OIL MAGNATES TROUBLES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9462, 3 June 1909, Page 2

OIL MAGNATES TROUBLES.

PLAINTIFF IN A LIBEL ACTION.

New York, April 18. Mr John Rookfeller, junior, aon of the “Oil King,” tired of being ragged, lampooned, and caricatured fey two New York papers, brought -an action for criminal libel against the president, treasurer, and secretary of the company, which owns and controls these papers ; bat the Supreme Court here, while holding th&t the article of which Mr Rookfeller complained was certainly libellous per se, declared that there was no evidence against the officers mentidned as regards the writing of it or the publishing or circulation of the newspaper containing it, and as the Court could 'not conceive the

punishment of a man for the commis- * aipn of an aot in 'which he did not participate or concerning which he had no criminal intent, the Oonrt allowed the defendants to go free, as moat people here expected they would go. This means that young Mr Rochfeller cannot get redress, and just to make bad worse, the very paper accused of offending appears to-day with an article making fun of the Bible class which the young oil pqtentate conducts in such leisure as he can snatch from the affairs of the Standard Oil Company, This - article says the main subject of discussion at Mr Rookfeller’a Bible claims last night was what to do with the three legs of lamb , 4 which had been left over from the election night dinner of the class. Everyone was ready to go home when a member of the refreshment committee, says the article, figuratively threw the three legs of lamb into the midst of the gathering, etc. It'was finally voted to turn the lamb over to the refreshment committee to sell on the, best possible terms, subject to the supervision of the executive committee.