BARONETS LIBELLED.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1369, 4 March 1915, Page 4

BARONETS LIBELLED.

LONDON. Dec. 11. On the 24th September last a letter was written hv Mr Robert Thomas Palmer, addressed as follows;—“To those German swine. Rt. Hon. Sir John Brunner, M.P., and Sir Alfred Mond, M.P.. Norwich, Leicester.’ ’ The envelope contained the following letter“Swine,—Hope you art; satisfied with devastation and misery caused by your fellow hogs in Belgium and France. —R. T. Palmer.” The letter was opened and rend by Mr Roscoe Brunner, Sir John Brunner's son. The plaintiffs put the matter in' the hands of Messrs Lewis and Lewis, who communicated with the defendant, and the result was the issue of a writ for libjl. The action came before Mr Justice Bray and a special jury this week. Sir Frederick Lowe, who represented the two plaintiffs, said that defendant had tendered an apology.' Defendant's foliciiors had sent the following letter to the plaintiff’s solicitors: Dear Sirs, —Wo have been consulted by Mr R. T. Palmer in this matter, and he desires us to express his deep regret that he should have sent to your client the letter and envelope, complained of. The letter was written in the honest belief entertained by Mr Pa.iirier at that time that your client* were of German nationality. and in the heat of the H..hgi..,tion. which is rife throughout tli ■ ■'•••;(:• •• the atrocities committed by H>eu. ■ ,ii ■’ii.ciw, o-lmcr now

reals'. „ ■ i'■ was entirely no-ia.ken, -and Hi d i .••on ud -shale,, r f«- the **.„“« .-i-.xn in the letter, or tor any other iin |iti*;iti'ir: against your ciiom.-. Luce r thv. '-iv.ee-:;; -ges he desir-vs a.- io ex-p-vss .-o -egret thar la should have wi lHe;i the i and made, the sm-.ge; lion rcL-irei’ 10. ami to fender an unqualified ap dairy uid withdrawal. He furlher instructs i to say that he is anxious, in addi tien (o this expre.-ion 'if regret. personally lo express to yn..r clients his apology and regret in the fullest possible manner, and to pay all costs incurred in these proceedings. “We trust that ycter clients, under the circumstances, will see their way to accept the apology offered to them, and that it, will not bo necessary to incur further expense in litigation.” Sir Frederick Ixnv slated flint his client* did not want (o make money out of tho matter, and they accepted the apology, prosided that d. was made in open Court. There was not a shadosv of foundation, counsel said, fur ’he suggestion that Sir John Brunner was of German extraction. His father was a Swiss crorgyinan of Zurich, who was m-iur."’- -d fifty-one years ago. and Sir John was horn in this country, and was a natural-born British subject. His caree- was ten well known to need much refer ,ice to it. In 'injunction with Sir Alfred Moil*, he o* d tin.* greatest alkali work i Hi 1. lie lias sat in Parliament, and was nr h a baronet in 1895. a id n few" years late, a P*-iv.v Councillor, and was made a depuiy lieutenant of Lancaster by the late F rl of Derby.

.Sir Alfred Monti "as -he son of Dr. Moral; (,!■•■ ’lost rmim nt. o- .ist la Europe. T)r. Mond was of German birth, having been born at Cossel. but was naturalised many years ago. Sir Alfred was born in this country, had sat. in P’ 'liamcnt for one of the divisions of Cheshire, and now represented Swansea, and was a Privy Councillor Ilis father had devoted himself to public work, and had bequeathed £IOO,OOO for a public laboratory, and had left valuable pictures to the National Gallery. He had been largely instrumental m forming a. battalion for Lord Kitchener's Army at Swansea, and also the Irondon Welsh Battalion.

Air Douglas Hogg, for the defendant, said that nis client, who lived in the Midlands. had no personal knowledge of the plaintiffs. He had been stirred to a white heat of indignation by the atrocities which they had all read about, and was under the mistaken impression that tho plaintiffs were Germans. Ho desired now to repeat the issurnnees of regret contained in tho letter. Judgment was entered for tiie plaintiffs, A'ith costs.