The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-12-05
BONFILS FILES
HIS ANSWER IN
CONTEMPT CASE
Attacks SCrippS Howard
Editor in Reply in Den
YER Dispute.

fCl OiopulCs
By ScripDs-Howard Newspaper Alliance
DENVER, Dec. Sired G. Bon
fills, 72-year-old publisher of the
the Denver Post, Saturday formal
ly answered a contempt of court ci-
tation issued against him on the
petition of the Rocky Mountain
News, Scripps- Howard newspaper
and countered by asking for sim
liar citation against Charles E.
Lounsbury, editor of the News, ano
Colonel Philip S. Van else. counsel
for Lounsbury.
The millionaire publisher denied
that he was in contempt of court
for refusing to answer certain cues
tons during the taking of his
deposition in connection with his
100000 libel suit against the News
its editor and others.
Bonfils claimed he was justified
in walking out Of a hearing room
when lit became apparent that the
defendants (the News were asking
numerous immaterial questions OF
the plaintiff (Bonhls), for the sole
purpose Of having an opportunity
to print said questions in the de-
PENDANT newspaper"
Arguments Set Friday
The publisher further stated in
his defense that Roy w. Howard
and Robert P. Scripps had failed in
their efforts to drive him out of
competition and being unable to
overcome this respondent (Bonfils)
as a competitor in the newspaper
business, the said defendants con-
ceived the purpose Of ~instigating his
assassination.
To that end, the Bonf1ls petition
continues, the News published the
now celebrated political speech OF
Walter Walker, Democratic state
chairman, which was an attack on
Bonfils.
District Judge E. v. Holland set
next Friday as the day he will hear
arguments on the citation, and de-
eide whether the publisher should
be punished
The court also granted Bonfils'
application for citations against
Lounsbury and Van else, making
the citations returnable Dec. 10 and
set arguments for Dec. 16.
Citations Are Granted
In asking for the citations, Bon
fills alleges that the News, it's edi.
tor and lawyer, maliciously abused
the processes of court in taking
Bonfils' deposition, and that the
deposition was not entered into by
the defendants in good faith.
Bonfils' petition also took excep-
ton to an article about Bonfils thas
appeared in the magazine Time
last week.
The petition stated that Time
either was controlled by Scripps and
Howard, or was, in harmony with
their business purposes, and for that
reason, the deposition was taken to
allow the magazine, under the guise
of privilege, to print charges made
by the News.
(The ScrippS-HO1Odrd NeaOs-
papers are not associated orI
connected aOith and haze no
interest, financial or other
a0ise, IN the magazine Time.)
Although Attorney Philip Horn
bein, representing Bonf1ls, argued at
great length for citations against
Scripps and Howard, Judge Holland
denied them on grounds that neither
has been served with summons m
the case.
List Events in Career
The contempt citation against
Bonfils came after Bonfils refused
to answer further questioning in a
deposition previously ordered by
Judge Holland.
Attorney Horbein announced his
client would retire from further
questioning, and stated that the in
terrogations of Attorney Van Cise
were immaterial and did not Justify
the News article which "incites the
murder and assassination of Mr..
Bonf1ls."
The contempt citation, sixteen
page instrument, touched upon al
legged incidents in Bcnf1ls' career
from 1891 to the present time.
Van Cise alleged in the citations
that Bonfils conducted confidence
game in the sale of lots in an al
legged Oklahoma City, Texas; that
in Guthrie, Okla, he erected a
building used as a gambling hall;
that he was found guilty of Grim
inally intimidating a Guthrie cit
izen; that he operated an illegal and
crooked lottery in Kansas City I'M
der different aliases; that the Kan
sas City Star exposed Bonfils as an
illegal lottery operator; that he en-
gagged in fist fight with the opera
tor of an opposition lottery; that he
was convicted of operating a lot
terry.
Blackmail Is Charged
One of Bonfil'S first acts after as
Stunning ownership of the Denver