Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1889-07-24 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

OOO. The ground of the action is that on! tli. 19th of March last, defendant, referring at Watford, Herts, to a speech delivered by plaintiff at Ballyneide, near Clonmel, in 1888, falsely and maliciously imputed certain words to him, whereby plaint& was made to appear as if he had sanctioned the employment of force. Plaintiffs case having been briefly opened by Mr. Anderson, Mr. Gully Q. C. M.P. who leads on tbat side, read Mr. O'Briensßallayneale speech, which, he said, was not consistent with Lord Salisbury's interpretation of itat Watford. Lord Salisbury had detached three lines of it from:the context and upon these he had based a distorted interpretation absolutely inconsistent with Mr. O'Brien's meaning. Mr. O'Brien was called and deposed that in his Ballyneale speech he said that because he condemned crime in every shape, he wished his hearers to follow the example of the Primrose dames, and never rest until the land grabbing was shown to be neither profitable, pleasant, nor possible. Cross-examined by the solicitor general, he said he was at the time legally responsible for "The United Ireland," but not editor Asked by the SolicitorGeneralas tothepassage in his speech complaining that Tipperary had been in-active for two years, Mr O'Brien admitted that there had been practically no outrage, but added that he was also aware there had been more connected with their agitation. Hedid not explain to his hearers methods of English Trades Unionists, thinking they understood him. He consideredhis description of the Primrose League tactics fair. Witness maintained that his denunication of land-grabbers were justifiable. But for the protection of their organisation the people would have had no alternative except the workhouse, or desperation or crime. By "Blunderbuss' mentioned in your speech what do you mean ? Precisely what I said. Did you mean that if boycotting failed the blunderbuss should be used ? Certainly not. You complained that Tipperary was inactive? In the manner I have stated. The Attorney-General having opened the case for the defence, the olurt adjourned. The trial of the slander action, in which £lO,OOO damages are claimed, brought by Mr. W. O'Brien. M.P., against Lord Salisbury, was resumed at Manchester Assizes on Saturday. The first witness called for the defence was M. Owen Randall. Examined by the SolicitorGeneral he said he was adivisional commissioner, ! and his district included North and South Tip' perary. He was also a resident magistrate at Carrick-on-Suir, for thirteen years— from 1868 till 1878... Tipperary was remarkably peaceful.  About 1878 or 1880 trouble began. Mr. Gully objected to this class of evidence, ' submitting that the plea for the defence was first that the words imputed to Arr. O'Brien w ere true in substance and fact, and secondly, that what Lord Salisbury alleged was "fair comment." As regarded the latter, he held it could not be sustained for the words were not fair comment on anything the plaintiff had said or done. The issue, Mr. Gully proceeded, was—did the words complained of impute to Mr. O'Brien an incitement to murder, and was the imputation true %  The judge said the one question for the jury must be whether that was the meaning of the words and in what sense they were spoken. Mr Gully,procoeding , said an attempt was being made to connect Mr. O'Brien with crimes and outrages. He had no more to with them than he (Mr. Gully.) Ultimately it was decided to take that evidence, the judge saying he should point out to the jury what inferences theyought nottodraw. I The evidence of Captain Srakewasresumed. He saidlterm "Land grabbeur came into existence after 1879. Then it was necessary to greatly increase the police force. Sergt. O'Conner, R. 1.8., was called to give evidence as to the murder of a man named Byers, in Clam in 1887. tAnother argument ensued, as to this class of evidence.  The Judge remarked that though inconvenience might be caused by the prolongation of the caw, he could not interfere. Head Constable Hughes deposed as to the murder of a man nnmed Dempsey, who took a boycotted farm. Martha Dydall spoke as to the murder of her , husband 120 miles from Ballyneale. Evidence was next given by various witness of the murders of men named Regan, Tobin, Lynch, Bourke, and Forhanall, who had either been boycotted, taken evicted farms, or worked for boycotted persons. Nora Hunt, better know-n as Nora Fitzmaurice, was then called. Mr. Gully protested against an exhibition case being gone into and against an attempt to influent* the jury by going into details. The Solicitor-General, however, insisted.  , After further evidence the Judge summed up, and the jury returned a verdict for Lead Salisbury.