Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-01-26
OUT ONLY TEN MINUTES
District Attorney Jerome Expressed
The Most Bitter Contempt for
His Own Witnesses.
HUMAN FOLLY AND DEGRADATION
Were Exploited by This De.
praved Paper.
EDl1ORS AGQUlTTAL IS APPROVED

Associated Press Dispatches by Special Wires
New York. Jan. 26-"I will not
attempt to disguise from you the utter
loathing and contempt feel for some
OF the witnesses whom / myself have
introduced, declared District Attor-
nry jerome to the jury today in his
argument for the prosecution in the
action for criminal libel brought
against Norman Hapgood, editor of
Golfers Weekly, on complaint of
Justice Joseph M. Deuel. OF the Court
OF Special Sessions.
For more than two weeks nov wa
have been wandering through VANITY
Fair, said Mr. Jerome, wituessiuS
exhibitions cf human weakness and
folly and, IN some Instances, Of human
degradation.
The case was expected to 90 to the
jury today, after Mr.. Jerome's arRu-
ment ana the charge TO the Jury.
Continuing, Mr.. jerome said:
1T may be that / ought not to be
here, prosecuting one of the best
friends I've got ior a crime which, in
my private Judgment, / believe be
ought to have done and which / might
have done in his place with more heat
and more vim than he displayed. The
law not to restrict the liberty OF the
prsss has provided that If the pub
lished article be true and published
with justihable ends It is a defence.
On the ground Of excuse the pfosecu-
tion conceces that this publication was
honestly made 10 belief that it was
true. If you find that the article was
true, you have get TO acqut.
Now, let Us see the character Ct
this paper (reiefring TO Town Iopics).
Mr.. Shepard has told you that Col
Mann Las stated that il was the nat.
ural evolution of personal journalism.
IL that is true, it Uught to be aIpli-
cable 20 more than one daily paper IN
New York whose trend is that way.
There is scarcely a morning paper that
does not print vile scandals and OBJ
scene matter / don't see what inter-
es. u conserves TO publish such stuff.
| don { see what interest articles relat-
ing TO the adultery OF this or that per-
son have for you and me. Does IL
serve any useful purpose Is it other
than filth IL is put there for no
other plrpose than that OF paying
dividends to the stockholders. The
average newspaper is run from the
countineroom standpoint. Many OF
the advertisements are but a corrup-
tion fund 20 induce quiet about this,
that or the other. This Is not a pleas
ant statement TO make, but il you ask
the average newspaper man why a GER
tain patef let up on a certain proposi-
tion his reply will be why didn't you
see that ad Of so and so 2 These pa
pers haven't yet reached the condition
that this vile sheet has reached.
am not here to justify Town Topics. -
Justification Of the editorial de-
nouncing Justice Deuel." Mr.. Jerome
said, "means that Deuel. was part
owner Of the paper, censor and reviser
Of proof and that the paper, which he
edited in part, extorts money and
prints scandals. lt is alleged that he
threatened TO make public the family
skeletons of society people unless given
money"
HAPGoOD NOT GUILTY.
Later-The jury in the Town Topics
case returned a verdict that Editor
Norman Hargood was not guilty OF
criminal libel The jury was out
about 10 minutes.
Hapqood was charged with criminal
libel OF Justice deuel.. The complaint
in the case was based on an editorial
in Golfers Weekly In August last
bearing ou Justice Deuel's connection
with 1own Topics.