MISS MARIE CORELLI.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8161, 20 July 1906, Page 4

MISS MARIE CORELLI.

ALhIXiKU JaliU, ON I'ICiTRL l : ua 1 CAiiO.S, Miv M.ine Cur< ill applied to Mi J«is-t-n.v »5 •• iii I oil Lady in tile Chancery l>iviHU,h on Aprd i7tii tor an injunction \ to retrain A. and E. Wall, of Strut- I iord-oh-Avon, iroin puMicdiing «>r otherui:*.*_d.>poMiig oi picture postcards purporting to depict scene* ui the private ilfo 01 MlnS Lull'ill. Mr hve, K.C., Mists (orellli's counsel, stated that lite defendants produced bets c,t postcard* called " tho DiatinAuthor*' Series.Objection to tbe cards at once taken by Miss CWin. and if ijiG Lordship would Wk at Uicta and at a recent puoto oi Mi&d OoreiU bo would see what a grcss l'bel kid dwu perpetrated on her i*atuies (Laugmcr.j On card was styled, " and his Conteniporaneb,' Wiiicli ivOiiea as li tue dclonuanU suggested tiiat Shakespeare \vas a contemporary oi Aii*> CoroiJu. Uuu-siiu-raiMi anuoyauoo had beta occasioned to Aub» Oureiii i>y the publication ut the curds, and tlie oilelice was aggravant vy tuo Uct Vuat alter tuo oiationeib «ud .U. Smith and Soii at Stratioru-wu-avoi. nati selling the cards cue Un«.ua,aiio u*upioycd a large ooUy oi souuvwen iueu to parade tne place, uiuuuing Uio lioiit ol Mlis (Jore'li6 uouse, with notices that the cards vouiu oe obtained at delendauw' place I cl uusiucss or private house.

iiik> had .made tne private life 01 Miid iiuoioiaUle. The vacation juugo groiiieU an lujuuotion, and this the leui'ned counsel abked should be u/iiuuui-Li until the trial oi the action. Mias LJitli Wail was one ot the deicudauts. In their doieuee deieiida)iU ioiU thi-»e wore of public knowlodge. iUe tiibt detendant sold he w&s ail artist, but it would be uecoasary tiiat they should have ins oath to confirm that statement, because Iroin two aniinaLs 011 oue 01 the cards &upposod tc bo ponieo uobody would conclude that the dciendout was what he describee jtiiiLjCii to be. (Laughter.) Dciendani also he wad prei»ent 011 an occacion w neu Mua Coreili preientcxi a cup to a ovut club. Tll© card was tiio best reprcai-iitatioii he could give 110111 recoltocuon of tne loature.'j ol the lady whi. was w gracelully presenting the cup. " EXPOiED~TO~COM , KMI , T." He also &Uiud t:ut tuo laay i>ome- , tinier vu ut 011 thw Avon m a gondola, and the card depicted the tort of ihiug mat weut on lait summer. AIIOIUOI card, entitled " 6w«eti to the divert,' sho\.od a pony carnage outside, Mi£st> Oorelirs hous»e. Anotuw picture, depitting tho lady with a pet dog on a tuwn, .. limited to be purely imaginary. Coreili had uo dog, pei or otiienuise. Thio was a which would have to be tried as to the right of a person not only to her toatur«§, but to features which did not oeluiig to her. (.Laughier.) Mr Scott Thompsou continued the argument, and askod his Lordship [m say tiiat the car da were libellous. .Mr Jubtioe iwiiifen Eady: Uecau* tho foatures on the cardb are unlike, uiUst tut-y necessarily be libellous. \Laughter.) 3ir 'lhoinpson thought iu this ca.s< there huk no doubt the cards wen Übeliou*. The gondola picture war ndicuioiia as a work of art. Mr Percy Wheeler, for tho defend antii, ountended that the ouly questioii wai whether or not the plaintiff iiao >uficred any legid injury. Was it to uohi a person up to ridicule and con tempt to my that she had a dog with Wiiicii ."she- played on a lawn"' It must ;,-o a wry sensitive age. Mr Jusi.ce S>vinlen JLiady: Tho infern<x* fro.u the carU is that t<he picture .viai iu the lady's garden, and tiia; ahe iikis to !>e advertised in this way.

iii - taken over the g.u'tlin wall. (Laugh.cr.)

Counsel proceeded to rea<l the affidavit of .Muvs Coieili, who st,iUx! that sho went to Stratford-un-Avon for th--purpose of obtaining privacy. Sho h.. uever consented to tne publication <ll the card->, which tvero calculated to < puio her to unjust contempt in ivlal. to her private life, ami prejudice !. in her profession as an authored. Itie affidavit of iVliss Edith Wail. u. reply, declared that, so far from .seeking privacy at Stratfonl-on-Avi/ii, Mis:UerelL had courtcil publicity in every K3T.

>lr Wheeler submitted that if (he portraits of Miss Corelli had been flattering. nothing would have btyen heard of the action. Very few ladies would admit, lm said, that a photo did them justice, und ho assumed that \li*s CorcTU km no exception to the rule. If that was a libel, every exhibition of the Royal Academy would be a collection of libels, (laughter.). Mr Justice S«"infen Eady said that the point raised by the motion had never been decided before, and he would consider his decision.