NORTON HAYNES LIBEL CASE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13303, 9 October 1906, Page 6

NORTON HAYNES LIBEL CASE.

SOME : SENSATIONAL ■ ■ '■-"'. ' , EVIDENCE. HOW GROHN DIED. Charles John Haynes pleaded not guilty on Tuesday last, at the Sydney Quarter Sessions, to a charge of contriving and unlawfully and maliciously intending to injure, vilify, and prejudice j John Norton, on July 13 last, at Sydney, and to deprive him of his good namejfam credit, and reputation, and to bring him into public contempt, scandal, infamy, and disgrace, by unlawfully and maliciously writing and publishing of and concerning John Norton, a false, scandalous ) malicious, and defamatory libel in the form of an article in certain parts of which there were contained divers false, scandalous, malicious, and defamatory things of and; concerning John Norton to the effect that he was in .the habit of wrongfully, and by corrupt means, extorting moneys from divers persons, and was a person of low moral conduct, and in a certain other part of the article there were contained the following false, scandal-

ous, malicious, and defamatory matters con- ' cerning John Norton to the effect that "by some means or other John Norton wormed ' himself into Truth office, ajjd finally by theft and fraud and 1 conspiracy, obtained a hold on the proprietary." ,' : The article also contained a series of» sensational allegations against Norton with respect to the life of a man. named * De; Grohn, who it 1 was said came out from England on the same boat with Norton. . Edward David Morris, an employee of the City Council, stated that he had been in the employ of John Norton for five years as watchman. He knew Grohn. Grohn did nothing so far as he knew, but lived with Norton. Grohn was apparently between 40 and 50 years l of age. Witness was further examined. He said that on November 9, 1902, the date when Grohn died, he was in Norton's house at Randwick. Norton, Grohn, and witness were there at night. Grohn came home about half-past eleven p.m., and he and Norton remained drinking together until about one o'clock. Witness sat at the end of the table reading, and not drinking. An argument arose between . Norton and Grohn. Norton said to Grohn that Gilbert Smith or Mrs. Norton would never have known about his (Norton's) career coming over in the boat but for him, and that Gilbert Smith could not have written the pamphlet he did except on Crohn's information. The two were " barneying," but as that was not unusual, witness took no special notice of their talk most of the time. It was a common thing between them, especially when Norton was drunk. They were both drunk that night, and had five or six bottles of beer on ) the' table. Witness said he got tired"of trying to stop them drinking. Norton stood up and poured out beer for Grohn. Witness said he saw Norton hit Grohn on the top of the head with a bottle while the latter was sitting in his chair sideways to the table. He (witness) rushed to stop; him, and he heard Norton say, You won't tell anyone, about this; you old—— you'll never say anything about me again." Witness called Norton the biggest coward ho ever saw, and said also, "You are not satisfied with knocking him down twice in the one day in the kitchen, but you must assault him again to-night," or something, to that effect. Grolm fell forward on his head on the carpet, and Norton kept the bottle in his hanch Witness picked Grohn up, and sat him ma chair. Crohn's body was quivering, and his breathing was loud and like snoring. Froth was * coming 'out of his mouth. Grohn could not speak, and seemed to be paralysed, f Witness and Norton called him Bismarck. Witness carried Grohn upstairs. :■ Norton tried to help, but was too drunk to give any practical assistance. .Witness put Grohn on the bed. When witness spoke to Norton about hitting Grohn, Norton said something like, .;". Serve the old ;— — right.!'; ; Blood was coming out of his mouth and nose. Norton was still down in the dining-room. Wit- ! ness told Norton he had better go to bed, and he went, About three or four o'clock in the morning witness found Grohn lying dead with his mouth and eyes wide open. Witness said he woke Norton up, and said to him, " This is a fine thing you've done now: Bismarck's dead.''" Norton walked upstairs with witness and looked at Grohn. Witness suggested ringing up a doctor, but Norton said not to ring up anyone before six o'clock, and then to ring tip Truth office. Witness rang up Dr. > Reddall about half-past seven a.m.'.,. Dr. Reddall came, and witness, in Norton's presence, said to the doctor, "When I came up about halfpast three a.m., I found him dead." Witness told the story to several people, and spoke to Norton about it in (Truth; office in the presence of Mr. - Corlette. Mr. Walker tendered a certificate of the death of George Grohn. This showed that Grohn died on November 3, 1902, and that his death was registered by John Norton on November 17, 1904. Continuing, ..witness said that ;, on the Sunday Grohn died, Norton Wanted him buried, just as ho lay on the bed. - Witness objected, and insisted that the body should be laid out properly, and buried in a" suit of pyjamas. Coffin's men laid the body out. When he wanted to have Grohn buried as, he was Norton said. "It's -— well good enough for him as he is." • Cross-examined, witness said he did not tell Sergeant Sawtell anything. Sergeant McKee and another officer came to the house. Witness told McKee he;found Grohn dead upstairs. **- To Mr. Walker: Witness told the doctor nothing that would bring suspicion upon Norton. There was nothing to cause enmity • between } himself 'and Norton. He would rather not give evidence about Nor-ton-and' his 'wife. His Honor told the witness it was not j for him to say what he should do about the matter. He must, answer the questions if he could. {""' *) v Witness then said he saw Norton strike his wife in Truth office. Mrs. Norton went i down to Dr. Fairfax Ross," and had three stitches put' in her lip, which was cut by a blow from Norton's hand. v She was bringing him a clip of beef-tea, and he took the cup with one hand and hit her with the other. Witness stopped Norton interfering with his wife several times. Andrew Archibald Thomson said he was once the lessee of the newspaper Truth, and his interest subsequently came into the possession of John Norton." Witness did not know the date, but it was about eight or nine years ago. He practically handed the paper over to Norton, witness, with A. G. Taylor, having had a three years' lease of it. Witness got out of it the best way he could,'.the lease having almost expired. The paper was a nuisance to witness, who was a- friend of Norton's. There was no agreement when the paper was transferred to Norton. Probably there was a private arrangement that Norton was to recoup him for handing it over if it turned out successful. Witness had never received anything from Norton, and if he offered him anything| he would- not take it. Witness had a talk to Norton, about a fortnight ago, and again that morning. ' To Mr. Bavin: Norton did not obtain witness' interest in the paper by any fraud, dishonesty, or misrepresentations,' or deceive him in any way. Witness had ,no complaint- to make about Norton's treatment of him in this informal business transaction, or any oilier, nor' had Norton broken any agreement lie made with him. Witness had told Mr. Walker he would be a hostile witness to him. Mr. Walker submitted proof of the proprietorship of the • Truth <- newspaper, and then read extracts from several issues of that paper to show that Norton had charged his wife; with misdoings, and printed' much matter to her detriment." Mr. Walker stated that he would also submit- copies of the Truth newspaper,- showing that attacks had been made on persons and their businesses in the "paper, unci that these attacks had ceased when advertisements from the persons rejected upon appeared in the paper.: ' He : would deal with about, 20 cases. .'-.' '' ; "''"'" '" ' ,:: ''".' ."*"-;''