A SLANDER ACTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2207, 18 June 1896, Page 12

A SLANDER ACTION.

Wellington; June 11. ' An action, wan tried in the Supreme Court this morning before the Chief Justice and st common jury of twelve in which Alfred Crosseyi licensee of the Terminus Hotel, Courtney place} sued Richard Crabb, temperance advocate* claiming £501 damages for slander in remarks said to have been made by defendant on the 3rd May in addressing a meeting at a street corner. The- remark* were to the effeot that Crossey's house was not conducted decently, and that it was frequented by disreputable people. These statement, the plaintiff sayf, injured bis oredit and reputation as a hotelskeeper. Defendant denied having mado use of the words attributed to him, and said that if he did use any of them they had not' the meaning attributed to them by -the plaintiff, and were not of a dif amatory nature, but were spoken honestly and without malice, and as i matter of public comment upon the _ liquoe trad* in general, and not upon plaintiff and the conduct of his hotel in particular. Mr Skerretfc and Mr Young appeared for plaintiff and Sir Robert Stout for the defendant. The jury returned r a three-fourth* verdict for defendant ; coats according to scale. '.- ■ .•" \ ' j\ ' \ —•/ a. -, The Japanese, in order J;o cerebrate theit ' recent victories, are going ' to erect a gigantia " statue of Buddha.^ _The height will be 120 ft. The metal will .be supplied from the oidnanoo captured in the late wan ' The- monument-wilt coat about one million yeD, and is to be erected at, Kioto. • ' ; " " •] Miss Mary Ktjngsley, the traveller, attribute! 1 the failure of Evangelical' effort among "the West African natives on the scene of her recent explorations to the fact that the'Bnglish Prbteq,* tant Churches will accept no compromise. "They insist on clothes and teetotaliim' and. monogamy, and ,a great deal of nonseme is .talked on these' subjects," she says. .