Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-12-19
Last Of Defamation
Trials Of Louisiana
Newspapermen Opens
BY the Associated Press


LAKE CHARLES, Dec. 19.-
The last Of the defamation trials
of five newspapermen opens to-
day. In this one. four of the
newSmen are charged with de-
flaming three self admitted gam
blers.
The defendants are all with the
Lake Charles American Press, a
daily newspaper that was ham
mering away in it's columns
against operation of gambling es-
Establishments. A grand jury said
they had overstepped their
privilege.
The question of whether the
newsmen were privileged in their
criticism Of gambling and law en-
forcement-or the lack of it's a
key issue in today's trial.
Supporting number of civic
and church groups that were cru
sading against all forms of gam
bling, the newspapermen bluntly
asked the question: "Why are Of
flcials closing their eyes to the
gambling?"
How 1t Happened.
The alleged defamation of the
three gamblers happened this
way:
A local crime commission called
the Peoples Action Group had Sc
cured evidence against 80 oper-
atorS Of gambling establishments
and laid aff1davits about them on
the district attorneys desk.
The SO bar and night club OPP
orators pleaded guilty to the
charges and every one received
suspended Jail sentence from the
presiding district judge, Mark C.
Pickrel.
The American Press went to the
county records and found that Is
persons with the same names as
the gamblers had previous police
records.
In a front-page spread the
paper said:
by normal judicial custom per-
sons who plead guilty or are found
guilty Of crimes or misdemeanors
are given suspended sentences
only If they are first offenders
or there are special extenuating
circumstances otherwise if
. jail sentence is handed down
they 60 to jail.
However last Monday afternoon
IN the parish courthouse here, 33I
bar and night club owners plead
ed guilty to charges of gambling
and none of them went to-
Jail"
Mistake in Identity Charged.
Opposite the story, under a
heading of Here Are the Court
Records" the newspaper printed
the names and purported police
records.
The newSmen were indicted for
printing the names and records of
three of the gamblers, E. J. Mil
Ter. Sam Smith and Claude Will
liams.
District Attorney Griffin T.
Hawkins said in an interview that
the newspaper had mixed this
trio's records with those of per-
sons having similar names.
In the case of Smith, Mr.. Haw-
kinS said the newspaper attrib-I
uted crimes and convictions toI
Smith, white night club opera
tor, that actually belonged toI
Smith, "a great big, black Negro
from Alexandria, La"
The grand jury on August 27|
accused Publisher Thomas Shear
man. his son, William Hugh
Sherman; Managing Editor Ken
meth Dixon and Reporter Carter
George in three indictments of
defaming Smith, Williams and
Miller.
Two Tried Earlier.
For trial purposes the three
cases have been Jumped together
but separate decisions will be-
handed down by the judge.
Mr.. Dixon and City Editor James
Morton were tried earlier this
month on charges of defaming Isl
public officials in connection with
the anti-gambling crusade. Judge
j. Bernard Cooke of New Orleans,
substituting for Judge Pickrel,
who underwent an operation, said
he would hand down a decision in
those cases in written form prob
ably next month.
Defamation is a misdemeanor
in Louisiana tryable only before a.
judge. Conviction carries a maxi
mum punishment of one year in
Jail and $4,000 fine.