Arizona republican., 1919-01-07
ONE MILLION |S
 SUM ASKEDFOR
 IN LIBEL SUIT.
SiXty-three Members of Ari- zona Bankers Association Named By Minnesota Man In One of Biggest Filed Here

Sixty-three defendants, all members of the Arizona Bankers association, with an aggregate wealth of over $50 0u0.060. are asked to contribute the sum of $l .0O0, GOO to one Samuel C. Pan dolro. a resident of the state of Min nesota president of the Pan Motor company of St. Cloud Minnesota, for an alleged libel said to have been pub 'ahed by the association, following a recent meeting, in a pamphlet of thelr proceedings. Because of serious in jury. he alleges, to his business repu- tation among those with whom ne associates in several states mention, pandolfO apprOximates the actual dam ages at s500.000 and primitive damages in an equal sum.
 In the complaint filed yesterday with Clerk Nat T. Mckee of the UnitNd States court, each of the sixty three banks is named as a defendant and the matter that is claimed to he libelous is contained in a letter. said to have been addressed to the secretaries of the Arizona and New Mexico association of bankers. The letter, as recited in the complaine. reads:
 Alleged LibeIous Letter
 MORRIS GOLDWATER, Secretary
 Arizona Bankers Association, and J. C. CHRISTENSEN, Secretary New
 Mexico Bankers Association:
 Gentlemen: You have operating in Arizona and New Mexico one MT $. C pandolfo, who recently moved from San Antonio and l am writing you gentlemen with reference to this man paudofo, as he is a double -barreled crook. The Commissioner of Insur- ancc in Texas revoked his license out right ard refused him the privilege If writing insurance in Texas on ac~ count Of him continuously violating the law. Our Banking Commissioner forbade State Banks from buying paper from this fellow or in sny manner talk ing obligations in which he was in tcrested.
 He has crooked more people and in more ways than most any fellow we have ever had in this part of the country in a long time. I believe it IS only just to the bankers of your state that you tip them off to this fel- low. If you do not he is certainly go- ing to hang a lot Of them before he - found out. He is one of the crook cdest white men I have ever seen His present address, 1 understand. is at TucUmcari, and he is promoting some kind of an Automobile Insurance company, the results of which that he will be getting @ lot of money and the company will be broke about the time it shall begin it's operations.
 Yours Very Truly,
 President"
 No other signature than the word President is attached to the letter said to have been read before the meeting by Secretary Goldwater; nc information regarding the identity of the author of the letter is disclosed in the lengthy complaint
 Read to Members
 Following the question of the letter in the complaint, statement given said to be also a part of the proceed ings. made by Secretary Goldwater when he had finished the letter. The statement follows:
 Tt is such a letter that I did no care 10 put it in print and send i out as varning,as l did not know bu what I might be held up and libeleC for something. so I thought I would read it here to you all"
 The cause of action, as cited in thu complaint, rests upon the publication in May 1918, of Volume 10, Proceeding! of Arizona Bankers Association. Tn, complaint was filed by Alexander S Caristy of Phoenix, the name of tn firm Jones' Hooker Sullivan and An rert of St. Louis also being attached
 This is one of the largest damag suits for libel ever filed in this fedora district and in many respects, one 0 ihe most unique. The extent of tn injury to the plaintiff. as is claimed covering the states of Arizona, Texas New Mexico, California, Illinois. an other states, because of the libera distribution of the proceedings of tn meeting, is widespread. while the bold ness of the alleged libel provides tn LLnusral feature of the action