The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-04
A LIBEL SUIT.
Merchant Charles r.. Capwell Wants
$4,000 From John III. Campbell.

There was a large number OF citizens OF
Coventry in Judge Nilbur's court this morn
ing ing 70 hear the testimony In the libel suit Of
Charlos T. Capwell, merchant, whose place
OF business Is about a third OF a mile from the
village OF Greene in the town named. against
099h IN n. Campbell, proprietor and publisher
Cleaner, the former being the weekly edition
Oh the latter newspaper aad both being pub
lished in Coventry.
The plaintiff alleges that In the Daily
Cleaner OF January u. 1898. and the Weekly
cleaner of the 9th of the same month there
appeared articles under the heading of
Greene News, holding him up 10 ridicue
by alleging that IL was TO be hoped he had re-
pented of his cruelty in keeping old man
corey In lail All last summer for the taking Of
one TIN pail valued at cents, and suggesting
that proper monument for Capwcll when he
died would be tin pail suitably mounted.
marked cents
Mr. Capwell also claims that by reason OF
this article be suffered great loss, both in the
grocery and cattle business which he carried
on That his grocery trade fell off To such an
extent that he shut up shop for several days
10 consider carefully whether or not this part
Vi Ms business was irretrievably ruined;
that he was treated coldly by all his neigh.
Dors, who were at one time extremely cordial
toward him, and that persons whose friend
snip was very highly priced by him scarcely
recognized him. and IN gong TO and from the
rallrohd train no one would speak TO him.
ana also that people who once visited at his
nome and partook OF his generous hospitality
no longer darkened his doors and he was
practically excluded from the society of the
village In which he was born and in which
Tor seven years he had carried ON business
amidst the very pleasantest relations. For all
these hardships Mr.. Capwell wants 1900.
III was shown by testimony introduced by
the plaintiff that in civil suit tried before
1udg. Eugene ~ Warner of the Fourth Judi
cial District in 1901 that he. Capwell. re-
covered Judgment against one William Corey
Tor % cents and costs. the latter bringing the
judgment mp 10 about Ss, and that an execu-
ton was taken out in July, 1892. and Corey
put In the kont County jan, where he re-
manned Tor IL weeks and was finally released
by Capwell
Mr.. Capwell detailed the circumstances of
an interview with proprietor Campbell in
which the latter, according to the witness
testimony, declined TO give the name of the
person who wrote the article referred to and
also directed him 10 20 To "a parsonage whose
company Is not desirable to good men
Ihe plaintln was very sharply cross.ex-
amined by W. g. Baker OF ID. g. a W. G.
Baker, who <cpresent ti defendant. and said |
NAT the size OF his store was about l6x20 feet |
Dut declined 20 swear IL was not more than
2xl6. or that the whole building was not |
arger than l0xlA
The dofondant claims he can prove the
ruth OF the statements made in the alleged
ibellous article.
George Il. Brown and A. J. Cushing are Mr..
japwell's attorneys.
The counsel for the defendant endea yored
show by their cross % animation of wit
esses that 10 was the general indignation of
he public with Mr.. Capwell's treatment of |
Grey ana not the publication OF the alleged |
lbellous article that caused the plaintiff 10 |
lse his trade and 10 suffer social ostracisn.
lifted that before the publication OF the
rucle rejecting on the paintih several citi
Ems had signed an article condemning the
hhntus y conduct in regard to Corey.