The herald., 1897-01-07
SURPRISE TO THE PLAINTIFF
"Kid" Thompson Back Again In His Old
Quarters
A Verdict for Five Thousand Nine Hundred
Dollars In the Insurance Case
A Sad Case Of Insan1ty-Captain James
of Non-Partisan Fame Arrested.
The Divorce Milk-NIiscellane-
Gus Court Notes

What Is ordinarily known as pluck,
unseasoned by ripe judgment, is little
better than the bold onslaught of a
mad bull. and it seems as if the young
fellow known as A Bert Bynom. who
has been conducting an alleged news
paper at San Pedro, was about TO be
made to realize the fact.
No less than five suits for criminal
libel have been fled against Bynom-
such a very enterprising paper has he
conducted-but for one reason or an
other three of these were dismissed by
the district attorney. The fourth was
up for trial yesterday IN department
one, before Judge Smith and a jury.
1t appears that Bynom has made a
long continued onslaught upon the city
trustees and other officials at San Pedro
words of innuendo against the honesty
that the city printing was given to the
San Pedro Times, the rival paper. Nor
We're his attacks made and couched in
language of fair criticism, to which
every public servant is open, but in
apparently for no other reason than
and integrity of those he was attack
ing.
DR.. r. W. Hill was the especial mark
at which Bynom aimed some of his
most scurrilous remarks. The doctor
is the son of the late General Ward Hill
of South Carolina, who won renown
on the losing SIDE of the Tate unpleas-
antness." and his mother was a sister
of Stonewall Jackson, the soldier sans
peur. sans reproche." The particular
article complained of as being ibelous
in the suit now at bar contains the fol-
lowing paragraph, aimed at DR. Hill:
That DR.. Hill was in cahoots with
the Times. and would hesitate at no
step. no matter how dishonorable, to get
the printing for the Times, we decided
to make his steal as plain as possible
by Offering a bic that we felt sure
would stand out in striking contrast
TO the bid accepted"
The ordinary meaning conveyed by
these words is an insinuation that Dr.
Hill was guilty of malversation in office,
as member of the board of trustees of
the town OF San Pedro, by using his
office for his own private use. The ar
ticle was published in the San Pedro
Weekly American on July %. 1856.
The evidence put forward by the pros
ecution was to the effect that Bynonl
had tried to enter into an offensive and
defensive alliance with Mr. Scott. edi-
tor of the Times, for the purpose Of
keeping the prices of city printing at
the top notch. But Scott would not
form any such alliance, and then Bynom
determined to run a bluff. ard make
bid for the city printing a 10 cents per
inch. He was advised against the steo.
one witness testifYing: II told him the
move was a bad ore on its face, and lie
knew s well as anyone else that at 10
cents the price was an unfair one: ths,t
az things were he was generally credited,
with running a scurrilous sheet, and to
put IN such low bid would not help him
any"
DR.. Hill when on the witness stand tes-
titled that he had voted to give the city
printing to the Times because that pa
per's bid at 80 cents per inch for the
first Insertion, 25 cents for the secon i
and afterwards free appeared to him
fair, and he was disinclned to give the
citys patronage to a paper that was
given up to scurrility and abuse.
Others of the trustees testified practi-
cally in the same manner, and then the
prosecution rested its case
This morning the defense will open.