The morning call., 1890-05-13
A SENSATIONAL CASE.

The libel suit of Henry Hilton of New
York against the World newspaper prom
ises to be one of the most sensational cases
on record. Henry Hilton, or Judge Hilton,
as he was more commonly called, was a
lawyer of no particular eminenee wien he
became the adviser and friend of the late
A. I. Stewart. the dry-goods man. Stew
art had few friends and few intmates.
His temper was morose; he seemed to take
pleasure in saying rude things; people gen.
orally gave him a wide berth. Hilton pa
tiently endured the acerbity OF his con-
versation, and bore with the rich man. The
latter requited his devotion, when he died,
in 1876, by leaving him million in cash.
This did not surprise any one.
But people were very much surprised
when, short while afterward, it was an
nounced that the widow, Mrs. a. T. Stew
art, to whom the great dry-goods business
had been bequeathed, had sold the whole of
it to Judge Hilton. 1t was observed, by
way Of explanation, that Mrs. Stewart had
no knowledge of business, and was an in
valid. Still, people thought it strange that
she should have sold the property, but il
was reported TO be for the purpose of clos
ing up the estate
Judge Hilton conducted the dry-goods
business for several years. No one knew
how his annual balance-sheets showed, but
the prevailing impression was that he did not
make much money. Still, with such cap
ital, man may go on losing money for
many years without collapsing, and Judge
Hilton continued to sell cottons and wool
ems, and took pride in personally exhibit
ing to his fashionable customers the gor-
geous Worth dresses which he imported
from Paris 1t was likewise observed
that whether he was successful or unsuc-
cessful in dry goods, he was making money
somehow; for parcel after parcel of the
late A. L. Stewards real estate passed into
his hands, as the records showed. He
had considerable trouble on his hands The
body OF his benefactor was stolen, and
though he is said to have spent fortune in
attempts to secure it, it is believed that it
has never been found to this day There
were some sharp controversies betweez
him and Mrs. Stewards relatives but no
open scandal oceurrtI iii Mrs. Stewart
died, " ISL, When, to everybody's amaze
|, Msnt, it turned out that she had left next to
nothing.
Then the Clinches, Mrs. Stewards rela-
tives, brought suit and demanded that the
accounts between Mrs. Stewart and Judge
Hilton be produced in court The case
never came to trial. 1t was compromised
out of court; it was said that Judge Hilton
paid large sum of money to the plaintiffs.
At any rate the Clnches disappeared and
were heard of no more.
This trouble disposed of and the dry
goods business sold, Judge Hilton may
reasonably have looked forward to the
peaceful enjoyment of the fortune which
had come to him so late in life. But he
lad reckoned without the World news
paper. That sheet revels in sensations, and
is always on the scent of social scandals.
1t claimed to have discovered that Judge
Hilton had defrauded the widow of his
benefactor, had deprived her by piece
meal of the great fortune her husband had
left her, and by trick and device ha6 man.
aged to get that great fortune into his own
hands. 1t published what it had gathered,
together with differences based on them
and of the two made up a tale as sensational
and as exciting as any that ever appeared in
dime novel. According to the World
Judge Hilton was sort OF Jonathan Blue
skin and Jack Sheppard rolled into one.
Of course there was nothing for the Judge
to do but to sue the paper for libel. He has
done so. and he must prosecute the case to
trial. Luckily for him the Worlds charac-
ter for veracity is bad. People believe it
capable of inventiDg scandal for the pur-
pose OF creating sensation, and of coolly
balancing the probable cost of a libel suit
against the profit of an exciting pubica-
ton. The people will give Judge Hilton
the benefit of the doubt until he is assaulted
by higher authority than the Worlds IN
supported accusations