Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-27
Now for the Real Prosecution.

Apart from its undeniably humorous phase
the trial of Editor Hapgood of Golfers
Weekly, in New York. which has just ended
in his acquittal of the charge of libelling
municipal Judge has had its decidedly Sc
rious import which, now that the laughter
over the discontinue of the prosecuting wit
ness and his coadjutor in the publication of
Town Topics has died away, remains to be
considered and applied in the form of re-
formatory works. Thanks to the ill-advised
action of Justice Deuel. in complaining in
court of Editor Hapgood's comment upon
the propriety OF his connection with Town
Topics and Fads and Fancies the whole
nefarious scheme of the promoters OF those
publications has been laid bare, with the
| names of their victims and their methods of
operation. There has probably never before
been just such a spectacle In a court room.
The prosecution was plainly conducted with
the greatest sympathy for the defense. The
district attorney himself drew out the fact
that 1t was he who inspired the article
cited a libelous. In his examination of the
witnesses he laid the foundations on which
the cross-examiners built their structures of
proof, showing the amazing proportions of
the blackman and graft games practiced by
the publishers. Considered judicially, it was
a veritable farce of a prosecution, a waste
of time. Considered morally, 1t was whole
some proceeding, productive of great good
If followed, as 1t probab bly, will be, by the
logical result in the prosecution Of the COM
planning witness and his chief for their out
rageous course.
1t is somewhat disheartening reflection
that the full disclosure of the iniquities of
the Town Topics method of extracting
money from members of society should have
been so long delayed, and that it should
have come only through the complaint of
one of the participants. There has been no
secret of the methods of this publication
for years. It's scandalous character has
been well known In some quarters and
strongly suspected in others. Its victims
have been leaders of the social and business
world. Not one of them. however hard hit
by it. ventured to come into the open with a
complaint to the courts. Only when the
game was enlarged and the plan of extract
ing money in larger quantities from more
people was undertaken did the light of legal
proof begin to play upon the shameless pro-
ceeding. Then one man. holder than others,
carried his grievance to the district attor-
ney, and little by little the astounding
bravado of the blackmailers was exposed to
public view. Even then 1t called for this
alleged libel on one of the chief workers of
the game to bring matters to a climax.
This ought to mark the end of this par
ticular form of blackmail. 1t matters not
that the victims are amply able to pay trib-
ute to the holders of the scandalous secrets
or that their conduct has been such as to
merit punishment. However loathsome may be
the private lives of some of Col. Mann's pa
irons" far worse is the prostitution of jour-
nalsm in which he was the high offender
and the debasement of the judicial office
now indirectly but none the less effectively
proved against Justice Deuel.. The public
now expects vigorous prosecution, with
the real offenders at the bar in their proper
place, as defendants and not as prosecutors