Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-07-08
LEADER IN SOCIETY
WINS LIBEL ACTION
Apology Given Lady Mount
batten for Linking Name
With Colored Man.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
LONDON, July 8.-Lady Louis Mount
batten won libel action today against
the Odhams Press, Ltd, publisher Of
The People. Sunday newspaper. which
accused her inferentially of scandalous
association with a colored man. The
defendants apologized and paid all costs.
Appears As Witness.
Notwithstanding the settlement of
the case, Lady Mountbatten and her
husband both entered the witness box,
with the consent of the court, to deny
explicitly the allegations in the news
paper article.
This article refers to a colored man, y
said her attorney, lis there one syllable
of truth in the allegation it makes?'
There is not single word OF truth
in it, replied Lady Mountbatten, never
in the whole course of my life have
1 met the man referred to-"
Your friends" said the attorney,
have named the colored man sup
posed to be referred to-"
Yes" said the witness, "but never
have even met the man. I've had moth
form. It's a preposterous story, the
whole thing"
Lady Mountbatten was said to have
refused to accept heavy damages which
the paper was willing to pay.
Many prominent society people oc-
cupied seats in the court room when the
case was called, but Lady Mountbatten S
attorneys announced at once that the
action had been settled.
She and her husband hurried back
to England Unexpectedly yesterday from
a long vacation in Malta, where they
entertained former King Alfonso XIII
of Spain.
Read Into Record.
During the brief proceedings this
morning the plaintiffs attorneys In
formed the court that although 1t was
unusual, he wanted to read into the
record the libelous article on which the
action was based.
I'll do that" he said, so that its
rull enormity may be known and every
fact In this case plainly stated, so that
the world may know that these foul
rumors have been brought out of the
region Of hints into the light OF pub
lefty"
Then he read the following clipping
from the newspaper:
Famous hostess exiled. society
shaken by terrible scandal.
II am able to reveal today the seque!
to scandal which has shaken society
to its very depths. 1t concerns one OF
the leading hostesses in the country, a
woman highly connected and immensely
rich.
Publication ImpOunded.
"Her associations with colored man
became so marked that they were the
talk of the West End. Then one day
the couple were caught in compro-
missing circumstances.
1.-The sequel is that the society woman
has been given a hint to clear out OF
England for a couple of years to let
the affair blow over, and the hint comes
from a quarter which cannot be
ignored"
The lord chief justice impounded a
copy of the publication containing the
libel, after pointing out that some libels
are crimes.
Lord Louis sat with Lady Mount
batten during the proceedings. He Is a
second cousin of King George.
The attorney stated that inaSmuch
as Lord Mountbatten had been attached
as naval officer with the Mediterranean
fleet with headquarters at Malta in
August, 1881, it was only natural that
his wife and their children should join
him there.