The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-08
/ ENDS IN APOLOGIES
Mr.. Astors Tempest-in-a- Tea
pot Libel Suit.
Mr.. HARMSW0RTH YIELDS
Then Roasts the AngIomaniac
in Another Paper.

London, Feb. I'm the queens Dench
division Of the high court of justice today.
before the lord chief justice of England,
Baron Russell of Killowen. and a special
jury, was heard the suit OF William wal
dorf Astor against the Daily Mail of this
city TO recover $500 damages for h0e-
which 'fheld him up 10 ridicuie and con-
tempt" There was an imposing array OF
counsel on both sides. Sir Edward Clark,
Q. c., counsel for the plaintiff, said the
libel was published on October IS last and
was headed Mr.. Astor's Strange Dinner
Party 1t declared, counsel continued,
that as the outcome of a wager OF $500
with General Owen Williams, Mr.. Astor
brought the trunk of a California redwood
tree here and gave a dinner party at
Cliveden, around it A fictitious list OF
guests, counse. said, was published, and
indeed, the whole details, except the mere
fact that Mr.. Aston brought the tree TO
England, was an effort of imagination and
Mr. Astor claimed that he was thereby
held I'D to the public as "a foolish and
ridiculous person"
Sir Edward Clarke also said Mr.. Astor
was an American gentleman of great
wealth. who had made this country mis-
home, had a house on Carton House ter
race and was the owner of the beautiful
estate of Cliveden,' and that soon after
he settled in England certain personal
and offensive paragraphs fro time to time
appeared about him."
Mr.. Astor then took the stand and con-
firmed Sir Edward Clarke's statements. He
tod hat Of he e,I1elS m
were unknown to him and he expressed
the belief that some of them did not exist.
The matter cause him great annoyance,
but he was always willing to accept an
apology. Thereupon the lord chief JUS
tice asked if it was not possible for an
apology to be given at that stage Of the
proceedings. The Rt. Hon. Edward Henry
Carson, Q. c., formerly solicitor genera,
for Ireland, in behalf of Alfred Charles
Harmsworth, principal proprietor of The
Daily Mail and other papers, said his
client was always ready and willing to
apologize.
Whether the matter published is libel
or not" the lord chief justice remarked,
sis a question for the jury to decide, but
surely it is proper to apologize for giving
ANNOYANCE"
My clients" said Mr.. Carcon, while
they do not admit the libel, are anxious not
to publish anything which may cause an
noyance.'
at cannot be said" replied the lord chief
justice, THAT these personal para graphs
are not sometimes very annoying. This is
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
than we are Qaughter), of publishing per-
sonal paragraphs which are very annoy
ing. paragraph appears ina newspaper
this morning regarding myself daughter.
enormously stating that 1 forced my car
riage through the horse guards passage,
Notwithstanding the opposition of the
guards, and an American paper. the other
day, described a painful incident in my
career. It said it had been my duty, in
the position of president of the divorce
court, TO pronounce d divorce decree be-
tween myself and my first wife. AS a
matter of fact, I have only one wife. She
is alive now. We have never been di-
divorce court" Uaughter).
<AOhit oo4liS MI OddSti the Clilel justice
said: ct think your client ought to aDol-
ogize for publishing the paragraph which
has given annoyance to Mr.. Astor"
To this Mr.. Curzon replied: 81 adopt
your lordship's suggestion absolutely. The
proprietors of the Daily Mail wish me TO
say that they had no wish to give annoy
ance. though some people are annoyed by
these things and others are not. Oau<h-
teri. They regret they gave annoyance 10
Mr. Aston and apologize for so doing"
The case was then settled, a juror being
withdrawn and the proceedings coming 10
an end
Mr. Harmsworth's 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 remembrance Of the !
courteous. polished manner in which his
native newspapers deal with him makes |
him. apparently a highly censorious critic |
The malice in the dinner party paragra phi |
is so subtle as to escape any ordinary read /
er; but it did not escape Mr.. Astor. Ac- /
cording to Sir Edward Clarke the infer /
tnce drawn from the paragraph would be /
trat Mr.. Aston allowed the information to .
be supplied to the press. This awful crime /
would, naturally, appear heinOus to anyone /
of Mr.. Astor's nationality"