Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-02-03
SUED FOR ISLANDER.
Mrs Tillie lie Leon VS. Geo. s
Downing, Prison Superin-
tendent.

FOT scVtral years tneTe Hbs Oteb
great feeling aud bitterness be-
tween II. y. Simon, q cigar dealer
aud tobaccopist ut Salem, and Geo.
$. Downing, superintendent OF the
state penitentiary at Salem. 1t
grew out Of business relations.
Out Of this has grown q slander
suit duplicating the name of u well
known Salem lady, the wife OF
Charles De Leon, u barber on State
street.
For some time rumors have been
current on the streets, that slau
der suit would be brought. The
papers in the suit were filed in tn.
office Of The clerk of the circuit
court Thursday afternoon, for $lO,-
900 damage for slander.
The title of the case is Mrs. Til
lie De Leon VS.. Geo. ). Downing,
and the petition is as follows:
"rhat on the Goth day of Janu-
ary, 1893, at Salem, Oregon, the de-
fendant did, in q conversation had
10y him with one g. b. Brown On
the streets of said City of Salem,
maliciously utter, publish and de
clare of and concerning this plain
tiff the following false, scandalo.s
aud defamatory words. to-wit:
81 have letter in my possession
that proves that Simon has been
criminally Intimate with De Leoi's
wife (the plaintiff meauinp). l
want you to tell Simon (meapiug
one Henry s. Simon, then and now
residing In said City of Salen) thai
if he does not let up, l will show
DE Leon (meaning Charles De-
Leon, the husband of plaintifi) the
letter.
"And for further and separate
cause Of action against defendant.
plaintiff alleges, that later, on said
10th day of January, 1893, at Dan
lei Fry's drug store on commercial
street, in said City of Salem, defend.
ant in the prese nee aud hearing OF
said &. b. Brown and of said
Charles De Leon, and in answer to
the following remarks made to him
(def-ndant) by said De Leon
What do you mean Ey circula-
ting such slander in regard to my
family? (MeaDiDg the slanderous
aud deiama,Ory words which de-
fendapt spoke of and concerning
plaintiff as hereinbefore set forth,
which were addressed to said q. b
BrowD.) To which question de
fendant maliciously replied, well
if this thing comes to n point, l can
prove it,, meaning thereby to say
that the slaDderous words spoken
by defendant to said Brown, as
herein-before set forth, were true
and he could prove it; all Of which
was and il false and defamatory
aud was proclaimed and published
In the presence of said Brown and
De Leon, for the purpose of defsm-
ing aud injuring the character of
plaintiff as u chaste and virtuous
woman and wife and mother in the
community where she resides, to
her damage in the sum of $4,000
for which she prays judgement
against the defendant with the
costs and disbursements"
MR.. DE LEON
was seen by The ritter this mOrnirg z
aud said he had left the matter ,u-
tirely with his lawyer. He had
wanted tn commence action for
criminal libel. The facts alleged
could be proven and the case would
have ts take its course In court.
Mr.. Simon was seen and says, the
only reason Downing ever said
such "a thing was because he (Simou)
was making it hot for him before
the legislature. The De Leon's had
been next door business neighbors of
his ana he had always been on
good terms with them Owning
had denied having any such letter
or affidavit, as Brown says he told
him lie had, to several persons.