Arizona republican., 1919-06-21
HEARING OF. JOHN ]. DUNBAR
 ON LIBEL CHARGE
Editor of Weekly Is De- nounced in Strong Terms by County Attorney - Mines, Secretary to Gov ernor, on Stand

Denouncing John o. Dunbar owner ! and editor of Dunbars Weekly as 'an | old fellow with a dirty sheet who should not be allowed to libel decent |. people" L. NJ. Laney, county attorney, i argued his case before Justice De Souza last evening, urging that the newspaper man be held to the super for court and jury pass on the case which he charged should be prosecut- ed diligently. F. C. Struckmeyer, who offered no defense fer his client, charged with criminal libel. made no response to the argument, but will submit 6 brief not later than June 26. The court allowed the county attorney until June 2S ill which to file his answer and stated that he would pass on the matter at o'clock Saturday afternoon.
 Arrested in a complaint sworn to by Percy R. Milnes, secretary to Governor ! Campbell. who took exception to an article which appeared in the May 31 1 issue of the Weeklysin which he was 1 referred to as a degenerate" the case was early set for a preliminary hear 1 ing when counsel for the defense asked ! for continuance owing to the ab sence from town of the governor whom { he alleged was material witness. The | | ernor was not present nor was he nor any other witness subpoenaed by the defense.
 Defense Is Disclosed
 There was much time given to argument of counsel to objections of testimony, but the argument given by Laney in closing held the particular attention of the crowded courtroom. Laney not only held forth on the point in question, but to articles in general which had appeared in the weekly edited by Dunbar-of the personal at tacks The had gotten away with until one man had the courage to institute proceedings. The county attorney de- cIared that his office was always open to anyone who had cause for action.
 While the defense relied only on cross examination, it was made evil dent what the defense would be, Struckmeyer holding that the defini- tion of degenerate was deterioration and had been used by Dunbar in that sense He declared that the facts in the complaint did not constitute q public offense and that the language used was not libelous.
 Laney held to the contrary, claiming that the term degenerate" held the
 
 cule. He eontended that the use of the term moral gents" in the same paragraph coupled with degenerate clearly left but one interpretation, ano that was moral degenerate
 Dunbar Leaves
 Despite the hot evening the cour' room held more than its seating ca pacity, prominent state officials, poll ticians of both parties and men about town being present during the three hours session. Before the argument MT. Dunbar asked to be excused ano neither he nor MT. Mines were pres ent when Laney bitterly denounced the defendants alleged libelous attacks.
 MT Mines was the first witnes: called by the state. He stated hi; name and official position and wal shown a copy of the Weekly in whlci the objectionable article appeared Laney offered it in evidence at thii time but objection was made on th' ground that he had failed to establish Dunbar as the owner and editor
 Under cross examination he wa asked where he had passed every yea of his life from the time he had grow = to manhood. He said that befor coming to Phoenix he had lived il Prescott and prior to that in Califor nia, citing the different cities in whicI he lived and the length of time he fa resided in each place. MT. Mines sal that after he completed his education in Santa Clara county he had read laN in San Francisco, but had never take the bar examination. He was news paper man by. profession, he said. n Editor Identified
 ~ He was asked if it were not tru that he had published many editorial in the Prescott Journal Miner ( which he and his brother, J. w. Milne
 are owners.
 His mo" was heard above M l. Laney's objection on the ground ths 0 if there should have been one libel $ would not excuse another.
 = He was then asked concerning th y. intimacy between his brother and tt e governor but declared that no letter o had passed between them nor had h e brother called or telephoned Governt IS Campbell since he took over the o
 flee of governor. Later, other witne; 'l brought out that the article in Dun bars could not have referred to al a other Mines but the complainant. ts Mrs Con Cronin, wife of the sta t, librarian. and a clerk in that offiC > identified Mir. Dunbar as the propri l. tor and editor of the Weekly, and sev, r. copies of the paper of as many diffe