Daily globe., 1883-07-30
The Grent LibeL Salit.


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 The
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 I'm
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. 1t 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.. 2. 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 cone
reason the indictments never came to tEIal,
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 S270,000 had been stolen by tia
men who had charge of the concern, ana
in an article on the subject, which ap-
peared in the Chicago Tribune, April I5s
1880, an alleged expose was given of the
| 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 the
Republican,, was supposed to be managing
editor, though he states that his position
was that of clerk, who did work for shs
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 tkaH
| $500. Edwards had lost, for himself an&
/ his immediate relatives, about $4,000 IE
! the explosion of the company.
| Upon their arrival here Edwards aud
Hall and son of the latter formed Co
partnership and established the Fargo
| Republican. This was in August, 1873. In
! September, 1879, the copartnership was
dissolved by the purchase by Hall of I'd
wards share in the paper. Hall alleges that
Edwards agreed to leave town, which
agreement, however, does not appear in the
CONTRACT.
A month .afterward, Edwards brought
new material and established the ArgIcs
and since then, at irregular intervals, have
occurred periods of newspaper warfare
which would have done credit to profes-
sionaI blackguards. The town and its
people grew tired of it, and importUned
the editors to let up, as their nisarabis
.lackguardism was injuring the city, but
| il Was no use. The personal quarrel be-
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 papeg.
Last fall Edwards was nominated for
the territorial legislature by the regular
caucus of the Republican party
of Cass and Richland coan-
ties. This did not suit the faetiaH
represented by the Republican, and Eroth-
or candidate was paced in the field The
fight was waged bitterly and day or two
preceding the election, the Republican re-
published the article from the Chicago
Tribune before referred to. The Republi-
can also affirmed editorially the truta OF
the statement, and charged Edwards With
everything that the heat of a cam2aigG
would or could, give rise to. He was charg-
ed with being a swindler of widows and
orphans, a ringster,a trickster, black
mailer, and other disreputable names too
numerous to mention. The resnlt was II
defeat of Edwards, and with it the defes.l
of many measures said to be for the gI44
of the city, which had been arranged.
Some time afterwards Edwards broash:
suit against the Republican cjmp my f9e
libel, placing the damages as
$50,000 The complaint charges
the defendant with having published rha
article before referred 10 mAliciously aR@
with intent to injure the omp!ainant. Il
also states that the statement taken fr0rx
the Tribune is false, and known to be ~
by the defendant. In answer to the cont
plant, the defense filed a copy of the In
dictments agains. Major wards, and ths
case will soon come TO trial.
Upon the recommendation of the suprIr-
tandenf of the military aca emv tha saa