Alleged Criminal Libel.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 570, 14 February 1891, Page 2

Alleged Criminal Libel.

A CLERGYMAN COMMITTED FOR TRIAL.

[SPECIAL TO THE STANDARD.J Opotiki, Thursday.

At the R.M. Court to-day, before Mr R. B. Bush, R.M., the Rev. T. J. Wills (Anglican clergyman) was committed to stand his trial at the next sifting of the Supreme Court, Auckland, to be held in March, on a charge of criminal libel preferred against him by Thomas Edward Wyatt, late head teacher of the Opotiki District School. Mr J. Wilson appeared for the informant, and Mr H. E. Elliott for tho defendant.

The above case is a further development in the trouble that has been raging at Opotiki for some time. Mr Wyatt had been the school teacher in Opotiki for 17 years. It was for taking Mr Wyatt’s part that Mr Bates, the editor of the Opotiki Herald, was committed in December last on a charge of criminal libel. Subsequently the School Committee of which Mr Wills is Chairman passed a re solution calling upon some of those who had signed a note of sympathy to Mr Wyatt (in which it was stated a cowardly attack had been made on that gentleman) to explain what they meant by the term “ coward y.” One gentleman denied the right of tho committee to make such a request, another pointed out that there was no reference to the committee in the note of sympathy, while a third (Dr Reid) wrote strongly, putting in the form of a hypothesis the facts, and winding up by saying ho could find no word in the English language which to his mind could better describe the conduct of a certain person not directly named than the word used. In reply Mr Wills, as chairman of the committee, made a long communication to the Opotiki Mail, in the course of which it was insinuated that Wyatt was addicted to liquor, and in which the following extraordinary request was made to the doctor :— “ But one fact I want to emphasise. Dr Reid is B’s medical attendant. He knows the nature of B’s complaint. He has watched its increasing seriousness. I now challenge Dr Reid in the name of God and the truth to clear away all suspicion from B’s character by telling us and tha world (that there is no connection between the complaint and the use of intoxicating liquor—that in hia opinion as a practitioner and gentleman of honour the illness has neither been caused nor accelerated by drink. If he can, surely the doctor is bound to do this.” The direct result of the publication of the letter was that Mr Wills was horsewhipped by Mr Wyatt’s son, who had gone over from Gisborne. Young Wyatt was arrested, but when the case came on, Mr Wills declined to prosecute, writing to the constable that he did not wish to prosecute, as he had no fear of a repetition of the assault. Meanwhile the matter was being moved in by the friends of Mr Wyatt, sen., with the result that an action for alleged criminal libel was brought. Through these troubles Opotiki is now getting a name for itself that will take a long time to outlive. There will be the two cases of alleged orim nal libel to be heard at the Auckland Supreme Court next month—Wills v. Bates and Wyatt v. Wille. Mr W. L. Rees has been retained for the defence in the latter case, and will probably also be retained for the prosecution in the case against Mr Wills.