The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-10-19

At AS yesterday afternoon the case
of Richard j. Little and Michael j.
O'Toole, charged with libel was given
to the jury. A verdict was reached at
$40 last night and will be reported to
court at o'clock this morning.
Attorneys John 4. Lenahan and
Cornelius Smith made the closing ar
guments to the jury yesterday for the
defense in the libel case of the COM
monwealth against Richard j. Little
and Michael j. OTOole, Colonel +. II.
Ripple prosecutor. They We're fol-
lowed by Attorney Joseph O'Brien,
who closed for the commonwealth.
At AS in the afternoon the charge
of the court was completed and the
case was submitted to the jury with
instructions to seal the verdict and
bring it into court at 9 o'clock this
morning.
Mr. Lenahan began his argument at
9.35 in the morning and spoke until
II o'clock. The great court room was
crowded and his address was followed
with close attention. He disappointed
the vast crowd that had gathered to
hear him. Something brilliant and
clever was expected; what was heard
was a torrent of the most brutal in
Vective ever heard in that court room.
To be sure Mr.. Lenahan was at the
disadvantage of arguing a desperate,
vllianOus case, but that can hardly
be pleaded as justification for the
character of his address. 1t was Wig
orous and forceful but totally deficient
in logic and consistency, to say Moth
ing of the subject matter. 1t seemed
as If association with the Scranton
ian people during the trial had i'm
bued him with the spirit that shines
through the columns of that malodor-
Gus publication
THEY WERE AMAZED.
The attorneys in the defense with
him were at first amazed, then dis
gusted and finally alarmed. When Mr..
Lenahan concluded he said that would
close the argument for the defense
and court adjourned for the noon re-
cess and Mr.. Lenahan went to his
home in Wilkes-Barre.
Immediately the other attorneys had
a consultation with the result the I
when court opened in the afternoon
Attorney Smith asked permission to
talk to the jury for fifteen or twenty
minutes and was allowed to do 50.
He wanted to get from the mouths
of the jurors the bad taste that Mr..
Lenahan's address had left.
Attorney Smith was followed by A.
torney O'Brien, whose closing address
for the commonwealth called forth
praise and congratulations even trDm
the attorneys for the defense. He
reviewed all of the facts in the case
and the law bearing upon them in a
clear and concise manner arranging
his argument so clevery that it fol-
lowed step by step in natural Sc
quence from beginning to ell. His
arraignment of the defendants for
their infamous libels and reckless
newspaper methods was perhaps the
most dramatic incident of the trial
"If the law will not protect a mans s
reputation from such terrible assaults
as this, what remains but for him
to take the law into his own hands?'
was one of Mr.. O'Briens impressive
statements. His effort of yesterday
places Mr.. O'Brien in the front RANK
Of the pleaders at the LackaW"nna
bar.
Judge II. NJ. Edwards consumed
forty-five minutes in his charge to tho
jury which was perhaps one of the
most lucid and dispassionate presen.
tations of the law Of libel ever heard
in a criminal court in Pennsylvania
1t is printed in full herewith and de-
serves a careful and thoughtful peru
sal. The court room was crowded +
the doors all day.
MR.. LENAHAN'S ADDRESS.
Court opened yesterday morning bu
it was not until 9:S5 that Mr.. Lenaha,
began his closing argument to the jur
for the defense He opened with IN
statement that they had the fOreor
dained knowledge that under the evi
dence in the case the verdict would b
one of acquittal, The law of libel &
Pennsylvania was read by the attOr
ney and he then proceeded to discus
what a defamatory libel is. He quot
ed the common law definition of libe
for the purpose Of showing that tn
principal ingredient of libel is malice
1T is asserted" he continued, "tha
we have charged Colonel Ripple wit
crime and also held MIN up to publ
ridicule and contempt. While tn
law safeguards with ali Of it's armo
the regulations Of its citizens Il give
permission to furnish the Public wit
certain kinds of information. That
what we have d>sGs.
THE press is not only the bulwar
of our liberties but the safeguard {
our institutions. 1t is the scourgin
whip that drives bad men from oiilc,
The public press in this instance dc
nounced the methods of Colonel Ezr
II. Ripple The Scrantonian is an in
dependent newspaper that owes no al
legiance to any party and has for il
mission the correction of publ
abuses
Mr. Lenahan said that O'Toole was
90 way responsible for the articles tha
appeared in uhe ScrantoniaE. An a!
sociate editor under the law is nc
held accountable for what appears /
the columns Of the paper on WI ich /