El Nuevo mexicano., 1917-05-10
JUDGE Cites
NEWSPAPER;
A LLEGE s
CONTEMPT
New Mexican Accused
OF Disrespect Of Hon.
M. C. Mechem
COURTS FRIENDS
FIND TT TRUE

|COUKI'S FRIENDS
FIND TT TRUE
The Honorable Merritt c. Mechsm,
Judge Of the Seventh Judicial Dist.
riot, charges that the Santa Fe New
Mexican's article Of March 80, de.
voted to the publication Of the facts
concerning Merritt c. Mechem's pur-
ported affidavit before the bar exam
lners In defense Of the character Of
Attorney M. c. splcer, constitutes
contempt Of court.
The Honorable Merritt c. Meehem,
Judge Of the Seventh Judicial District,
has therefore cited Col. Bronson M.
Cutting, president; e. Dana johnson,
editor of the New Mexican; and
Francis c. Wilson, az attorney Of rec
ord, to show cause before him at So
zorro on Thursday, May 10, why they
should not be held to be guilty Of con-
tempt Of court. Tho papers were
served today.
The order is issued on information
filed by District Attorney n. p. Owen,
based on a report by The Honorable
Alonzo B. MeMulen, The Honorable
James G. Fitch, and The Honorable
James L. Nicholas, appointed az
"frlends Of the court" to examine the
publication and report to the court.
These gentlemen found that the arti-
Gle was c~ontemptuous.
The information, report and order
follow: 80
In the District Court of the Seventh
Judicial District of the State Of New
Mexico, in and for the County of Va
.lencia.
State of New Mexico, Plaintiff, We.
New Mexican Printing Company, a
Corporation; Bronson M. Cutting, e.
Dana johnson and Francis c. Wilson,
Defendants. No. 1912.
Information
And now comes the said State of
New Mexico, by Harry P. Owen, dist.
riot attorney, within and for the Sew
enth judicial district of said state,
and represents to the court that on
the both day Of March, A. D. 1917.
there was, and still il, pending In this
court, a certain cause for the adjudi-
cation and determination of this court,
wherein Henry Dreyfus is plaintiff,
and the New Mexican Printing COM
pany, and others, are defendants, and
that there was on said date, and still
is, pending in this court q certain
other cause for the adjudication and
determination of this court, wherein
the State of New Mexico is plaintiff
and the New Mexican Printing COM
pany, Bronson M. Cutting. e. Dana
Johnson, ct al, are defendants, on
indictments for criminal libel: that
on the said above named day there
was published in the City of Santa
Fe, In said state, a certain daily news
paper known as and called the Santa
Fe New Mexican, having general cir
culation throughout the State of New
Mexico, Of which said paper IN said
day the said e. Dana Johnson was the
editor, and that the said Bronson M.
Cutting was president of the said
New Mexican Printing company on
said day; that the said Francis G.
Wilson is now and was on the said
March 30, 1917, attorney of record
representing the defendants, and each
of them, in both of said above named
causes; that ON the said Both day Of
March, A. d. 1917, the said Bronson
M. Cutting, e. Dana Johnson and
Francis G. Wilson caused to be print
ed and published in said above named
newspaper and to be circulated and
given general publicity in all the
counties composing the Seventh judic-
ial district Of the State OF New Mex
leo, and throughout the State of
New Mexico, of and concerning said
SO pending in this court and
of and concerning this court, and it's
supposed action with reference to
said causes, a certain article, portions
Of which are In the words following,
that is to say:
1.-THE filing of an affidavit by Judge
Merritt G. Mechem Of the Seventh
district, not in his judicial
capacity, but as a private Individual,
seeking to exonerate Attorney M. c.
Spicer of the charge of secretly sig.
to Witness and Plaintiff Henry
Dreyfus during the trial Of his al.
legged libel suit against the New
Mexican at Los Lunas, makes proper
and necessary the publication by this
of many details Of the
conduct Of the Dreyfus case hitherto
unpublished, and especially relating
% the presiding Judge.
"The New Mexican, since the re-
Of indictments by the Socorro
grand jury against this news
paper, has never been under any de-
Iusions as to what 1t was UP against
the campaign Of H. o. Bursum, abb
solute political dictator Of Socorro
to put the New Mexican out
If business
"The New Mexican has never been
Under any misapprehension as to
what would happen either in Socorro
Or Valencia county; the former un-
Ter the sway OF Mr.. Bursum's political
organization, the latter as completely
inder the sway Of the allied Otero
organization, and a county
which for decades has been famous
or the fact that q Democratic vote
IN election day was always about as