Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-10-13
SUIT FOR LIBEL.
A Plaintiff Who Asked for @ 900, But Got
ONLY 6 Ia Gents.

A Plaintiff Who Asked for IL 900, But Got
Only Ia Cents.
Many years ago burglary was COM
mitted in village of New York many
miles distant from the metropolis. A
man of notorious character living in
an adjoining town was suspected of
the crime and a warrant was issued for
his arrest. The weekly village news
paper knew of the facts thus far and
supposing that the arrest would be COM
pleted before the paper could reach it's
readers inserted statement to this eff
feet That paragraph was copied by
the albany argus, the Springfield Re
publican and the Journal of Commerce,
which exchanged with that publisher.
It turned out that the Sheriff did not
serve the warrant. He talked with the
man S neighbor, found that he was a
shrewd fellow and doubling if there
was sufficient evidence to convict him
went back and reported and the suit
was abandoned, without serving the
process. 1t was good opportunity,
the suspected man thought, to levy
little blackmail on the newspapers
which had given currency to the story
of his arrest. He conld make nothing
suing the original publisher, for he was
too well known to recover anything in
that quarter, SO he visited Albany where
by buster and threats he got fifty dol
lars out of the Argus in the way of
compromise. He went to Springfield
with a similar result, realizing TWEEN
five or fifty dollars from that call.
hn fn 1ou hic do
ages at one thousand dollars, which
he demanded at our hands When
we declined to pay, he brought suit
against us in his own county where
some copies of our paper were cir
culated. He had no intention, of
course, to bring that suit to trial He
supposed that we would prefer to pay
something down, rather than make
long journey to defend suit in rural
district. But we met him on his own
ground and told him that as he had in
sisted that his character had been dam
aged by our publication, in his native
town, we refused all compromise and
proposed to leave it to jury of the
village, who knew him best, to assess
the amount his reputation had suffered,
which, although innocent ourselves of
any wrong doing, we would cheerfully
contribute to his exchequer. He offered
then to take five hundred dollars in
full, which we refused. Soon after he
came down to fifty dollars, which was
also declined. On the day of trial he
was willing to abandon the suit if we
would pay the cost, but as this would
not reimburse him for the damage
done to his reputation we could not
consent to do him this injustice and SO
the case went to the jury, every man
of whom knew something of the plain
tiff. They rendered verdict in his
favor, admitting that what reputation
he had was ruined and assessing the
damage at six and one-fourth cents
(sixpence being then the usual small
money of account in this State), which
did not carry costs. These he had to
discharge from his own pocket. We
paid over the amount in the small
Spanish coin represented by the YER
dict and then in general circulation in
this country, without hesitation or re-
luctance, and that is the only libel suit
which was ever brought to successful
issue against this paper.-N. Y. Jour-
nal of { commerce.