The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-05-26
2 OF AFFIDAylTS
no PROVE ROOSEVELT
DRUNKARD, OPENS


Tn~.tt's lawyers have kept their
-erronal witnesses q secret. Eish,s-
~ veniremen came trooping into
S~,vr early today. Some OF them traV'
80, more than $50 miles. Marque',e
county 10 larger than the sta'e ..
N Rhode Island, and some or the me"
made an alLnight drive. l.,
small loss Of time Is expected III
ma pickfrg of the jury, aithoush
y,d~e Richard c. Flanagan has IN
\ zfcsted he will allow wide latitude IN
--satIonins of witnesses. Lawyers
= IAN try. n Is expected 10 learn the
noIitical affiliations OF the venireme"'
u and q fight will come over TINS.
M Rooseyelt will attempt 10 INTRODUCES
"a ~ his character witnesses at the ne
Ginning of the trial, in odder 10 let
a them get away about their business,
y finder ordinary procedure they wouio
- tept here perhaps two weeks 10
n testify in rebuttal after Newetts de-
"A Sense Is done. Sixteen OF the hoose-
Il yelt party, including the colonel are
n ouartered al the home or Georse
h Shiras. son of former Justice Shiras'
4 of the United states supreme court
"My LAWYERS are doing this l am
I'm the hands OF steering committee,
laughed Colonel Roosevelt this morn
Ing. when asked what evidence ne
would offer first.
Part OF the crowd or 900 tha' gree.
ed him at the railroad station followed
him to the Shiras mansion ana stooo
4 watching as the colonel, on the poi'
tlco overlooking Lake Superior, as he
breathed big lug fulls OF cold ar
Bully air." observed the coiohei.
tod =
torneys James H. Pound and w ,.
Hill, his friends were turned loose III
ehiras' big library to amnse them
selves.
Y Newett. during the last presidential
4 campaign, printed q scathins eoi.ori"i
n arraignment OF Roosevelt and his or
sanitation of the Progressive party, in
the Iron Ore. Republican weekly
newspaper published at lshpeming.
Besides fatty branding Roosevelt as
: falsifier. Editor Newett. wrote,
y Roosevelt lies and curses in most
disgusting way; he gets drunk too.
and that not infrequently and all his
intimates know about II.
II was on this paragraph in the
editorial that Colonel Roosevelt based
the libel suit which went to trial to-
day. The editorial in question was
printed in the issue of Oct. II, 19l2.
I In addition TO today's civil action
criminal action based on the same
editoriay. is pending against Newett
in the justice court here.
wallace Put in Charge.
Two DAYS after the publication or
\ the editorial, while Roosevelt, was In
Chicago preparing TO go TO Milwaukee,
copy of the Iron Ore was put In
Roosevelt's hands. He Immediately
cave instructions to his lawyers to be-
gin q civil suit for libel. Henry NJ.
wallace, of Detroit, was placed In
charge of the action Of the express
dent against the Michigan editor.
The evening Of the day on which
\ Roosevelt was shown the editorial ne
\ vent to Milwaukee where he was shot
\ by the lunatic, John Schrank The
former presidents subsequent illness
B DELAYED the immediate filing OF the
suit which was not instituted until
\ Oct. Is.
The entire editorial Is quoted in thu
formal complaint made to the court
but the petition declared Roosevelt
would waive all claim to damages
Tor any of the alleged libel contained
In the publication except In that para
4 graph which charged the former pres
\ ident with intemperance.
Editor Newett and his lawyer. VIII
Ham p. Belding, OF Ishpeming. again
today declared their intention Of fight
ing the suit to the last. In Newett's
\ answer to the suit he pleaded justin
cation. He declared his charges were
\ made In good faith and without NAL
ice and under circumstances creating
\ the qualified privilege. towit, that at
Y the time alleged. when the plaintiff
was candidate for the ONCE Of presi-
4 dent Of the United States, his public
conduct and his fitness for such ONCE
Y, were properly subject TO discussion as
matters Of common interest. and that
It the time alleged in the declaration.
lit was widely and currently reported
II. that the plaintiff was then and had
II boen for q long time a man OF Intern
a perate habits" Newett declared he
Il had learned from sources he deemed
a reliable that the statements made in
i the editorial we're true.
h Newett, through his attorney, today
declared that he will produce evidence
a and witnesses to prove that his state
4 ments are true. The defense, how
ever, refused absolutely to tell in ad
a. vooSC wiz any VI tue WithcssCS
viii be.
For Roosevelt, IL was expected that
many prominent men. men known ma
ti0nally. will testify in person for the
former president and that Roosevelt's
attorney was prepared today TO pre-
sent dispositions from many others
who were unable to come here. Attor.
ney Pound for Roosevelt repeated the
statement issued by the Progressive
4 national committee in which II was
declared that the charges made by
Newett constituted the elimination
+ Of m insidious campaign OF SANDER
against Colonel Roosevelt. Pound to-
day called special attention To the fact
that the suit was not instituted to
recover money damages and the
amount asked was therefore fixed at
nominal sum-
The suit has once been postponed
When II was called at the February
term OF the court, Newett's lawyers
succeeded In having it continued until
the May term to permit the taking OF
dispositions In various parts OF the
country. They also requested that the
dispositions be suppressed. The court
granted the two motions and II was
not until they were publicly read In
court that the names Of the deponents
Z we're made known.