The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1906-01-20

DIDN'T BUY
ANY STOCK

New York, Jan. 2O.-For brief 10 min
utes oliver ii. p. Belmont interrupted
the examination OF Col William ID. Mann.
owner OF Town Topics, to testify today
for Norman Hapgood. editor Of Golfers
Weekly, who is accused OF having libelled
Justice Joseph NJ Deuel. OF special ses-
sions.
1t Is not usual proceeding for the
defence TO examine witnesses before the
prosecution has closed its case. but Mr..
Belmont wanted TO testify for Mr. Hap
good and 40 TO Europe on next Tuesday.
so District Attorney Jerome made no OBJ
jeotion.
Mr. Belmont stated most emphatically
that Col. Mann tried 10 get him TO buy
$4,000 worth OF stock i'm Town Topics, and
when Mr.. Belmont refused the colonel
asked for loan OF the money. The col
onel. according 10 Mr.. Belmont, called
his attention to the fact that Town Topics
had always treated him and his family
kindly. and that IL was the recognized
social paper OF the country and what
appeared IN IL. therefore. was valuable.
But Mr. Belmont wasn't impressed and
Col Mann went away. asking him 10
think It over
Paragraphs began 10 appear in Town
Topics that were not creditable to Mr..
Belmont. one OF them. for instance. said
that Mr. Belmont had been read out
Of his family by his brothers. August and
Perry"
Then the colonel was recalled 10 the
stand and asked IL ne had said anything
unpleasant about Mr.. Belmont's brother,
Perry. Never" stormed the colonel
Perry Belmont subscribed for Fads and
Fancies;' O. III. r. didn't"
The colonel 1t was shown. borrowed
$4,000 from Perry-but because Perry gave
up and O. II. +. didn't the fact the
colonel insisted, had no influence in the
columns OF Town Topics. Il simply told
the truth" said the colonel
CONFRONTED BY DOCUMENTS.
Like Justice Deuel., Colonel Mann's
memory was again corrected when he was
confronted by documents, The solicitors
for "Fads and Fancies" were never In
structed by Colonel Mann 10 get subscrib-
ers on their own hook. But letters writ
ten by him to Moses Ellis Wooster and
Robert A. Irving. two solicitors for the
book, were presented 10 show that he told
them to go ahead on their own account
These were some OF the things that Col
onel Mann had TO contend with In day
OF relentless cross examination by James
w. OsDOIUts Iit plOMtu AAlAVhth ~ oAif
shaking his bushy white whislxers and
stammering cultural answers. once ne ap-
pealed to Justice Fitzgerald and asked
TO be excused from telling about his finan-
cial transactions, but he had TO tell. and
he didn't seem to like II bit.
There was a stir when. soon after the
afternoon session opened, Edward NJ.
Shepard called Mr.. Belmont 10 the stand.
MIR Belmont while waiting sat near James
a. Burden, Jr. who will appear as wit
ness for Mr. Hapgood.
Before the morning session closed Mr..
Osborne brought up the Belmont subject.
Colonel Mann said that II was the habit
to ask favors Of persons about whom
paragraphs were printed in Town Touics.
He denied that he ever asked financial
favors of anyone, but qualified this by
saying that he may have borrowed
money when he needed It,"
Mr.. Osborne wanted 10 know II he
hadn't asked persons who had been criti-
cised In Town Topics 10 buy stock I'm
the paper. The colonel said he never
had When Mr.. Osborne had asked a
few more questions and the colonel ap-
parently saw n light he made a distinc-
tlon between subscribing and buying,
saying that he probably asked some per-
sons to buy stock. He couldn't recall that
they were persons apt 10 be criticised by
Town Topics.