LIBEL ACTION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1106, 7 June 1913, Page 3

LIBEL ACTION.

,£IOO DAMAGES- AWARDED. Wanganui, June 0. The Supreme Court to-day heard an action, Albert Stubbs v. the Wanganui “Chronicle,” a claim for ,£5Ol for alleged libel, contained in a reference to a case, mentioned among others, in the historical conclusions to an article describing alterations to the local Courthouse. The evidence showed that the reporter understood that the cases cited referred to Court incidents long past, and with which all the persons I connected had passed, and further, that the information as to the particular case was accurate. The alleged libel was in the words “publican who did to death an old Maori who used to dress in woman’s clothes.” It transpired that the person referred to was Stubbs, who kept a hotel 27 years ago. The Maori, who was a peculiar character, was drinking in Stubbs’ hotel at the time, and trouble occurred, in the course of which Stubbs knocked the Maori down and afterwards threw him out. A day or two afterwards the Maori died. Subsequently, after a coroner’s inquiry, Stubbs was, on the information of one of the deceased’s friends, charged with manslaughter, but the Magistrate dismissed the case on the ground of conflict of evidence as to the degree of force used. On discovery of the mistake the “Chronicle” tendered an apology and offered j£so compensation, but the case went to trial and the jury, by a three-fourths majority, awarded ;£l 00, for which amount judgment was entered with costs according to scale.