The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-10-15
SOME OTHER DE LAUGH Ter.
This One Sues the Morning News fol
$4,000 Libel.


This One Sues the Morning News for
$4,000 Libel.
Jasper DeLaughter, who formerly lived
in Valdosta and is now a citizen of Ala
bama, but who was supposed by the VAL
dosta Times and the citizens Of Valdosta to
be J. E. DeLaughter. who was arrested and
now occupies a cell in the Chatham county
jail for tho Central railroad car robbery
Friday hight, Sept. II, has en-
tered suit in the United States
court against the MORNING NEWS, the
Atlanta Constitution and the Valdosta
Times for s25, 900 damages each for the
publication of the report to that effect.
Jasper DeLaughter, who brings the suit,
lived about ten years ago in Valdosta and
has since lived in various places in Georgia,
Florida and Alabama.
His exact place of residence at present is
not stated except that he is citizen of
Alabama.
When the J. E. DeLaughter, now in
Jail, obtained such widespread notoriety on
account Of the train robbery, many people
in Veldosta concluded from the similarity
OF names that it was the same DeLaughter
who formerly lived in Valdosta, and the
Valdosta Times wrote an account of the
young DeLaughter who had formerly lived
there. The account was not highly compli-
mentary, and the opinion was expressed that
DeLaughter was just the stupid kind of chap
to rob a train and then get caught at 1t.
The Times account was published in the
MORNING NEWS and other papers. 1t was
afterward learned that Jasper DeLaughter,
who formerly lived in Valdosta, was an en-
tirely different person from the train rob-
Der, aud the statement was corrected in
both the Valdosta Times and the MORNING
News.
Whau Toopor naT .annhtar NuhO ia n
citizen Of Alabama, heard that the state
ment had been circulated that be was the
train robber, it appears he felt that he was
very much hurt, aud was injured, in fact,
TO the extent of $4,000, for which amount
he is sueing.
In the notice of the suit against the
MORNING NEWS the plaintiff declares that
lie is well known in Georgia, Florida and
Alabama and that his business and charac>
ter in those states have been
injured to the extent of $685.
00O. He declares that at the time of pub
ication OF the Objectionable article ''the
defendant well knew that the party con-
! flled in the jail of Chatham county on
charge of robbery was Eot named
Jasper DeLaughter and was not the
plaintiff" It is difficult to see how this
| assertion can be substantiated, es the MORN
ING NEwS had never heard Of Jasper De.
| Laughter before, 50 far as known, and GER
tainy would not have published the state-
ment if it had known it TO be untrue. The
plaintiff will also endeavor to prove that
| the article was'' false aud malicious"
The following is the article which caused
the suit, which appeared in the MORNING
NEWS Of Sept. 90 The uncomph men tary
| description given of DeLaughter may have
excited his indignation more than anything
| else:
DeLauter the leader of the robbers. lived
Lab fKS I'll
| says ne is well remenhered there He went to
| Valdosta from Florida and went to school at
| the institute for short while. His mother,
| who had married a man By the name of Drafin
| also lived short while i'll Vadosta Her hus-
| band was mechanic and worked somewhere
else.
After he quit school Jasper engaged in
merchandising. He occupied the little wooden
store on the lot where Mr.. Lneberger's two
| brick stores now stand. He had a small STOCK
| Of groceries, but he was not a success, and soon
| disappeared. When last heard from he was in
| Brunswick.
Jasper was dull boy, but full of visionary
| ideas. He always had in his pocket q dime
novel of the Jesse James" kind and often en-
terteined the boys with wonderful plans and
| eScapades which he was going to play the hero
in when be grew up and went west. He was
| the butt OF the town, and the boys called him
| Cow because he was not considered bright.
| He invented perpetual motion once, and at
another time invested in So printing press and
started out to make fortune. A gentleman
ward purchased the little press, and began his
experiences with printers ink.
Jasper always fell in with the tramps, slight
of-hand performers and men of that kind and
| character. tramp once suggested that if
| Jasper would buy some alcohol he would teach
him fine trick. The boy went and get the
alcohol. aud the tramp took it, walking in the
water bucket, diluted it with water and then
swallowed it.
While he was running his little grocery two
boys in town walked in the store one night,
seized him in playful mood. and roured syrup
| all our his head and face. and then daubed him
| with -four.
eve cite these Incidents. " the Times exp aims,
ITO show that Jasper was the very boy
| to attempt suca scheme as an express ear
robbery and to get caught in the very first at
| tempt"
DeLaughter's lawyers are Wade &c
| Vaughan, an Alabama Arm.
| TIE MORNING NEWS has been published
forty one years and has never had libel
suit before.