New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-10-10
No LET-UP ON HEARST
c,-,orotio1 Counsel to Push Suits
for FIeloorks Injuries.

49,. change in the Corporation Counsels Office
Going 10 relieve William Randolph Hearst
-. uhatever responsibility the courts OF last
-. IN this state may attach 10 him for the
- deathe and scores OF injuries which re-
- e-orn HIS fireworks exhibit on Election
80, four wears ago. Corporation Counsel Eli
- ,,,snds TO push through cases which now
:. ,-a,-irg trial in the Appellate Division which.
- ssrssed FOR the city. would relieve II COM
,.,s,, OF responsibility and in all probability
.ss,s Hearst with the eighty-odd damage suits
=. which he IS now only a co-defendant with the
cry.
,,..,son waiting trial on this point OF law, which
90 make MI. Hearst pay heavily for his brief
T-ac+ton Night glory. One Is the suit OF Mrs
&C. widow Of a patrolrnan whose head was
.,o,rn OF. In s lower court she obtained q 3udg-
Inf OF $4,000 against the city. Two others
- SUITS Of a young man. one MoeIker. for IN
.,.as sustained. and his father for the loss OF
=. hovSs services The verdict OF the lower
ou-ts In these cases was favorable 20 the city.
-be Corporation Counsel expects that these
..ses Will be called for trial in November.
mich interest has centred around these suits
,s,e,y because OF their political significance The
r.-v. under & Tammany administration has been
.,seayor4ng 10 make Hearst or his papers pay
al The Damages for the disaster. Hearst now
!, the Dernocracy's candidate for Governor. Any
corporation Counsel who was kind TO Mr.. Hearst
,onIs easily shift the damages 10 the city and
lei him escape. Apparently no such intention
exists however. and the Democratic city admin
,s.-ation Is arraye6 against the Democracya
candidate for Governor.
The point OF law on which the Appellate d.
,tsion and later the Court OF Appeals VIII have
~ give 6 ruling is whether the disaster occurred
A. what was purely political demonstration or
v-bether tho affair was really a Hearst gloriAca-
zion and an advertisement for the Hearst news
rars-s TIE Corporation Counsel is maintaining
hat the affair only & Hearst advertising
dogs Gad that therefore the city in no sense
cous be chargeable with responsibility, as the
peril. 10 display fireworks would be improper
for such an occasion.
~. first damage suits against the city were
bro:--ht when George !. Rives was Corporation
Counsel. The lower court and the Appellate d.
ys.as held that the city was not responsible, but
lie Court OF Appeals oyerruled them, saying
that since the Board OF Aldermen had suspended
the ordnance prohibiting fireworks displays. the
ol,v was liable for damages In later suits.
however, tbs contention was set up for the city
that the affair was not q political one. and that
served with 'vouching-in" notices at the theatre
one night, which made him a co-detendant IN the
suits
Then the Corporation Counsel's Office tried 70
move that the Hearst meeting was actually only
ar advertisement for the Hearst papers. They
Tut on the stand al employee OF THE Evening
Journal" who said there was g parade TO the
Hoffman House and band serenade for Hearst
BE tried 20 represent himself as assistant secre-
tary OF the National Association OF Democratic
Clubs. but Il was shown that he was not q men,
Der OF any ot the clubs, and was on the Hearst
payroll Members OF the band hired that night
testified that there was no narade until after the
accident. The fireworks people said they had
been hired by the Hearst papers TO display cleo
ton returns from the top Of the Fgatiron Build
Ing but could not went 70 the street Dis
trict leaders from the Hearst Congress district
said that they had seen no political parade and
knew OF none that night
49,. s,sio S ,cly,,e 800 60 nd M Sron
politicians say that II Mr.. Hearst should be
elected Governor he would remove Mayor Mo-
Clellar. which probably would necessitate q
chance IN the Corporation Counsel's Office end
that Hearst II that case might not be held liable