Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-02
THAT BESSgrr LInRL SUR.
How - IL Looked Upon IN wRcO-The
Charge Against Him.


Charge Against Him.
Cordspondonoc Of the Vatoiie
WACO, Tx, Nov. a0.~-On the 2f,h
inst, your correspondent in this city
wrote and iilcd the following dispatch,
which appeared In Tue GAZETTE on The
morning Of the 25th Instant
WACO, Tx Nov - Henry Bennett,
through his attorney, J u. Downs, Med
suit ihls evening 10 the district court
against Barlow q Crayens, pr0ptietors Of
the Waco Examiner lie alleges criminal
and malicious libel, IN a certain article
lpublished In the Examiner Of date No.
Vember 20, 1886, and praYs for damages
% the amount VI $4,000. Henry Ben.
nett ~ said 10 be telegraph operator,
who worked until recently at Plttahufg,
Tex He nov claims 10 be q resident Of
! Falls county. He came 20 Waco a few
I days ago, and directly after arrival
I his name was connected with that OF a
young woman in this city The details
were known 10 the newspaper reporters,
/ including TnE GAZETTE cores pOndont,
but the story was too dirty 30 print. The
next thing heard OF Bennett, he WAS In
tne police court, charged with drunken.
ness, md from there, In default Of paying
his hne, 10 the streeiworking gang.
/ yesterday morning the Examiner gave
him a blast, but without mentioning a
single detail Of the episode ia which DO IL
said 70 have fgured. II was mcrclless
excOrlation, and the Ruls liled to-day "
generally regarded as very much OF bur
lesquo rsther than anything else.
This morning the Examiner, for the
lrst time, refers to the above dispatch,
atutiuU that M purH pptf Haa awap Haar,
died and intimating that the correspond.
ent sent tho dispatch upon mere street
rumors, Inquiry al the district clerks
ONCE showed, as the Examiner says, that
the suit has not been filed. THE Ga.
zgTTE correspondent then sought Mr.
j. X. Downs, referred 10 above, who fnld
Eyes, did state 70 you and other 70.
pprters, on the cath inst, that was pre-.
pairing 20 fllG such suit. When told
you 80 ! thought I had the petition ~
proper ahnp9 20 file that evening, bat as
Bennett left the city was compelled 10
wait few days | still expect TO lile the
SUIT, ana Tor the cause and sum stated IN
my conversation With you on the Gath.
have the petition about ready
The error he reporter made In the
above WAS In believing that Mr.. Downs
had Otter the cOnversation) gone direct
ly % the COurt-bOuse and died the suit
Such vas bis intention, and no changed
his plan for the reasons above stated, un.
known 10 the reporters. No man I'm
Waco IA regarded az moro reliable and
stands higher than Mr. j n. Downs, and
the reporter had every reason TO believe
what he said, That there was nn utter
lack Of auimua against The Examiner In
sending the dispatch rs nltesled by lts
wording, which shows mp Bennett in an
unenvlabe light, and the nnal
statement that tho suit was regarded
In Waco as more OF bntlrsquo
than anything else. The truth was that
In this matter the sympathies OF Tho news-
paper repO tcrs were with the Examiner
md all were waiting for an opportunity
70 show up the alleged dirty conduct OF
Bennett AZ Roon ~ information was
illed In The county attorneys Office against
bennett for rape, your correspondent
ircd the whole story, which was pub.
lished In Tng GAzErtE, with the supple.
mental remark that Bennett was the In.
diyidnal who asprcd to mulct the Exam.
liner IN The sum OF s25 900 for damages 10
his "charactHrn ~ was the talk OF
tho whole town that the suit had
been flled and two Examiner proprle.
tors themselves fully believed TIM, such
would DO the result. Now That Bennett
has left town and there Ia n charge filed
against him for rape (Which uss mad by
The way, by the lOral editor Of the Exam
liner, Mr., NJ. d DayM) the Examiner pro.
fessce to be Indignant that n should be
published that such a man as Bennett had
sued, or Is about 10 sue, the Examiner
proprletors. IIepnott'B counsel says the
young man Will come back aud gtand His
preliminary trial on The charge II rape.