St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-30
Thompson, Of the Daily Dis
patch, Is a Hard Man to
Find
WHEN WANTED IN COURT.
Counsel Have Hard Work to
Establish the Ownership
of the Paper.
IT SEEMS ACEPHALOUS.
The Libel Suit Develops Into
a Warm Legal
Battle.
WHEN WANTED IN COURT.
7 SEEMS ACEPHALOUs.

As a sharp fight between attorneys,
the libel suit of Tindale Palmer against
the s.. Paul Dispatch, on trial in Judge
Brill's court. is proving gem. Every
bit of testimony offered on behalf of the
plaintiff is objected to by the defense,
and every question asked by the attor-
ney for the defense on cross-eXamlna.
ton is objected to by the plaintiff.
Where the defense is getting in its
strongest work. however, is in harass-
ing the attorneys for the plaintiff in
their attempts to prove George Thomp-
sons relation to the Dispatch.
The suit is brought against Mr..
Thompson individually as proprietor
and manager of the paper. A subpoena
was issued for Thompson to bring him
into court and answer as to his connec-
ton with the paper, but the deputy
sheriff was told at the office of the Dis
patch that Mr.. Thompson was in Chi
cage, though Attorney Mum stated in
court that he was in the city. A sub
pena for Secretery Young, of the Dis
patch Publishing company, was issued,
but Mr.. Young could not be found.
NJ. j. Costello was called, but he testi-
fed that, Notwithstanding his cOnnec-
ion as editorial writer on the paper for
years. he was ignorant as to MI. Thomp-
on'S relation to the paper. Attorney
Mum, counsel for the Dispatch-a po-
sitiOn he has held for years-then took
the stand, but seemed to be as ignorant
of the mysterious relation Mr.. Thorn p
son holds toward the paper as was Mr..
Costello. 1t was amusing to see At
torney Mum Oh the stand as witness,
and yet Directing to every question
asked by the plaintiffs attorneys.
After Mr. Mum left the stand, the
plaintiff
Called FAIRY Black,
managing editor of the paper, but Mr..
Mum objected until after he had cross
examined Mr.. Palmer. whose cross-ex
animation had been postponed. Mr..
Palmer then resumed the stand, and
was subjected TO lengthy cross-eXami-
nation.
Mr.. Munn's attempts to draw out OF
the witness information as the number
OF other papers against which claims
were made in conseQ uence of the pub
LEGATION of the same story as the one
that appeared in the Dispatch, were
objected to by Attorneys lockwood
and O'Brien for the plaintiff, and a
great deal of legal sparring resulted.
Judge Brill finally ruled that 1t was
proper cross-eXamination, and the in
formation was extracted piecemeal
from the witness. In substance, it was
to the effect that there were about 100
papers in all. there being eight in Min
neSOta.
Another point that led to sharp COLI
troversy was an attempt on the part of
Mr.. Mum to examine the witness with
reference to the sending out by his at
torney, Boyd, of circular. The cir
cular is addressed to no one in particu-
lar, but was presumably intended for, if
not sent to, the papers against which
claims had been made. Mr.. Palmer
denied that he had any knowledge of
the preparation or sending out Of the
circular prior to the time he inferred
it had been sent out, and when he
learned of the action of his attorney he
| objected to it. Further attempts Of MI.
Mum to go deeper into the matter were
objected to, and Judge Brill adjourned
court until morning to think the matter
over.
The legal sparrlng becomes so anus
ing at times that Judge Brill cannot re
frain from smiling.