The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-03-04

n fraud was Tor ever pcfpeirabeu.
/ Here Mr.. Peele's letter TO Mr.. Craw-
ford, demanding that he retract and
/! apologize to Barnes and publish his
4 retraction, was read and denounced as
''insolent and insulting"
! MIR. Peele was on his feet again an
orilv protesting that Mr.. Busbee was
! attacking him in malicious manner.
! Mr.. Busbee retorted that the letter
| deserved to be attacked and the Judge
/ sustained him, and Mr.. Peele took his
| seat.
| Mr.. Busbee now turned his attention
| from Mr. peele to Mr.. Barnes and the
! Alliance demands alleged to have been
| signed by Mr.. Crawford, recountlng
| Mr.. Barnes squrrming and evasiye an
/ swers when on the stand he was
| questioned in regard to the Alliance
/ demands with which he professed to be
wholly unacquainted. Read the letter
| Of Mr. Crawford to the country
| Home" saying that he had signed the
/ Alliance demands because they were
! all in the Democratic platform ana
! there was no sub-treasury scheme
among the demands. Here Mr. Busbee
denounced Mr.. Barnes for not furnish
ing the original when Mr.. Crawford
asked to see it. 1t seemed, he said, that
Barnes had now obtained permission
to carry it in his pocket till he had
| almost worn it out; he sent 1T to Rich
nond Pearson to use in the last cam
| paign; he furnished it to the Progress
| siye Farmer to attack Crawford; could
use it on his egg campaign" in the
| West. but he could let Crawford see
it. Did this not show malice toward
Crawford? Even his bearing on the
| stand showed malice toward the de-
PENDANT. Denied that Barnes had been
called fraud or forger by the defend
ant.
Reviews the evidence of candidate
~. c. Brown and shows that there are
so many contradictions in his deposit
ton and so many witnesses who testi-
fed TO the contrary that Brown cannot
be believed. :
| Mr.. Busbee explained the difference
between SANDER and libel, and said
that every man had a right to defend
his own character from foul asper-
sions.
Mr.. Busbee here called attention to
another defect in the complaint, made
by inverting parts Of Mr.. Crawford s
card in the Rutherford Herald in such
q way as to change the sense. In dis
cussing the matter Of damages he said
that Barnes had not introduced any
evidence that he had been damaged to
any extent.
Mr.. Busbee closed his speech with
an eloquent tribute to the sacredness
of character and the value Of the
name of an honest man. q
Mr.. BURTON FOR PLAINTIFF.
Mr. Burton in the beginning of HRS
speech for the plaintiff said that he
desired to call the attention Of the
court to two or three principles of law
underlying libel in this State. He
read from the Supreme Court reports
touching the law on the question Of
qualified privilege, and held that there
was in the light of the testimony Of the
defendant himself, no evidence in this
case and asked the court to SO charge
the Jury. A number Of other authori-
ties were cited TO show what constitut-
ed libel 4 decision was also read in
which ii was declared that when q let
ter was written to a party without
intending that it be published and Il
IS afterwards published it is 40 de-
Tense to say that that publication was
not intended.
In the beginning of his address to the
inrv Mr. Burton deplored the prevail
ence Of abrse and utilization in the
heat of political campaigns; saying
that it was sufficient cause for the
9ood-gates IT biIiingsgate and abuse
to be opened for another person to SIM
nv differ with rs politically. lie
thought the remedy was in the jury
box. Men must be made more careful
what they said about their opponents.
The history Of the sub-treasury
| scheme and it's incorporation into the
Alliance demands was discussed brief
IL and Mr. Burton declared that If Mr..
Crawford didn't know he was signing
| such d demand he ought not TO have
pne his hand to it, This was a baby
plea a man that would do this ought
10 have a guardian appointed instead
OF making laws for the country.
The evidence was reviewed in detail
and crawford's letter to the Ruther-
ford Herald was read and commented
on sharply, dwelling at length on the
ibellous parts Of the publication.
In speaking Of the sub-treasnry Mr..
Burton paid glowing eulogy 70 SEN
ator Vance and denounced the New
York papers as teeming with sensa-
| tionalism and immortality and said that
| no decent man could afford 70 take
| them into his home for fear that they
would destroy the peace OF his house
hold, .estrange the wife OF his bosom
or blight the lives of his little children
whom he is trying TO teach 70 lead
pure lives and fear God. lie closed TINS
part of his speech in a most dramatic
and effective manner, quoting the lines
of Shakespeare:
who steals my purse steals trash;
It's something, Dothing;
Twas mine, tbs his, and has been
slave TO thousands
But he that fiIcbes from me my good
name.
Robs me Of that which not enriches
him,
And makes me poor indeed"
The Issues were then taken up separ-
ately and argued and the question OF
1 aHf 10