The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-07-14
FAILURE Of
SUN RELATED
BY L'ENGLE

JACKSONVILLE EDITOR TELLS IN
COURT IN ACTION FOR DAM
AGES WHY HIS WEEKLY NEWS
PAPER HAD TO SUSPEND PUB
LEGATION.
Claude LEngIe was the actual
plaintiff in the circuit court yester-
day prosecuting the suit of the Sun
Company against Daniel H. Mcmillan,
Henry z. PritCEett, Daniel ]. HeTrin,
A. D. Covington and K. NJ. SasnetJ,
of whom he was claiming the sum Of
J $4,000 as damages, the amount OF
damages being measured by him be
tween the success and the failure OF
the Sun, a weekly newspaper that
was launched in Jacksonville in 1905
by him. He felt, as he expressed it,
THAT the people of Florida and Jack
sOnvilIe needed a free and independ
ent paper" characteTizing the local
dalieS as publications in the form
and gUise of newspapers" The case
was lively and full of interest while
it lasted, but L'EngIe was unable TO
prove the conspiracy that he had
charged was the downfall of his paper
and the evidence of witness after
the ground that before the acts OF
one charged as a conspirator could be
shown that the conspiracy must be
proven. This he was unable To do,
and late in the afternoon, his attOr-
neys, George L. Walker & Son, real
iZing the hopelesSneSS of their case,
moved the court to grant a non-Suit,
with a bill of exceptions, which was
granted, and the case as far as the
lower court is concerned is at an end.
The title of the case was the Sun
Company, a corporation, of which
L'Engle stated he was the principal
owner, and that it was his personal
interests that had suffered through
the Vaccinations of the defendants
as charged by him.
L'EngIe on the Stand.
L'Engle took the stand as the first
witness in his own benalf, and for
two hours related, under the guidance
of his attorneys, and under severe
cross examination by w. NJ. Tooner,
the circumstances that led up to the
publishing of his paper; of the en-
COuTagement and reverses met With;
told of the obtaining and printing OF
the story OF the conditions Of The Ex-
port Company and the subsequent
events: of the immediate withdrawal
of advertising by practically all or
his subscribers; of the vicissitudes OF
publishing a newspaper that he stat
ed contained only the truth, and its
final demise in Tallahassee last year
after being operated for years on a
losing basis, using the state printing
plant as the Suns meal ticket" as he
expressed it, explaining this by say
ing that his profits from the state
printing were sunk in publishing the
Sun.
L'EngIe told the entire history or
the Sun from its inception, of his eff
forts to raise money and ultimate
success; stated that with the money
thus secured he purchased a plant
and travelled the entire state solicit
ing subscribers, principally through
other papers in the state, he making
contracts with them TO send so many
of his papers to them for space for
advertising in exchange. He said
that he obtained by this means over
III 900 subscribers, giving the Sun the
largest circulation of any paper IN
the state" o. this number about 800
or 500 were paid subscribers, but re-
aIizing that circulation meant adver-
Using patronage, and using this as
basis went to work seeking adver-
tisers, and obtained 28G advertisers
at 81 an inch, which he claimed was
the highest rate obtained by any
newspaper in the state
Went to Savannah.
He related the facts of his learn
ing of the troubles Of the Export COM
pany, and his efforts to obtain the
data in Jacksonville. going to Walter
F. Coachman, but there he was I'M
able to obtain any information; then
he went to Savannah, without seek
ing further information in Jackson
ill hut 0fo
tent was closed, there was no need
of going TO the side shows" He went
to Savannah and from what he Oh
tanned there returned to Jacksonville
and wrote the story himself, saying
that the life blood of a newspaper
was in the printing and publishing OF
what others didn't, and what was the
truth" Before it's appearance in
public he stated he was besieged by
prominent men of this city not To
print but to suppress the story, that
il would be to his interest to "kill"
the story entirely, but his reply was
that he would print it despite oppO-
sition. for he knew that = he failed to
do so that he would be suppressing
news and the truth, and that he would
not have been square with his sub
scribers, and had ne suppressed the
facts he would never have been able
TO publish another newspaper.
The Suns Death Blow.
He printed the story and within
twenty four hours began to receive
letters and notices from advertisers
TO discontinue their advertising; that
the manor was bovcotted, that be
was told by them that they could not
advertise in his Daper, and from 1920
worth of advertising in the issue OF
December 9. 1905, the date the story
was published. within a week his
H1siness Rad fallen off to about SEQ.
He stated that from that time be was
unable to secure advertisers, AMI was
finally forced to discontinue the pH0-
IISation, although in the meantime
the naper had been moved to Talla-
hassee.
re vas closely cross examined by
Col w NJ Toorner and the cross
examination nroYed highlv interesting