Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1902-06-23
CRIMINAL LIBEL
ALLEGED AGAINST THE HERALD
EDITOR BY W. H. ABEL.
The Editor of the HERALD is Arrested and
Taken to MontesanO to Answer Charge
of Having CrimnalIy LibelIed Attorney
Abel. The Legal Luminary Thinks His
professional Honor" Has Been Assaed.

Sheriff Huff came down from Monte
sano on the boat Thursday morning,
carrying with him a warrant for the
sacred person of the humble editor OF
this paper. The sheriff was courteous,
but the warrant was mandatory. Judge
Mcneil, Of Montesano, desired the pres
ence OF the editor at one O'Clock p. H.,
to answer charge OF criminal libel pre-
ferred by Attorney Abel. Recognizing
our duty as a good citizen, and the power
behind the sheriff, we dropped literary
gem then in the course of preparation
for that days paper-which, had it been
allowed to fully incubate, might have
formed our chief claim to fame with
posterity-and, accompanied by Attorney
Cross, accepted the urgent invitation OF
Sheriff Huff and proceeded to Monte
sano.
Arriving at Judge McNeil's court we
found Attorney Abel and County Attor-
ney Hutchinson. The latter read the
complaint and asked that we plead. At
torney Cross replied that we did not
propose to plead; that this court did not
have final jurisdiction, and that we
would waive preliminary examination,
asked the court to fix the bond for our
appearance in the superior court. This
was fixed by the Judge, who did not
appear greatly impressed with the enor-
nifty OF the offense alleged, at $3.50,
which was Immediately given, with Jas.
Stewart, OF this city, and Il. J. Mcdowell,
of Montesano, as sureties, and the editor
returned to his arduous duties on the
afternoon train.
The complaint of Atel is based upon
an account given in the HERALD of his
frivolous arrest OF S. G. Coleman, a feat
that has been elegantly commemorated
in verse by the muse OF the Daily Bulle-
as piece OF disreputable pettifogging,
and is characterized throughout as show
ing remarkable absence OF proper
respect for our courts Of law.
In his complaint, Mr.. Abel punctuates
the article of the HERALD with what he
probably desires the jury that will try
this case to believe to have been the
thoughts OF the writer when the alleged
libelous article was written, but which
formed no part of the article itself. He
| has done this to such an extent that We
are seriously considering the ACCESSIBILITY
OF counter suit for libel. If we con-
clude to do this, it will take the form of
a civil action, in which we-not the
county-will be mulcted for costs in case
OF our failure to make it good. However,
he appears to lay his greatest claim to
having been abused by the HERALD to
our having used the word shyster" in
referring to him, and calls upon the
strong arm of the law to protect his
professional honor"
10 this protection he is fully entitled,
as is every other citizen OF this great
republic, and, by reason of his legal
knowledge, Mr.. Abel is qualified to look
after that protection. If all his clients
had been so qualified it might have made
difference in the course followed by
the bright young fellow, and would GER
tainly been of benefit to some of the
clients aforesaid.
The HERALD does not desire to attempt
to try this case in its columns, and will
simply say that, since Mr.. Abel has
elected to prove his professional honor
in the criminal court the defendant will
endeavor to afford him ample oppor-
tunity.