The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-08-26
STAR HAS A LIBEL SUIT


It's an old saying that newspaper
is not full grown until it has libel
suit. The Star was Il years old last
June, which brought it of age, and
libel suit was entered against it Fri
day, which we suppose qualified it, SO
now it can vote in the November
election.
And who do you suppose has sued
the Star for libel? Some of the big
men or corporations it has criticised
so freely, you will say. Not by any
means. Big men and big firms sell
dom do small things. They play the
game.
The complainant in this case is the
celebrated Cash, amateur detective
and ex-special policeman, who blessed
this metropolitan center for awhile
with his Sherlockholmes supervision,
and yet, unless we mistake, honors us
with his residence.
Mr.. Cash wants the Star to pay
him five thousand dollars. Now, what
do you know about that? Five thou
sand dollars for one special police
man, an ex at that. And the wooden
policemen at the street crossings only
cost $3.50 apiece.
Mr.. Cash wants this huge sum of
money because the Star criticised his
acts while he was Williamjburnsing
in Ocala few weeks ago. Said crit
icism put summary stop to his
sleuthing, and he estimates the value
of his talents as sleuth, to him, as
$4,000.
We are much worried as to how
Cash is ever going to collect that
$4,000. Not that we doubt the jury
will give it to him. It's plain case.
We cannot tell lie. THAT is, we
won't, in this case.) The Star did it
with it's little hammer. But we have
not five thousand dollars. We don't
believe there is that much money in
the world. If the jury finds the Star
guilty and the Judge insists that the
amount be paid at once, the proprie-
tor, business manager and editor will
have to go home in a barrel apiece,
ard still Cash will be shy of the cash
he bankers for. This is a distressing
case. 1t is not one of those easy
cases where they put the offender in
Jail. They put him in the pawnshop
if he has anything in his clothes. And
we haven't had anything in our
clothes but duns for long time.
Judge Gober is Cash's attorney
We are informed that the judge says
he is going to take our Miehle press
for his fee and swap it for an eight
cylinder Cadillac in which he will GO
around the second congressional dis
trict, chasing the asbestos cat. For
although the cat has been somewhat
busy clawing itself lately the Judge
hasn't gained much on it since he was
nominated at Palatka some months
ago.
Mr.. Cash is a rather modest man
There is strong suspicion that the
idea of suing the Star for such vast
sum did not originate with him
There are some folks in Ocala who
would be glad if the Star was out OF
il, or if it was afraid to criticise any.
body less than hundred miles off
IL we were not afraid of being suet
for another five thousand we woulc
say Cash is being used for catspaw
In the fable which tells of the monke,
using the cats paw to pull the chest
nuts out of the fire, there is no men
ton of the chestnuts starting a firt
under the monkey. But the Star ISM
a chestnut.
We can't imagine what Mr.. Casl
will do with all that money when h,
obtains it, which he won't. He evi
IDENTIFY doesn't need correspondent,
course in sleuthing. 1t may be tina
he will buy him townsite out i'm tn,
woods where he can be not only spe
cial officer, but chief of police, mayor
clerk, recorder and jailer. All he viii
need will be people and he can imagin,
them.