The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-04
ALVEY SUIT FOR LIBEL.
IT GROWS OUT OF A ROW IN A
STREET CAR COMPANY.

J. II. Mountain the Plaintiff end
George @. Hoppie the Defendants.
The Defendant Gives Vent to Sensa-
tional Uttersnoes In Court-Mount-
ain Too Bitter in His Sectional
Views.
ATLANTA, Ca, Jan. 3.-"Gentiemen, I
had rather be in hades playing base ball
with Mephistopheles and his chosen angels
on Fiddler's Green than to be associated
with that man Mountain IN business"
These were the striking words Of George @.
Hoppie, prominent young business man
OF this oity on the stand in the cisy's
criminal court to-day. Mr.. Hoppe was
the defendant on trial for criminal libel, J..
H. Mountain, his former partner. being the
prosecutor.
The case ia q Sensational one. 10 grew
out OF differences existing between Messrs.
Mountain andW ood ward on the one side and
Messrs. Hoppe and Lanier on the other,
all four being owners OF stock in the At
lanta Traction Company.
SCOOP.
Messrs Mountain and Woodward owned
half OF the stock and Msssrs. Hoppie aud
Lnnier owned the other half. In order 10
prevent tie in the board OF directors q
few shares of stock on either side
were issued to Mr. Stewart,
tax collector When the differences
arose Mr.. Stewart sided with Messrs. Hop
pie and Lanier and Mr.. Mountain, who had
been general manager, was ousted sum-
marily. The affairs of the company were
then carried into court Petitions and
counter petitions we're fled and great deal
OF feeling was engendered between the two
sides. Msssrs. Woodward and Mountain
filed q bill to require Messrs. Hoppie and
Lanier 70 let them have access TO the books.
WHERE THE LIBEL CAME IN.
In answer to this Mr.. Hoppie published
card. In IL he charged that Messrs Wood
ward and Mountain were like statesmen GUS
OF job, restless and inclined to do mis.
chief. He said he had refused to let the
books go out Of his office. as he feared they
would be tampered with. and that Mr..
Mountain was intrusted with the finances Of
the company, but was caught appropriate
ing money TO his own use, and attempting
to hide it In tho pay rolls. He said in the
card that the public called theft OF this kind
malfeasance in office, but he preferred to
use the ordinary term as 1t expressed bis
meaning better.
The case has been called time and again.
but has always been postponed until to-day,
when it was taken up for hearing. In
making his statement OF the affair Mr..
Hoppe had some very salty things TO say
about Mr.. Mountain. the exclamation above
being specimen Of bis style.
A BAD BREAK.
General Manager Mountain, he said, in.
structed the superintendent to employ no
southern men, as he thought any southern
born man would steal Mountain Ia q
northern man. This was 30 we'll known
among the patrons Of the line that many
of them walked three or four blocks
to keep from patronizing a road owned
In part by such a man. Mr.. Mountain,
according to Mr.. Hoppe. appears to have
made himself very obnoxious on accounts
Of bis sectional views. MIR. Hoppie said
that at one OF the meetings Of the directors
MIR. Stewart, who is a Sunday school
superintendent. and q very peaceable man,
became 30 incensed at Mr.. Mountain that
he jumped up, grabbed him In the collar
and gave him q good shaking. The case
will be continued tomorrow.