"THE NEWS INVESTIGATOR.

Evening Star, Issue 11495, 12 March 1901, Page 8

"THE NEWS INVESTIGATOR.

THE SEAMY SIDE OF MODERN JOURNALISM. [From Orr, Srr.rr,\L Cokri-spondent.] LONDON, February 1. An action for libel, which was tried before Mr Justice Ridley during the early days o:' this week, illustrated the seamy side of modern .journalism. Mr Tumbull, an American journalist, came over to the Old Country .;:!•-, to rhow - how far behind the age we wnv. Fie wasn't content to bo a. mere

' j-.ur:i::]:st," but dubbed himself a " newx investigator." and so convinced the proprietors of the • Evening News,' who later st.-im-d the. 'Daily Mail," of his smartness that they detailed him on a mission to Madeira, to discover, if possible, the true inwardness of the policy of Cecil Rhodes. Whether hi- discovered anything worth a red ceiu or not, u'c do not know, but on his return to England he continued his investigations into the relations of Mr Rhodes with Mr Ohambalain, and presumably into the true reason of the Jameson Raid. In order lo get to the bottom of the secrets of the Chartered Company he put himself into relations with it, man named Wallis, a confidential clerk of Mr Hawksley, a leading member of the firm of solicitors who acted for Mr Rhodes and the Chartered Company. He did tin:;, he said, at the instigation of Ins principals, but the jury refused lo believe him. The faot was'that the "news investigator," having incited Wallis to get possession of confidential documents connected with the Chartered Company from Mr Hawksley's firm, and having bribed him lor this purpose, was dismissed by his employers for the very sufficient reason that, relying on the. knowledge he had obtained by his nefarious intrieue with Wallis, he had sent, a, threat tiling letter to Mr Hawksley. Later he was reinstated, it appears, at Mr Hawkslev's request—which was, it seems, only a good-natured act on Mr Mawksley's part, but which no doubt was seized upon hv Tumbull as showing some grounds for his suggestion that Hawksley himself was a party to Wa.llis's apparent gross broach of tnu= f , and only threw the blame on his confidential clerk when matters began to look rather serious. However, the Harms-worth people finally got rid oT Tn.rnbuii on it being proved to them that he had offered to sell to Mr Stead some of the. documents he had obtained by corruptin - Wailis. , '

Tin.' cause rif Tnnibuil's action against Mr liawksh.-y was a letter written by the latter t<» Iho Colonial Office calling the Colonial Secretary's attention to the fact that Turn-l-iill unci Wiiilis had been p.-.rties to the abstraction of documents from Mr Hawksi",v's firm. It was added that the former hid been dismissed by his employers, while tin: latter find tried to dispone of the stolen _;nods for money to certain politicians who v.-ire eager to do the Government, and esV ;: '■'':!,"•"»* •" , ' ir Chamberlain, injury. When .V..' Turnbull was put in the box he had, in ■i 1 '' 6 °'' his iarmty and impudent style, a v-t- bad rime of it. He hud. to admit that be .pcied Willis to .steal some of Mr Hi '.vk: ley's private correspondence, and he appear:-; to have been very proud of the fact until he discovered that such journalistic methods are rather too "smart-" in this country, even after our lengthy education in \niiktis- Press work. Then he pleaded " excess of zeal." received absolution, and was given another chance.. That he also misused when the Transvaal War broke out bv trying to place the stolen documents, which were in Wail is's possession, with Mr Stead, and .Mr Massingham, who was then editor of the "Daily Chronicle.' He told these gentlemen that Wa.llis would take £I.OOO for them. His perfidy came to the ears of the 'Daily Mail' proprietary, who thereupon gave him a month's notice." The documents Piter achieved publicity in the ' Independent Beige' and the 'Chronicle,' and proved to be of very little importance indeed, even if they were genuine. The. amazing impudence of Turnbull in bringing his (ibel action a.gairist Hawlcsley makes one gasp. True, Mr Hawksley did commit, a technical libel in stating in his letter that Turnbull was dismissed without notice: but, as Judge, Ridley remarked, if he was not so dismissed he certainly ought to have been. The jury, however, before I his daring judicial remark, had stopped the c-a.se, and given it a?- their opinion that Mr Hawkslcy's letter was justified. The cisc is very interesting as one of those in which others than the actual litigants ire deeply concerned. The Colonial Office on the one hand and the ' Daily Mail' on the other arc very desirous of knowing how much ground there is for Mr Hawksley's counsel's suggestion that some of the documents put forward by Turnbull are forgeries, and the Judge's decision tr> impound all the papers in the case may have extremely intexesting results. ' i