ALLEGED SLANDER BY A HEADMASTER.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 48, 24 August 1895, Page 1 (Supplement)

ALLEGED SLANDER BY A HEADMASTER.

. The little world of Perth, Western Australia, was greatly excited recently by a somewhat sensational action for alleged slander. The plaintiff was a man named E. R. Wilson, a commia- ; sion agent at Perth, and at one time i teacher of modern languages at St. ' Peter's College, Adelaide, and the ' defendant was Mr. F. 0. Faulkner, ] headmaster of the Perth Boys' School, ; who, some years ago, was a master in the Ohristchuroh Boys' High School. < Damages were laid at £1000. The ) action is said to have arisen out of a ; caution given by Mr. Faulkner to the i boys of his school, that they should ■ not assooiate with the plaintiff. The ] latter deposed that Faulkner had J said he (Wilson) was as bad as Baikes, j a Government employe, who was arrested at Perth some months ago on ' a disgraceful charge, and he further ' alleged malice on defendant's part, \ at the same time denying that ttiere < were the slightest grounds fOr any ' imputation on his character. Mr. ' Faulkner, on his part, denied that he ] had used the words attributed to him ; or that he had any ill feeling against Wilson. He did not approve of the : boys associating with him, and as ' some of the parents had also expressed a similar objection, he exercised his privilege as a schoolmaster and > warned the boys not to have anything to do with him. He was strengthened ' in his action by statements made to ■ him by Mr. Cowan, the City Police Magistrate, and others. Mr. Cowan himself deposed that he heard, un- . officially, that Wilson was as bad as Baikes, and he believed it. The , Judge summed up strongly in favour of the defendant, for whom, after a re- ' tirementof ten minutes, the jury gave . a verdict on all issues. ;