LIBEL IN HIGH LIFE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 136, 8 June 1907, Page 13

LIBEL IN HIGH LIFE.

BARON-EX'S WIDOW A_ND DVS/E. In the Sheriff's Court, London, on Wednesday, April 13, Ottway Cuffe, fifth Ouke and Marquis de PlenenX, was awarded £250 damages against Lady Clarke, of Egerton Terra.ee, South Kensington, widow of Sir Philip Clarke, Baronet, for libel and slander. For the plaintiS. it was staced that the i duke became acquainted with Lady Clarke i some three years ago, when they were introduced to one anotner by i mutual friend at Prince's Skating Rink. Her ladyship was a distant relative of the plaintiff, who was connected with many of the notable families of England and of France, and the friendship developed, until it became disagreeable to the plaintiff, owing to her ladyship, who is 60 years old. and a woman of somewhat strong mind, proposing to the plaintiff, wno is only J6 years of age. He naturally did not see his <vay clear to accept any such proposal, and a feeling of coolness grew up between them, until at length her ladyship commenced to make slanderous statements about the duke, and sent him two postcards, upon which she wrote i-statements , which amounted to an accusation of an j abominable crime the plaLnttC— . statements which were followed np with < others of an equally gross nature. The dnk-? repeatedly demanded an apology, but de- ■. fendaat not only declined to apologise, bus j continued for months after the first lib? 1 to disseminate the statements among the i duke's friends. The dutee. saving evider.c i In support of counsel's statement, said that -when he told defendant she was too old ' for to marry her, she was very indig- J nanti It was after his rejection of her lady- j ship's proposals, said the duke, that the oo- . jectioaifjle postcards arrival. When the duke went to her ladyship and for an apology she poured a cup of j tea over him. Since then she had made oo- j jectionable statements about him at ber | clubs, and his life had become unbearable j in consequence. Martha Oldfield. a n-nrse, bore witness to I the objectionable nature of the postcards, , and said that her ladyship took something more thaa a motherly interest in the dufce when he was iIL Did she ~ver say anyafng which led you to thins sne was ia leve with him?—tes. Her ladyship said very nice things about him at one time, and very dreadful things at other times. At the Metropole. Brighton, said Miss j Oldneid, her ladyship pointed out a very j Handsome man standing staring at the duke, j and said the handsome man was only trymg I co get hold of the duke; ISar the police ought to go after him, and that all the men j in Brighton were like him. Do yon th'nfc the refusal of matrimony I made her angry and -vtnSrrtrvc 1 — Certainly; ' I have never met a more vindictive woman. In the result the jury awarded the duke i £250 damages.