The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-29
NO DAMAGES AWARDED.
Verdict Against A. ]. Seligman in
His Libel Suit Against the
Standard.
The Jury Had Reached an Agree
rnent Twenty Minutes After
They Retired.
Brief Resume Of the Circumstances Ont of
Which tho Case Grew--POlitics
Involved.

DEER LODGE, Dot. 2S.--[Special. THE
case Of A. ). Seligman OF Helena, against
The Anaconda Standard Publishing COM
pany, for libel, which has been on trial for
a little over two days was given to the jury
this evening at 6:30 o'clock. II will be re-
membered that last year Mr.. SeliGman was
chairman OF the republican state central
committee and at the republican state con-
vention at Butte, Sept. H. made very bit
ter speech in which he made various
charges against the leaders of the demo-
cratic party. The article complained Of
was published in the Standard on Sept. 13.
The editor Of the Standard claimed that
the speech of Mr.. Seligman slandered and
vlllified his associates and that the article
complained of was prompted by and was in
response to the ISLANDERS contained in the
speech. All this was gone into
in the evidence, the speech of Mr..
Seligman being read to the jury.
That part of the article to which Mr.. Sslig-
man took exception was where it charged
est miners of their hard earned money, and
saying that the miners, had he not settled,
would have hung him at a ropes end like a
common thief. The circumstances out of
which this charge grew arose out of the
shutting down of the Gregory mine, in JEFF
ferson county, in January, 1887. The
father OF Mr.. Seligman, with other gentle
men Of New York City, were interested in
this mine. At the time of the shut down it
is common report that wages were due the
miners for two months. Mr.. 6eligman,
the plaintiff, was at the mine about the
Tins it closed and he and two or three
others, it is said, we're arrested and held by
the miners as hostages until their wages
were paid, amounting to about $55OO0.
Through the efforts of Mr.. Seligman's
father, in New York, the money was paid.
On this subject great deal of evidence
was given. The defendant introduced evil
dencs to show that not only had Mr.. SeliR
man been arrested and held, but that
threats of hanging had been indulRed in by
the miners.
| ,Mr. Salioman claimed that he went to the
mine simply SO accompany the superintend-
ent and that he had no interest in the mine
whatever. Indeed. it was not shown in the
case that he had any connection with the
running of the mine. nor that he was in
terested in it.
The Standard further produced evidence
tending to show that the substance of the
charge was common fame and rumor in
Butte and other places and that it or its
substance had been published in other pa
pers in the state. The general opinion here
is that the plaintiff made mistake in
bringing the matter into court, and this
opinion is correct if the verdict is any in
dication, for the jury had agreed in twenty
minutes, and shortly after brought in a
verdict for the defendant.
The jury was polled and each said it was
his verdict, with the exception of one man.
and that was the way the jury stood when
discharged. As politics was necessarily
brought into the case it is but just to sav
that it is understood here that the jury was
composed of six democrats and six republi-
cans. motion will be made for new
trial and the case will doubtless find its way
to the supreme court.