The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-02-20
The Worlds Libel Case.

The newspapers particularly are
deeply interested in the charges of H.
bel against the New York World re-
sulting in the indictment of the owner
and two of the editors. The World
has the largest circulation of any pa
per in New York and the second lar
gest in America and has always been
an influential paper because of its in
dependence. If at this late day in its
career the World has been guilty OF
prostituting its news columns for pol,
itical effect or TO vent its spite against
some of the leading citizens of the
country, every decent newspaper in
the country will be glad to see the
World pay the proper penalty.
William Nelson Cromwell, who was
one of those accused by the World and
the one most openly attacked, gave
evidence before the grand jury and
has since made the following state
ment:
While the Grand Jury had this
matter under Investigation l could not
with propriety make any public state
ment respecting the subject of these
criminal libels. But now that that
body after long and full investigation
into every feature of the case, includ-
ing the complete documentary evi
dence covering all points has found
all of the published allegations in con
nection with the purchase by the Uni
ted States of the Panama Canal prop
erty to be wholly false and has indict-
ed some Of the parties responsible for
the circulation of these falsehoods,
feel that | am free to speak. -
81 wish to say in the most positive
manner that the stories respecting the
Panama Canal purchase published by
the New York World, the indianapolis
News and other papers, and for which
these editors are indicted, were not
legitimate newspaper publications.
They were exceptional and premedita-
| ted; were made with foreknowledge of
their Infamous source and after spec
ific warning by me of their falsity.
The stories thus published were con.
cocted over two and half years ago
| by INSCRIPTIONS parties in New York
some of whom have criminal records
in an attempt to blackmaiI me.
AT that time these parties made a
demand upon me to pay them large
sum of money, with threat that if
/ did not comply the stories would be
published. l instantly and indignant
| ly denounced the stories as false in
every respect refused to entertain
their demands and dismissed the mis-
creants. The attempt to blackmail me
was temporarily dropped, but was re
newed again in July and August last
when was active in the political cam
paign. At that time some of the same
people, with their group enlarged
again attempted to blackmail me ant
again put before me the alternative Of
paying them $4,000 for the suppress
sion of the stories or having then
published
In answer to my indignant refusa
the blackmailers stated that even i
they could not substantiate the stories
and even If there was no basis for tn,
use of the names of Mr.. Charles p
Taft and Mr.. Douglas Robinson, Thu
publication of the stories with the in
clusion of the names of those gentle
men, was bound to injure the cause o
the republican party, and particular
would defeat, they believed, the eleC
ton of Mr.. Taft and they argued tina
because Of my well known support @
Mr. Tast's campaign | should be will
ing to pay them $4,000 rather tina
permit the publication of these stories
that If did not purchase and suppress
the stories they would be sprung lat
in the campaign, when could nj
have time to send to Paris for record
and proofs, or otherwise overtake an
Offset the stories before election.
Il decided that the time had come