town and iJs
people grew tired of it, and mportUneti
the editors to let up, as their Lnisara6ls
.iackguardism was injuring the city, but
ii Was no use. The personal quarrel he
tween the two men had to be aired for the
benefit of the public. The Republican,
in the meantime, had passed INTO the hands
of stock company, Of which Hall was
manager, and. editor in chief of the papez
Last fall Edwards was nominated for
the territorial legislature by the regular
caucus of the Republican party
of Cass and RichIand :oun-
ties. This did not suit the ta2ti0z
represented by the Republican, and gn0th-
er candidate was paced IN the field, TIVE
fight was waged bitterly and day or t~o
preceding the election, the Republican rs
published the article from the Chicago
Tribune before referred to. The Repubi
can also affirmed editorially the truth oi
the statement, and charged Edwards with
everything that the heat of a campaigl
would or could, give rise to. He was charg
ed with being swindler of widows aae
orphans, ringster,a a trickster, a black
mailer, and other disreputable names to1
numerous to mention. The resnlt wa- Il.
defeat of Edwards, and with it the defe.
of many measures said to be for the III
of the city, which had been arranged.
Some time afterwards Edwards broash
suit against the Republican emp my fst
libel, placing the damages a
$4,000. The complaint chargs,
the defendant with having published rh:
article before referred 10 n nAliciously an<
with intent to injure the complainant. L
also states that the statement taken frOEs
the Tribune is false, and known to De a.
by the defendant. In answer TO the COM
plant, the defense filed copy of the IL
dictments against Major E wards, and Ia.
case will soon come to trial.
Upon the recommendation of the suprIn
tendent of the military aca envy the see