THE WHITAKER LIBEL CASE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5293, 13 March 1878, Page 3

THE WHITAKER LIBEL CASE.

(PJSB PH*aa AOESOy.) Dcnediw, Monday. The libel case, Regina v. Jones, came on to-day. Mr. Haggitt appeared for the prosecution, and Messrs. Rees and Hislop for the defence.

George Jones, of Oamaru, journalist, was indicted for that he, contriving and unlawfully, wickedly and maliciously, intending to injure, vilify, and prejudice one Frederick Whitaker, and to deprive him of his good name, fame, credit, and reputation, and to bring him into public contempt, scandal, infamy, and disgrace, on August 13, 1877, unlawfully, wickedly, and maliciously did write and publish a false, scandalous, malicious, and defamatory libel, containing divers false, scandalous, malicious and defamatory matters of and concerning the said Frederick Whitaker, who on the day and year aforesaid held and filled the office of At-torney-General for the colony of New Zealand, and of and concerning his connection with a certain Bill, then already prepared and intended to he introduced by the said Frederick Whitaker, in the House of Representatives of the said colony of New Zealand, intituled “An Act to amend and consolidate the law relating to the Native Land Court,” the said libel being in the words and figures following, that is to say : —(Then follows libel with inuendoes.) The said George Jones, knowing the said defamatory libel to be false, to the great damage, scandal, and disgrace of the said Frederick Whitaker. There were two pleas, first not guilty, and second pleading justification, alleging that Whitaker’s dealings as agent for himself and others in obtaining native lands and waste lands of the Crown were to the injury of the public. Objection was raised to the plea by Haggitt contending that it was no answer to the charge, it should not be received. He entered a demurrer, and the whole afternoon was occupied in arguing the point. At five o’clock his Honor reserved his decision till tomorrow morning. Tuesday. * murrer to plea, and the case , was adjourned ' till to-morrow in order to allow defendant time to plead afresh.