A BASE LIBEL

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10155, 3 February 1911, Page 5

A BASE LIBEL

THE KING VINDICATED, ALLEGED BIGAMOUS MARRIAGE. (Received February 2, S.cTa.m.) LONDON. February 1. The trial of Edward Mylius, charged with selling a paper called the Libera-, tor, containing a libellous statement on King George, took place to-day. The prisoner conducted his own defence. Lord Alvorstone. the Lord Chief Justice, refused the request of the accused to call the King as a witness. The Attorney-General, Sir Rufus Isaacs, opened for the prosecution. "The charge," he said, "is one of seditious libel, which consisted in a statement to the effect that King George married a daughter of Admiral Sir Michael Culme Seymour in 1890. and that his wife and'offspring born of the union had been foully abandoned in order that he could contract a bigamous marriage with Queen Mary." ' Continuing, Sir Rufus Isaacs stated that the publisher of the Liberator wrote to the prisoner, proposing that a special bigamy. Coronation number of the paper should be issued. Admiral Seymour gave evidence that his youngest daughter, I/aura, died in 1895, aged 22, unmarried. She had never spoken to the King, who was never at Malta while his daughter was there.

Mrs Napier, elder daughter of the Admiral, also gave evidence, denying the libel.

Sir Arthur Bigge, Private Seeretarv to the King, gave a similar denial;* • .

Myites was found guilty on, three counts of the indictment, andj&ntence'd to twelve months' imprison^nt.

The Attorney-General, at the conclusion of the case, said lie was authorised by the Kings to state publicly that he was never married, except to the Queen, and that he would have given evidence to this effect, but the Law Officers of the Crown had advised him that such a course was Unconstitutional. Mr James, proprietor of the Liberator*, is a nephew of Henry ■ Jauiesy the American,novelist. The Times, referring to " Mylius's application that the King should be called to.give evidence, states it is constitutionally impossible that the King,,in whose name tlie proceedings were conducted,-should be cited as a witness in his own courts.

THE LIBELLOUS ARTICLE. A UNANIMOUS VERDICT. SCATHING REMARKS BY THE JUDGE. (Received Last Night, 9.15 o'clock.) LONDON, February 2. The article in the Libera,toi; was headed, "Sanctified Bigamy." It stated that' the facts offered, a spec-" tacle "of the immoraliiy' of; the ; Mony afcliy iin,'-all its sickening monstrosity. King George's bigamy, it stated, hadbeen committed with the aid and autboriiy of Anglican prelates. "A Christian King," it says, -'and a defender of the Church, has a plurality of wives like a Mahommedan Sultan."

A careful search;of, the Malta re-, gister revealed nothing. '.' ; Mylius; demanded the King's presence, on the ground that an accused person ought to be,confronted.by the accuser. He quoted authorities iii; support of this procedure. The Judge over-ruled the contention, staging that the Attorney-Gen-eral had adopted\the only possible course.

Mylius refused to proceed without the King's presence, .and left the case to the jury.

The verdict of the jury was unanimous.

The Judge, in sentencing the accused, said that apparently the defendant published the libel in'., advocacy of a cause which was opposed to the Constitution. The Judge added: "Every honourable man and woman in the civilised.Svorld will recoil with ; shame from the use of such weapons against.anyone, and especially the King, to whom the Empire is devotedly attached." The sentence was Wholly inadequate; but it was the maximum it was in his power to impose.

Mylius became associated with James through 'Krishnavanna. the Indian Nationalist and journalist.

NEWSPAPER REJOICINGS. FAIRNESS OF THE TRIAL. A. SLANDEROUS ABETTOR. (Received This Morning, 1.8 o'clock.) . '■■ LONDON, February 2. The newspapers are unanimous in their> rejoicings at the King's courageous determination to vindicate his personal honour. ' 'Mylius is about thirty years of age, and is described as of uncertain nationality. He is under medium height, of small features, and of English accent. All the newspapers emphasize the scrupulous fairness of the procedure.

Instead of the charge- being, one of seditious libel, which would nave prevented a plea of justification, a charge of .criminal libel was preferred in order to give the defendant every

chance and enable the slander-to be annihilated by sworn testimony. The correspondence read showed that. James' is a Republican sheet, intended, to discredit the monarchy wherever found, especially-in ; England. - " I James wrote to Mylius in, October, in reference to ■'•yesterday's libel: ":"I publish the•-facts'' " immediately j without awaiting further verification." He also wrote: "The only way to deal with the British monarchy is to cut away ; respect. A3 soon as people cease to respect it,' the monarchy will be done for." James sent parcels of, the "Liberator" to Mylius'in London, -who posted them to Army officers and others. 1 . The newspapers denounced Jamefs as t a. slaniderous abettor skiilking in Paris; "_" •••■.■■■■• --••! I. The'. groundless, "charge against I Charles H. at his declaration in ■Whitehall on- June. 9th, 1680, • is, -quoted. The punishment meted out to John Udall and Alexander Leighton are recalled as contrasting with the leniI ency extended in the present senI tonce.. I