St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-09
John Lathrop Sets a Legal
Net for the Great Vests"
Political Editor,
And Has Fish and Frain Ar
rested on a Charge of
Criminal Libel.
The Warner Divorce Case
Gets Its First Whirl Be-
fore the Courts.
Yesterdays News Of st. Paul
Condensed for Rapid Sun
day Reading.

John Lathrop, the former secretary
and one of the wheelhorseS of the
Farmers Alliance, has. now that the
election is over, turned his attention to
DR.. Fish and the Great West in his
usually vigorous way. In short, he has
caused the arrest If Fish and Frain,
publishers OF the Great West. on n
charge OF criminal libel. Mr.. Lathrop
made complaint in the municipal
court at Saltwater that Ever
EFT ". Fish and A. X. Frain,
publishers of The Great West had scan-
dalouSly libeled him in their paper. A
warrant was issued by that court and
placed in the hands of John ShoTtali.
CHIEF Of police at Saltwater. who came
TO st. Paul Yesterday to arrest Fish and
Frdin. He went to the Office Of the
that Mr.. Frain was lying at his home
seriously i'll. 1t was arranged that DR..
Fish should appear before the munich
pal court of Saltwater Monday morning
to answer the charge, and that Mr..
Frain would also appear in case his
health permits. DR.. Fish was seen by
GLOBE reporter at the union depot yes
terday afternoon. He chatted good
humorcdiy for a time on the political
situation, and incidentally remarked
that he was on his way to Nlninger to
smoke cigar with Ignatius Donnelly.
the sage of that recluse. and to spend
Sunday with him. Mrs. West was with
him.
When the doctor was starting out to
board the train the reporter asked him
if he expected to 20 to Saltwater. The
aStute doctor saw that the reporter was
aware of the action taken by Mr.. Lath-
rop. and. after smiling, replied that he
would 60 there Monday morning. lie
then stated without further question
ing that the Saltwater chief of police
had beeu to see him, and he had ar
ranged to appear and answer to the
charge preferred. He said that he did
not know why the complaint
should be made in the munie
ipal court of Saltwater, bat
that nc would not allow matter
which he considered of state Importance
to stop short of the district court. He
said that his paper had charged Mr..
Lathrep with embeZZlement, and added
He is several hundred dollars short i'll
his accounts. / want to know what that
is if not enlightenment. l don't fear
the case against us. 1t is not troubling
me to any extent" The complaint
filed giyas the case in detail. The fol-
lowing is copy thereof:
State of Minnesota, County OF Washington
SIS. In municipal court.
John Lathrop. being duly sworn. com
plains upon his oath and says: That hereto
fore. to- wit. at the county of Washington, in
the state OF Minnesota, and on the oath day
of October 1880, Everett ". Fish and A. X.
Frain did TroDgfuily, unlawtIiily and ma
liciously publish and circulate Mt and in said
Washington county a certain malicious,
faise and scaudalous writing and publication
of aud concerning this complainant, and
which said faIse and malicious writing and
publication then and there exposed this
complainant TO hatred, contempt and oDliquy
in the manner following, that is to say, that
on said 21th day Of Octocer, 1890. the said
Everett W. Fish and the said A. X. Frain
were engaged i'll editing and publishing 4
certain newspaper known and called The
Great West, which said newspaper then
and there circulated largely throughout the
State of Minnesota and particularly in said
county of Washington. That on said 24th
day of October. 1890 the said defendants
and each of them wrongfully. unlawfully
and maliciogsly and with the intent to
expose this complainant to the hatred. COLI
tempt and obloquy of the citizens of said
Washington county ard elsewhere wrong
fully, maliciously and unlawfully composed
and published in such newspaper, the said
Great West. and circulated within the county
of Washington said newspaper. The Great
West, false, ScandalouS and malicious libel
of ana concerning this plaintiff, which said
libel, among other things, was III the words
and figures following. that is to say: I'VE
declare that Lathrop Is al embez-
zer to the tune of hundreds OF dol
lars. and SO does the Alliance he
has robbed meaning by the words said
I.athrop' this complainant; and meaning
thereby to charge this complainant with the
offense of embezZlement That said state
ment and libel So as aforesaid composed and
published of and concerning this complain
ant by the said defendants and each CT them
was then and there false and untrue in every
respect, as said defendants and each of them
then and there well knew; and that said
libel and the whole thereof was published
and circulated by said defendants and each
OF them in manner and form as aforesaid and
i'll the county of Washington, afore-
said, at the time aforesaid, with the
intent on the part of said defendants and
each of them to expose this complain
ant to the hatred, contempt and obiiquy of
divers ana sundry good citizens OF said
county of Washington and to cause This COM
plainant 10 be stunned and avoided, and
with the further intent upon the part of said
defendants and each Of them to iniure this
complainant in his business contrary to the
statute in such case made and provided and
against the peace and dignity of lie state Of
Minnesota.
Wherefore, this complainant prars that the
said Everett W. Fish and A. X. Fraia be ar
rested and further dealt with according to
law.