AN EXTRAORDINARY LIBEL ACTION.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1183, 31 October 1884, Page 3

AN EXTRAORDINARY LIBEL ACTION.

At the Capapbelltown - Polled C<fert ; (iNoaMjibuth Wales), on tW;3oth ult, Sir Henry Pai.kea . changed WiUium Web)), proprietor and publisher of the, Campbelltpwn herald with having published, on September 6* ACijminal libel concerning him. JUr Wise/ iii struoted by Messrs Gannoar.and M’l-aughlin, appeared fojr,the complainant ; and the defendant, who was unrepresented by ,counsel, simply pleaded not guilty, and declined to moss examine any of the witnesses.

The libels complained of were contained in the following article in the Campbelltown Uhald rf September 6, 1884 “ After, evading his creditors for thirteen months, ifenry Farkes has returned to the Colony, and, of course, a few of his followers gave him a feed, A glance at the motley list of admirers will show that the whole affair was much ‘ too thin’, to have any significance or importance; and it did not even present one of those peculiar ‘opportunities’ which have occasionally enabled Sir Henry to come to the surface, when the majority thought he had ‘sunk for the last time.’ After his last ignominious defeat, and his subs' qnent refuge in the * harbor’ of Tontorfield, it was generally supposed that Sir Henry had fallen, never to rise again. But, us luck would have it, out came the Redmond Brotliei-s, and the redoubt able knight, who floats only when the fee ings of an excited people are to he appealed to, once more tided to prove that Protest mtism was in dange-, and he was the man to rescue it. As Protestants ourselves we. bow. to no one in our admiration for what we consider that glorious institution, and wou’d, if necessity demanded, fight harder than a dozsn noisy , firebrands like Sir Henry Parkes. But Protes tantism requires no one to tight—it is a good cause and perfectly safe—and its true interests are best served when Protest ants show that their Protestantism teaches them Christianity, ah <3 that Christianity tenches them charity —the foundation of all that is good. There is no charity 0: religion in abusing peopie who differ from us, and we only Iring onr Protestantism into disgrace and contempt when!, we ofter unlicensed insults to a large body of men and women who are trying to reach the same goal as ourselves, and who are at the same time faithfilly acting up to the tenets of their Church, it indeed speaks little for the opinions of any laxly of men when they are so hard up as to be compelled to make a hem of a man who has not got sire leeming feature in his chatacter. Sir Henry is a man who never in his life paid anyone if he could help it. If he made a man’s acquaintance it w s solely f r the purpose of borrowing inonevfrom him, or g-tting him to indorse a promissory note, which the unfortunate invariably had to pay. He alw .ys d-serted his old fiiends, nom it ter how good, for new ones, anti has altogether i een a man unworthy of confidence. Of course, it ’shar llyto he expected that lie could allow such a dunce ot attacking Mr Stuart to siip from him. How amusing to hear the politic.! charlatan, who had neglected his legislative dut : es for thir- - teen mo'itlu, say that the preset. Muiist'y had degrnded political institutons, and that tor the first time hj - (-ir Henry) was ashamed of the coim trv. We do not know so much about his being ashamed of the country—■ but we do know that (he country is tired and ashamed of S.r Hemy Parkes. Just fancy tbe crawling mis rable sycophant, who listened a> the cell door to hear , the ravings of the madman U’Farrell, being ashamed of the freest ami happiest cmntry under the sun !—which it would not tie if cloven footed gentry like Sullenly hj id their way. Fancy the man who tried to ‘put up’ the Noth •Shore Bridge swindle being ashamed of th'» country that has fed him ami winked nt crimes f >r which anoder man would have been impiisoned. Only think of ibe man who took little Dr Reuwick into the Ministry forthe modest consideration of LSOO talking about the Stuart Ministiy degrading political institutions ! A peevi.-h chdd would have exhibit d more manliness than bir Henry did at the banquet the only true sentence he.did say being ‘ 1 ho country has had enough of me ’ True, O King Henry the Ninth! Every well w'sherofthe Colony has had e .ough of you and ot the mise able clique who havi been at. your hack a d call, and whose only chance of e er getting into power is by setting class against class, and prostituting everything that is sacred or manly. For yuis there has not been the samegood feeling existing betwee i Catholics and Protest nits as has existed during the absence of this firebrand ; and unless some unhappy circumstanc arises to enable him co show his venom, and Work open the feelings ot tanatics, he will have to, take a back seat for the tvsb of his days ” The pros'cutor’s solicitors, before in stitutbg proceedings, demanded an j unqualified apology and *he payment of two guineas costs To this demand the defendant male the following answer:—ln my wildest flights ot imagination it never dawned upon me that I was born to greatness. I have i heard of a man who, having made up i his mind to bee line notorious, tried a i number of schemes, and, failing at all I of then, eventually hanged himself to accomplish the acme of his ambition ; j but here-1 waken upon the 19th day

of Sep^effibOV f :1?54, and fSo'l a letter £rpin one-of the most respected firm of inStrapti6ijß,trQin too less a person than Sir JHenry PaPkea Respectfully 1 w]sh tor inform ypu that I shall not under any jipnldgiser ■ Whea. I.:renjeml>er the countless tricks pf’ SirljTenry Parkes, ami the contCmptible manner in which he-treated thp Kmpire compositors, t feel that it ia my duty,as,a ; ,maint-> pivfe , g.x months in Uaiiiujs'h irst to apologising to a man whose whole lift Jus.- been, a series'of acts ol a play that might appropriately be 'called “;il;umbng." If proceedings are : taken against me, there will besuch a washing of dirty iinenas only.we old printers.who have been acquainted with Henry Parkes for a generation can attempt. [ should.he gorier to appear tlie- least disrespectful to you, but in the words of a gentleman who was born on April 23; 1564; snd I wish had lived in New South Wales for the last thirty years, allow concludeLay ? on, Mac duff, and damn’d be he that first cries Hold ! enough.’—Yours, etc, Wm. Webb," Sir Henry Parkes gave evidence and denied the charges contained in the f rticle.

In reply to the Bench the defendant said : I have nothing to say ; I will reserve my defence; bail, I suppose, your Worshipa

The defendant was then committed for trial at the Central Criminal Court, to be held at Sydney on the 17th November next, bdl being allowed him in his own surety of LIDO, and two other sureties of LSO each.