ALLEGED LIBEL

Waikato Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1555, 13 May 1903, Page 3

ALLEGED LIBEL

(BY TELEGEAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Auckland, This Day. At the Supreme Court, yesterday, the two charges of defamatory libel preferred against William Richardson, and the charge of the same nature preferred against William John Bell, again came up for consideration. Uiohardson was charged with publishing, on or about February 2<Sth, a def amatory libel concerning William John Baker, licensee of the Alexandra Hotel (Chapel street:, and with publishing a do amatory libel, on or about March 7th, concerning the same person. The first of the paragraphs which formed the subject of the charges was in the form of a letter under the heading, ' Killing No Murder,' as follows . • The Alexandra Hotel. Chapel-street, is fast losmg its victims by drink Within the last ten months two men and two women—who were heavy di inkers at this hotel—have died, and there is now in Chapel-street another of its victims expected to die. As sregarels the dying victim, the landlady is getting afraid of losing a good customer, and is supplying her with heef tea, etc. Ono of the four customers referred to died suddenly this week, ami her mother, who was another victim of the same hotel d ; ed in the asylum a few months back The daughter, who died this week, was treated in the hospital a few months ago for chronic alcoholism, and was then in a bad way. Another of the four victims, who also dropped dead, was carried home dead drunk the night before lie died by the porter at the lurch Another of the victims was a blind man, whom the publican actually used to lead into the hotel from his home next door.' The second paragraph, also under the heading of ' Killing No Murder,' was as lollows : ' Our correspondent has supplied us with the names of four victims whoso death may be attributed to the drink supplied chiefly at the Alexandra Hotel.' After a lengthy argument regarding th e pleas put forth, the case was ad_o ui'Dcd until to-day.