Evening star., 1899-02-07
Settled in London Today by Daily
Mail Apologizing.
GROVEL MADE IN OPEN COURT
Plaintiff Declared He Had Been
Held Up to RidicuIe.
MORE FUN AT HIS EXPENSE

LONDON, February 7.-William Waldorf
Astor's suit against the Daily Mail of this
city to recover f1,o00 damages for a libel,
which 'held him up to ridtcule and con-
tempt" came up in court today.
The alleged libel was published on Oc-
tober Is last, and was headed, Mr.. Astors
Strange Dinner Party" II declared that as
the outcome of wager Of $500 with Gen.
Owen Williams. Mr.. Astor brought the
trunk of a California redwood tree here and
gave dinner party at Cliveden around it.
fictitious list of guests was published,
and. indeed, the whole detail, except the
mere fact that Mr.. Astor brought the tree
to England was an effort of imagination,
and Mr. Astor claimed he was thereby
held up to the public as "a foolish and
ridiculous person"
MIR. AstOr on the Stand.
Mr.. Astor took the stand and testified
that many of the guests mentioned were
unknown to him, and he expressed the be-
lief that some of them did not exist. The
matter caused him great annoyance, but
he was always willing to accept an apol-
ogy.
Thereupon the lord chief Justice asked If
1t was not possible for an apology to be
given at that stage of the proceedings.
Edward Henry Carson, Q. c., formerly
solicitor general for Ireland, in behalf of
Alfred Charles Harmsworth, principal pro-
prietor of the Daily Mail and other papers,
said his client was always ready and will
ing to apologize.
Whether the matter published is a libel
or not" the lord chief justice remarked,
lis question for the jury to decide. but
surely it is proper to apologize for giving
annoyance"
My clients said Mr.. Carson, while
they do not admit the libel, are anxious
not to publish anything which may cause
annoyance"
1T cannot be said.' replied the lord chief
justice. that these personal paragraphs
a not cnv ,htiy 4,
the fringe of very large question One
cannot fail to see that there is a growing
fashion, perhaps copied from the press
with which Mr.. Astor is better acquainted
that we are Qaughter), of publishing per-
sonal paragraphs which are very annoying.
Chief Justice a Victim. Too.
"a paragraph appears in newspaper
this morning regarding myself Qaughter},
enormously stating that l forced my car
riage through the Horse Guards passage
Notwithstanding the opposition of the
guards, and an American paper the other
day described painful incident in my ca
reer. 1t said it had been my duty in the
position of president of the divorce court
to pronounce divorce decree between my
self and my first wife. AS matter of fact
L nave only had one wife; she is alive now !;
we have never been divorced, and I am not
president of the divorce court" daughter }
Addressing Mr.. Carson, the chief justice
said:
publishing the paragraph which has given
annoyance to Mr.. Astor."
To this Mr. Carson replied:
Il adopt your lordships suggestion abso-
lutely. The proprietors of the Daily Mail
wish me to say that they had no wish to
give annoyance, though some people are
annoyed by these things and others are
not. daughter). They regret they gave
annoyance to Mr.. Astor and apologize for
so DOING
The case was then settled, juror being
withdrawn and the proceedings coming to
an end.
POkes Fun Mt MIR. AstOr
Mr.. Harmsworths Evening News in re-
porting the case says:
'Mr. Astor is a cultured American who
does US the honor to prefer our company to
that of his own countrymen. His remem-
brance OF the courteous, polished manner
in which his native newspapers deal with
him makes him, apparently a highly CEN
serious critic. The malice in the dinner
party paragraph is so subtle as to escape
any ordinary reader; but 1t did not escape
Mr.. Astor. According to Sir Edward Clarke
the inference drawn from the paragraph
would be that Mr.. Astor allowed the in
formation to be supplied to the press. This
awful crime would. naturally, appear helm
Gus to any one of Mr.. Astor's nationality"