The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-25
HARRY LEHR
 WAS ASHAMED Felt Bad About Town Topics Notices. CALLED ON COLONEL MANN The Editor Promised to Let Him
 Alone. Mir. Baker of Baltimore Inserted an Ad- yertisement in the Publication
 snd Unpleasant Paragraphs
 Ceased Appearing

New York. Jan. 24.--Bernard H. Ba- ker of Baltimore. was the first witness to testify today in the trial of Norman Hapgood. editor of Golfers Weekly. on a charge of having criminally libelied Justice Joseph M. Deuel MT Baker said he was President of the Baltimore Trust Company and was President of the Atlantic Transport Company from 1880 to 1900.
 Mir Shepard, of counsel for tho de- fense, showed to MT. Baker two copies of Town Topics of December 15, 1898. called his attention to the item under the head of "Saunterings" and asked if they referred to Mir. Bakers family. MT. Baker said they did. Mir Baker then read them to the jury. They referred to the blossoming forth of MT. Bakers family Into Baltimore society. After reading the item, MT. Baker said he visited Colonel Mann, editor of Town Topics, in his office. He had no ac- quaintance with Colonel Mann, but in- troduced himself. Continuing. MT. Ba- ker said:
 'T saw Colonel Mann. We talked over these objectionable articles ap- bearing in Town Topics and I said wanted them stopped. He told me that it was only the best people who were mentioned in Town Topics. He said that other steamship lines had adver- tisements In Town Topics and that my company ought to secure one. He said that all steamship men were after something and that I might want something which Town Topics could help me to get. He said there. ought to be reciprocity. told him if he wanted our advertisement he ought to say so. He said Town Topics had friends as well as enemies"
 Colonel Mann showed him the ad- vertisement of the American line of steamefs and told him that Of the At iantic Transportation Company should be of equal size said Mir. Baker. He then authorized the insertion of the advertisement. The witness identified it in an issue of Town Topics of Jan uary 26.
 unpIensant G'aragrmphs Ceased.
 ..Did these articles referring to your family cease after the insertion of the ertisenentas asked Mr. shepard
 T think so,' said Mir, Baker.
 The witness said the advertisement continued to be published in Town Topics for about year.
 Three years later in 1901, items com corning his family again appeared in Town Topics, said MT. Baker, and he consulted counsel about stopping them. After that the witness said. Moses F. Wooster, the agent. visited him and asked him to subscribe to "Fads and Fancies."
 T was surprised that Town Topics should ask me to subscribe" said MT. Baker He told me the subscription price was $1,500. Afterward he called again, showed me copies of Town Top les and told me the paper was saying pleasant things and that if I would consult Colonel Mann l could find ous what 1 wanted
 Mir. Baker said that on the second visit MT. Wooster showed him clip pings from Town Topics and again urged him to subscribe to Pads and Fancies," but he did not do so. After that, tae witness said. more items about MT Baker and his family appear ed in Town Topics, and MT. Baker went again to see Colonel Mann.
 He informed me that there had been a definite change in running of Town Topics and that it was to be run on higher plane. because he was associa- ted with better people" said MT. Ba- ker. T told him l wanted to be let alone and he promised I would not be troubled again. He again asked be to subscribe to Pads and Fancies and said he was going to send a solicitor to see me. Irving afterwards called on me with a letter from Colonel Mann"
 Would Be "sOre."
 Irving told him in substance, the witness said, that Colonel Mann would be extremely sore," and that the friendship of Town Topics was worth having Mir. Baker refused again to subscribe to Pads and Fancies In May, 1902, Mir. Baker said, he had d third interview with Colonel Mann. He wanted to borrow money" said the witness. He wanted me to take five shares of Town Topics stock for 5000. I said that 1 was not interested Tn Town Topics or it's stock.
 Mir Baker was excused and Edwin M. Post, a stock broker was called. Mir. Post preferred charges of blackman against Charles Ahlc, a solicitor for the publication called America's Smart Set. Mir Post testified that Ahle came to his office with a letter from Mir Wayne Of Town Topics on June 20, 1905.
 "He said" continued MT. Post that stories had been printed about my con nect,op with the races. ''I told him I was sorry and that I hoped that it would not occur again. We have an article in Town Topics about you he said. and the boys want to put 1t in At this I became suspicious and asked him how much the book cost. He said $500. l said 1t was pretty good price and asked how much the
  asked who got the difference and he replied that the boys got part and the rest went higher up.
 T told Ahle that l was sorry that did not have the money there and that I koped there was no hurry about it. He said they were anxious at Town Topics to use the story about me and that could not afford to have 1t printed l told him l expected to get the money the next week. Two or three days later he came to me.
 Demanded the Money.
 He was short and abrupt and said he had not yet got from me the $500. He added that they had me dead to rights and that I had better settle up and settle quickly. The next day presented the case to the assistant dis trict attorney"
 District Attorney Jerome opposed further testimony from MT Post, mak- ing the following statement to the court:
 My theory is that the Society Edi tors Association is composed of CO., terie of blackmailers who carried on their schemes under Colonel Msnn's nose in the Ofice of Town Topics.