MR. BOTTOMLEY THRASHED

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14928, 28 February 1912, Page 7

MR. BOTTOMLEY THRASHED

ALSO FINED FOR CONTEMPT. TROUBLE OVER AN ACTRESS. By Telegraph.—Press Asuociation.— (Received February 27, 10.15 p.m.) London, February 27. AsHhc result of a personal grievance, Mr. Horatio Bottomley was to-day severely thrashed in the Strand by Mr. Audley Lowe. Mr. Bottomley declined to prosecute, though challenged to do so. Lowe, who is well-known in the West End, twice knocked Bottomley down. Lowe states that the quarrel commenced a year ago in Edinburgh, during the* pantomime season. The Express states that Bottomley had been dining at Romano's with Peggy Primrose, an actress, who is a friend of Audley Lowe. Further trouble befell Mr. Bottomley later in the day when the High Court fined him £100 as the result of an .application by the Prudential Assurance Company that Mr. Bottomley be imprisoned for contempt of Court, for publishing a slanderous article in the newspaper John Bull, because "the company refused to participate in his proposals in bankruptcy.

Bottomley was subjected to a searching cross-examination, which was directed to showing that John Bull denounced financial swindles, and afterwards published their advertisements. He admitted that he authorised a barrister to hint to the Prudential Company's representatives that he would be willing to publish no further attacking- articles if the Prudential Company agreed to his bankruptcy scheme.

The judges said that Bottomley' s evidence chiefly convinced them that a charge of blackmail was established. It would be. useless to inflict a heavy fine, since the editors would have to pay.