EXTRAORDINARY LIBEL CASE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5560, 11 December 1879, Page 2

EXTRAORDINARY LIBEL CASE.

! ' ■■ •-, ■ n. „, Blenheiji, Wednesday, I .The.criminal libel case againfltDoherty, late schoblmaste"r: in the Bldnheinl district schddlj iijid\v,proce'edirig at'the" 1 r Court. The allegled libel wa^ ag'^insi Mr, ;Wi A.'! Earl, late r member of the BlenSeim. jßorough Council, and it charged, him with improper conduct ' towards ! his ' niece, * ' ' ' ' ■ ■ •••" ■ •;' ■ * ••"■'■ i Mv Travefs, tor the defefadari^ put in 'a special plea to the effect, that the libel . jcomplalned pi w^ds'triie' iri ; dubstaiice dnd' jfacij "that W. Earl had sedtided.'ilis niece, while she w,as living •Under; fas care - land'pro^eciticirij thai the jublioVtiqn of~ ,the libel wa3 for the , publid jbendfit, as Earl, had been a Councilidr df the fioroUgn [of Blenheina just previously ;. that at the time : of tie. publication of the- 'libel he iwas a candidate 1 to fill a ivfttiancy in the Blenheim Borough' Council ; ttieit ha Held [office : 'as Grand Councillor df th'e^Gjbdd Templars for the South Isllirifl.; Jth-it he jheld aii ; dffice iri the P l re'sb'yterian;Clhur ! bh ; 'that he had served and was^entitled; to ■serve as a v Grand Juror ; arid -thai; it, was^ ifor the public good that the, allegations' should be cleared up arid such, a personjpreyentedfrpriih'olding^suchionices. • I Mr Connolly, who appeared for,. the jprosecutibri, asked for an adjournment to afford him time ; to consider: the, plea and decide whether he would- demur aaE to the publication: of the libel being for; jthe benefit of .the public. : ; - ; •'•!■';.:.' | The [application was granted, and the ' Court idjourned for an hou^; ; " ; ' ■• ; I On. : the Court re-assembling, ;; • MriCdnhelly said that the"'oase"' f m^st' ! p^o-' jcaad, Hrid'fo^riial evidence df the iiubfica-.' jtioh df the Kbel waslgiv v e 1 k. t i l . ! '' : . :' . ' ;'; I Mr.,Travers then opened, the 'gdae^of !th"e defence, arid outlined 4 riiost hbrr'ible |story, comprising , a series of alleged offences' of a grossly indecent character* - | This afternoon Fanny Townsend, the jniecey gave" her evidence, ~ "detailitlg a 'number of indecent -acts, and also the jComrriittal of-the alleged offence.., ! Other important witnesses are to be ■exammined to-night. , I•" •"" -' :' :! "' : '' -i-*-» ; 7; -