Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 121, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 October 1903 — LIBEL IN ENGLAND. [ARTICLE]

LIBEL IN ENGLAND.

Wn. ».i 1< 1 1.;.. ji i t • ■ at Hard There to Give Cause For Actiona at Law. w Engfand'n libel law Isa terror to the defendanta A eborT tfme'ago 4 young playwright sold a piece to a London ..XQAi&ger and. drew .a small royalty fmehrWfiek, which was. paid <by check. jQnp, Week when the playwright prestated the check to the bank, for casi> ing ft was returned to him marked ‘‘No funds.” The playwright had the check framed and hung conspicuously in his study. He took pleasure In pointing It out to visitors and making biting comments until one day the manager’s lawyer called and told the young man that he was committing a serious libel on the manager, whereupon the cheek was taken down at once. Over In Englands the railway companies, or at least one of them, put up In the station placards bearing the names of passengers who had violated rules of the road? with addresses, tun nature of the offense and fines imposed. The offenders took the matter info eoUrt. and now* the placards show only the words opposite the offense, passenger.” 'lf frequently happens' that naipes flyen t 6 Villains and ridiculous characters in fiction' wilt duplicate in real life. ‘k‘ ‘certain English fioyfei had scene laid on the west coast of Africa, and ■'the vjilain of the book was a major 'W rae hrmyj supposed to be stationjefi ''ttieije.' 't'q the' iiovelist’p dismay there appeared day out of the unknown a real major, bearing the name of the' irhldip Of the'novel, who also fia.d been ’rtaiifined on the wOst coast pt W 'talfi the' unhappy author protested In the consequent action- that he had never* teen, or heard of the plaintiff. A Verdict for the lattey was given, with substantial damages. A Birmingham lawyer held that one Could libel a man effectually, enough by leaving out his name. He brought ah action against a local paper for persistently omitting his name from its reports of cases in which he professionally was engaged. Presumably he Imagined that the loss of the advertisement he would have obtained by his name repeatedly appearing was damage enough. v He was nonsuited, however. >