ALLEGED SLANDER

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 14 February 1919, Page 7

ALLEGED SLANDER

~.. • ■■ —— . » . ■ ; GRIERSON-THACKER. (BY TEIiEGBAPH —PEESB ASSOCIATION.) ■< WELLINGTON, Feb. 14. The Grrierson-Tiiacker slander case' was resumed in the Supreme Court today. Further evidence was called to prove the publication of the alleged slander &t the .election meeting in the Town Hail. Garhett L. Ronayne said Dr. Thacker described how Madame Boeufve searched Griarson's boxes and found evidence <t!hathe was a German spy. Dr. Thaeker ended by saying that Grieison had gone over to the enemy. Several other-: witnesses gave corroborative evidence. In-tihe case foi* the defence, Sir John Findlay said the jury would co-ma to the conclusion tßat whatever was said by Dr. Thaeker was not regarded seriously by the meeting Dr. Thaeker did not know Grierson; he had never met him, therefore there could be no question of malice. As a member of Parliament Dr. Thaeker thought it. his duty -to ' carry on th e campaign to check the drift into our forces of persons of German or semi-German descent. The two charges: That it was said Giierson "was an arrant German spy/ 3 and that "he went over- to the enemy," were most contradictory statements which no speaker would make in his senses. He (Dr. Findlay) would icali evidence to provg that th e reference, going ove?; to the . enemy, was made, to Njmot, who did go over to the enemy. Was it likely that Dr. Tiiackeyt' would make such a reference to Grierson when ot had been officially published in the-papers that the latter was in i;he hospital:' The shorthand note taken was a careless one. Sir John Findlay referred to a reference in the Griftrs-n-n mirrnivT, rann»t. n-nX „«;,> I

~~^ "^«ovu c.'muiiy icpuru, ana saici ferrierson himself was to blame for the widespread distrust of him, and if som© ' of the audience took the references as being to Grierson no one was sorrier • than Dr. Thacker. Counsel characterised as extremely unfair the manner in i which the action was brought. 2 f j j b s