St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-30
MR. WILLIAM WEIGH, TIKI
GLOBE AND COUNSEL FOR
THE STATE In THE RECENT
WELCH-VILAS LIBEL CASES.

"
In the DAILY GLOBE of Oct. 70 ultimo
this paper was trici:ed INTO the publica-
ton OF all article in which WILLIAM
p. WEIGH Ga son of WILLIAM WEIGH,
senior member of the law firm of
WEIGH, BoCKIN IL WEIGH. of Mime
apoIis), young man residing at Eau
Claire, in Wisconsin, was named as a
party who had been charged with being
guilty of gross moral derelctiOn as a
citizen, and that for it he had been
indicted in Wisconsin prior to 1852,
when in truth and in fact the said
WILLIAM L. WEIGH bore 10 relation to
the subject matter OF the publication,
and no excuse, except that of gross stu
pidity Oh the part OF our informant,
warranted the use of his name. WILL
IAN WEIGH, the father, just before the
date of this publication. had been ar
raigned in the Hennepin district court
on eight indictments, charging criminal
libel on WILLIAM +. Villas and others,
the alleged libels consisting in the
charging upon Villas and others the
wrecking, larceny and ENLIGHTENMENT
of the funds of the Madison Mutual In
surance company, at Madison, Wis.
In giving the news to the public the
GLOBE stated, upon what it dt C ned
good authority, that WILLIAM WEIGH.
pere, was the person who Lad been in
dicted in Wisconsin OH the criminal
matter named, and not WILLIAM p.
WEIGH, fills, and all the readers of the
GLOBE readily discovered the person
intended to be pointed out. This mis-
take was pointed out and corrected on
the following day, and full PREPARATION
made in respect to young Mr.. WEIGH,
who is we'll known to the newspaper
fraternity throughout the Northwest.
The GLOBE, also in said issue of the
following day, published the letter of
Mr.. WILLIAM WEIGH, in which he de-
manded a retraction of the charge made
in the issue of the 18th October, anu the
GLOBE undertook so TO do, and did,
publish n disclaimer Of any knowledge
as to the truth of the charge. and gave
the pane of WILLIAM W. ERWIN, an
attorney of this city, as authority for
the truth Of the publication, but which
appears to have been a most want0n
and wicked attack upon the private
character Of Mr.. WEIGH, and made,
too, apparently, for the purpose of aid
ing the prosecution under the several
indictments. As Z. L. DAVIS, county
attorney of Hennepin county, had, upon
his own request in open court associ-
ated Mr.. ERWIN with him in the prose-
t.rnonra1 tha ,frxy Of
ERwIN's name as attorney of record. the
GLOBE supposed, naturally enough,
that ERWIN was speaking by the
card; and with the authority of the
illegal counsel for the state"-a position
which, we did net suppose, would be
used for the persecution of an innocent
man, and who was under indictments
relating to another and different
matter altogether. We are informed by
Mr.. WEIGH that Mr.. DAVIS has not
withdrawn the sanction of his official
position to the truth of the publication,
though requested and urged by Mr..
WEIGH so to do; this, however, is a
matter which those gentlemen will
settle for themselves.
We will add that the GLOBE hereby
fully withdraws the publication of the
18th October, so far as it charges any
matter whatever derogatory. to, or re-
f1ecting upon, Mr.. WEIGHS private and
public character. and assures the public,
after full investigation, that there was,
and is, no foundation whatever for the
charge made respecting the criminal
indictment or for any proceeding of
like nature-iD short, that the whole
charge appears to have been manufact-
ured for the occasion. and that the re-
sponsibiIity for the false publication
rests upon Mr.. ERWIN.
All the libel indictments against Mr..
WEIGH have been dismissed and the
defendant discharged.