The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-06-27
FORD
 LIBEL SUIT COST

i've estimate, made after watching the case in court for over five weeks.
 The Tribune brought more than 20 witnesses from Texas and New MeXi co, along the Mexican border. While on the stand one of these was asked | about the arrangement with the Trib l une, and swore that he was to get SIC a day for his time, and his expenses paid besides.
 They were kept in Mt. Clemens, Mich, the place of the trial, for four weeks, were given side trips to Mag ara Falls, and other places while waiting to testify. They, like all oth CTS connected with the trial, put up at the best Mt. Clemens hotels, and Mt Clemens has several first class ones that charge regular city rates, s3.50 a day for an ordinary room, S1.60 for a sirloin steak for one, and the like.
 Figuring the railroad fare from the Mexican border to the Canadian bor- der, the per diem, the expenses and the side trips a careful estimate would place the total of these witnesses alone at above s15,000, and they are only the beginning of the Tribune's testimony.
 The expenses of hunting them up, taking their statements, and arrang- ing for their trips to Mt. Clemens was no small amount.
 The editorial for which MT. Ford Is suing the Tribune appeared three years ago the twenty-third of this month. The suit was commenced shortly after that date, and the Trib- une has been busy all the time since preparing for its defense They call ed MT. Ford an anarchist and strove to prove that conditions were such at the time that a man who was not in favor of extensive military prepara- tons is an anarchist.
 So these witnesses testify as to the conditions along the border. and it was no light task to get the right ones.
 Lawyers have been working on the case almost continuously for the three years. Perhaps no greater prepara- tion was ever made for a case than has been made by the Tribune, surely no greater for a libel case, and MT. Ford's attorneys have been no less diligent.
 There are always ten lawyers around the Tribune table in the court room, and seven at the Ford table. These comprise the men from two of the best firms in Detroit, several from CnlCSSO, anu i've lOCdl NO one imagines that any one of them gets less than $50 a day, and some away above that.
 Elliott G. Stevenson is always in court. He is the head of the Detroit law firm of Stevenson, Carpenter, Butzel & Backus. This firm handles most of the large corporation legal business of Detroit. One cannot think of his getting less than $500 a day for court practice and probably $500, besides a good retainer for his firm to begin with Weymouth Kirk land and Horace K. Penney, men of no small calibre, are the principal two of the Chicago attorneys on the Tribune side, with fees that are not small.
 On the Ford side of the case is the firm of Lucking, Murphy, Hoffman, Lucking & Hanlon, ranking with the Stevenson firm in Detroit.
 Former Congressman Alfred Luck ing is the head of this firm He is general counsel for Henry Ford and his interests. and has devoted most of his personal time to MT. F'ord'S busi- ness for several years.
 Judge Alfred J. Murphy has served in the Recorders Court and Circuit Court as judge in Detroit for about 20 years. He had what was consi der ed practically a life position at S10,- 900 a year, but resigned recently to enter the Lucking firm. He partici- pates in the Ford trial, being a con- stant attendant in court. In fact, the first five weeks of the trial saw all four of the leading members of the firm in court all the time, they be- ing MT. Lucking, ST., Judge Murphy, MT. Hoffman and MT. Lucking, Jr.
 MT. Lucking and MT. Stevenson are both men above sixty years have fought each other in court for over 30 years, and contest every point for all 1t is worth.
 You can get fairly good idea of the general cost from one small item. That is the written reports of the trial It requires several stenog- raphers and typists to keep the eteno- graphic report of the case up to the minute. The stenographers work in relays of about five minutes each. No hour goes by without having the case written up complete. For this they get 25 cents page, where one report Is taken, and 40 cents for two reports. At the end of the fifth week there was a total of 3,293 pages, and nine reports were being taken. do not know how many were straight 25 cents and how many two for 40 cents, but estimating them eight at the lower figure, 20 cents each, and the odd one at 25 cents, it brings the total cost of the reports up to s6,092.o5 for the five weeks, with the case not half through yet.
 Mt. Clemens hotels are reaping a small fortune out of the case. The Tribune has q large suite of rooms at one hotel for members of the Tribune staff and for the attorneys. MT. Ford has a suite at another hotel for the legal staff and others connected with the case, and q suite of rooms at still another hotel used for offices from which pface his various business interests are directed.
 MT. Ford is more fortunate than the Tribune in the matter of wit nesses. as his had to come only from Detroit, being principally employees and their wives who testified that the Ford company took care of the fam flies while the men were at war and gave the men their jobs back on their