The Warwickshire Herald. — 1888-08-16 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

HEAVY DAMAGES AGAINST A NEWSPAPER..  Dr. C. W. Iliffe, coroner of Coventry, and medical officer of the workhouse there, has brought an action at the Birmingham assizes against the proprietors of the Coventry Times for libel. According to the °paling statement of Mr Jell, 4C., Mr. Ward, the master of the Coventry workhouse, absconded in May, Ma, and Mrs. Ward, who was the matron of the workhouse, made certain defamatory statements respecting Dr. Iliffe. An article then appeared in the Coventry Times headed, "The Alleged Workhouse Scandals: How Conservative Guardians are elected." The  allegations contained in this were that for the pant three years the Conservative majorities on the Board of Guardians had been obtained by the recourse, on the part of certain persons unnamed,. to a variety of malpractices, by fabricating, altering, defacing, destroying, and abstracting voting papers; that the persons unnamed had endeavoured to forge a key in order to gain access to the strong room of the workhouse in which the voting papers were deposited, and that the absconding of the workhouse master was connived at and prompted by such persons. Another article had the beading, "How an attempt was made to forge a key."—Mr. Jell said the explanation about the impression of the key in wax was that Dr. Iliffe happened to be passing through a room where the master was, and said he had lost the duplicate key of hisi safe. Dr. Iliffe said of course he must go to • locksmith to get another. The master said ha could not spare his remaining key because be kepi! his petty cash in the safe. Then Dr. Iliffe said th• only thing was to try an impression in wax. They tried to make the impression bet failed, upon which Dr. Iliffe said it would be necessary to go to locksmith. The Local Government Board stated that there was no such corroboration of the allegations of Mrs. Ward as would justify theme in instituting any form of inquiry. In the saw* ' issue of defendant's journal in which this decision was reported another article appeared, is winch it was said that certain persons (meaning, counsel said, plaintiff among others) had bees arraigned at the bar of public opinion, and charged with a dastardly offence, but because the persons charged emphatically denied that they are guilty the Local Government Board refused to make any inquiry, nay, more, they re fused an inspection of the voting-papers.--Dr. Iliffe, in the witness-box, said in consequence oil tphroeLessaiottmksdeigiptraidnaltiiimon.h—embrad. irseunffneerredrus.ozialLotaa Government Board Inspector, said Dr. Iliffe had asked him to promote an inquiry into Mrs. Ward's allegations.—Mr. Reid, QC., addressed the jury for the defence, contending that the article was noll an attack upon plaintiff, but upon the Local Government Board. The defendants had only take• the view which any ratepayer might have taken.—The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff. damages £l,ooo.—On the application of Mr. Reid, Mr. Justice Charles stayed judgment to enable defendant to appeal, on condition that £5OO was paid into court in 10 days.—There was another action against the defendants by Mr. Arch, the clerk to the Coventry Board of Gnardians, who claimed £5OO damages, and in which a verdict for I:250 demagog was taken by consent.  A butcher named Burdock, living at Oxford, has attempted to murder hie wife by atriking her ma the head with an iron lller .1; iill was fractured, and one arm broken. After committing the violence he cut his own throat. Thy were iitith removed to the I Radcliffe infirmary, where the man eybeequently died.