The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-05
HIS GOOD NAME HURT.
Dr. Pl0uf Sues T. III. Dempsey
for OBTAINING Him.
CAUSED BY THE coWHlDiNG.
Mr' Dempsey Accuses the Doctor of
Hiring Thug to Do Him Up
Both Cry "Blackmail."

Inc attempt made by lady TO cowhide
Dr. }. Z. Plouf or the evening of October
"a caused him yesterday to enter suit for
S2o'oo0 damages for defamation of char
acter against Thomas Harrison Dempsey
and his wife Rowena r. Dempsey.
Or. Piouf's complaint was filed
Yesterday by his attorneys. Scott,
Wiley & Bostwick. 1t opens by
saying that at the time of the
attempted cowhiding he was engaged
IN manufacturing and selling a rheuma-
tsn cure compounded by himself; that he
mad 1t duly registered in the patent office,
ana was selling it; that some time in Oc-
tober, 1891, Dempsey and his wife, malic-
iousiy intending to injure the plaintiff
IN his good name and credit and
TO injure and destroy his business,
by imputing to him lack of morality.
stated to Miss Carrie Shears, lady of
good repute, that plaintiff had slandered
her by stating in substance that she and
ner sister were not virtuous women, know
Ing that these statements were false; that
the defendants knew that DIR. Plouf's bust
ness depended on proper respect being
SHOWN TO his customers, great number Of
whom were ladies. and intending to injure
ana destroy his business by leading the
public to believe that he would defame the
character of virtuous women, entered into
a conspiracy TO destroy the reputa ion of
the plaintiff; that they persuaded and in
duced Miss Shears TO consent to publicly
whip the plaintiff with a cowhlde, and to
that end Dempsey hired carriage with in
structions to the driver TO go to the
Office of pr. Plouf in the Olympic block,
where plaintiff was requested to come
down on the street. He did not go down
AT the request, but the young lady did go
TO his office and was prevented from as
saulting him by meeting some other person
at the door. Then the complaint alleges
that there was no truth III the alleged
statement by Dempsey TO Miss Shears to
the effect that Plouf had slandered her;
that, on the contrary, she and her sister
were women of good repute in the COM
munity; that crowd had collected at the
request of Dempsey. who told them that
DR.. PIouf was going to be horsewhipped,
and that he had a carriage to take the lady
down who was going to do IL: that
the lady had since ascertained that there
was no truth in the statement made by
Dempsey and his wife. The motive of
Dempsey is alleged to be TO destroy Ploufs
business in order to satisfy his personal
malice. For these reasons damages in the
sum of SIS, 900 is asked.
DR.. Plouf said TO a PosT-INTELL1GEscER
reporter in regard to the suit:
The only cause / can assign for Dempsey's
conduct is that have always treated min and
his wife as lady and gentleman; perhaps this
has Il great deal To do with their malice. have
been blackmailed and am going to show some
people up before the public.
When told of the suit last night Mr..
Dempsey said:
don't believe that Dr. Plouf intends that tho
suit shall ever come to trial. but he has simply
entered il in order ID place my wife and ms in
an upfayorable light before the public
We had nothing whatever to do with Miss
Shears attempt 10 cowhIde him. Several per-
sons told me of ungen,iewanly remarks which
Plouf had made about Shears and ad-
vised her to have nothiu 20 with him. One
day while she was doing some sewing for my
wife she talked about throwing carbolic acid in
his face and l advised her not to do any
such thing On the day when she
attempted to cowhide him she came to
the house and said she was going to
do ii and ! urged her not 10 do it.
or at least to ask her father and mother first
She went to her house next door and came back
In few minutes, saying that her mother ad-
would have gone with her If he had not been
nursing a sick boy. Then she went down town
did not hire the carriage for her, aud only
stopped Ia front of the Olympic block when
saw a crowd gathered there. went into the
hall and advised her to come away.
DR.. Plouf has borne malice against me ever
since my brother-in-law and thrashed him at
our place on Lake Washington last summer for
insulting my vile. A few days after the elec-
trio line 10 the lake was opened, ! was going
across the stretch OF brush between tie James
street power-house towards my house when a
man jumped out OF the brush and asked ii nv
name was Dempsey. | suspected that he had
been hired TO ''do me up" and told him Mo-
Then he pulled bacE his fists IS If 70 strike me-
and hit him on the head with my umbrella l
then stepped back 10 level place and pulled
my revolver He shouted, Don't shoot" and
ran away.
afterwards learned that this man had been
hired by j. d. Coppersmita at the instance Of
Plouf TO do me up and that Piouf had since
tried 10 hire another man for the same purpose
Plouf has instigated Miss Shears to try to
blsckmail me by accusing me of talking against
her and calling upon me to settle with her I
refused 10 do any spch thing. Now he has
brought this suit, but he has no intention OF
bringing il 20 trial