"CURE" FOR CONSUMPTION.

Evening Star, Issue 14574, 24 May 1911, Page 9

"CURE" FOR CONSUMPTION.

AMUSING LIBEL SUIT AGAINST LONDON PAPER. Before Mr Justice Darling and a special jury, Mrs Long, a widow, recently sued Mr Astor, proprietor of the ‘Pall Mall Gazette,’ for alleged libel. The plaintiff, an elderly lady, who claimed to have discovered a cure for consumption in a concoction of fruit, herbs, roots, and flowers, complained of a report in the paper on November 25, 1904, of an action she brought in the High Court against a doctor for alleged breach of contract. According to the report of the proceedings, Mr Justice Lawrence, before whom the action in 1904 was tried, remarked with reference to the plaintiffs remedy: “It killed two ” (laughter)—and that the plaintiff replied " No; one.” Mre Long’s contention now was that the remark she made was “No, not one” ; hence her claim for damages on Uic ground that the report was not a fair and .accurate one.

Plaintiff, giving evidence, said she had cured people with her remedy for over iltirty years. Mr Justice Darling (reading the paper); it is reported here that the Judge said “ It killed two,” and that you said “No, one.” Now, what was it you say you said? Mrs Long: “No, not one.”

His Lordship: Ajkl since this came out, have you been going on with your remedy?—No; I could not advertise, because people many times told me that my remedy killed people. It never killed anyone. Mrs Long spoke of a patient whom site enr-d in eight months,, and said ho was suffering Horn bronchitis, asthpa, dropsy, ana a„ abscess on the liver.

Mrs Bellasis, a witness in the case in 1904, supported the plaintiff’s contention that her reply to the Judge was “No, not one.” This lady said she was a palmist and clairvoyxnte. Mr Justice Darling: Have you extraordinary powers!—l have been told so. His Imrdship; Can you tell us what will be the result of this action?—(Laughter.) Tlie defence was a denial of the alleged libel, and a contention that the report published was a fair and’accurate one. Mr James Yeo, journalist, who wrote the report in question, testified as to its accuracy, and said ho had not the slightest doubt Mrs Long’s remark was “ No, one.” 1 Dr Boyd criticised the plaintiff’s cure. “Is that remedy worth anything V queried Mr Schiller for the defence. Tlie doctor replied that he did not think so. The witness said ho could cure consumption, and the treatment with arsenic was a good thing. The jury, in giving a verdict for the defendant, stated that it was a fair and accurate report Judgment accordingly.