THE BRYCE-RUSDEN LIBEL CASE. Verdict of £5000 for Mr Bryce.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2135, 16 March 1886, Page 3

THE BRYCE-RUSDEN LIBEL CASE. Verdict of £5000 for Mr Bryce.

[IU.I l'Kli s rKLt(JKAM>> 1 London, Mjicli 12. Tin. libel action Biyco v. Kusdi n, winch has been in coiiise «'f heaiing dining tho past ei/lit da\«, concluded to-d.iy, w hen a \ u diet tui the plaintiff was returned, the damages being assessed :it i.T)000. Tho application by defendant-, counsel to stay execution was lefused. London, Match VA, 1 {.i ron Huddlestone in deluding ludg ment in the libel action, Bijce v. Ru-don, stated that Mr Riisdcn's statements weie cle.uly libellous. His Loid-hip aKo commented seveioly on tho evidence of Bishop H.ulheld, of Wellington. The Tune-., iefomngto the ease, coiisideis that Mr Ridden a statements weio made in a voiy reckless manner. We ate indebted to the Henld for the following statement of claim of the plaintiff in this ease : — 1. The plaintiff was at the date of publication of the libels heinaftei mentioned, and -,till is, .i member of the Government of New Zealand, and then held, and still holds the position of Native Minister in such Government. •1 The plaintiff has suffeied damaged by the defendant falsely and maliciously wnting and publishing the phuntitf, and causing to be punted of turn, in a ceitam book, entitled " History of New Zealand, ' published by Chapman and Hall (Limited), of London, the words following, that is to say — "The literary ci avers for blood woie soon to be gratified on the west and east coasts by events of which somo were not officially repotted not told in Mr dudgeon's ' Reminiscences of Wars.' Lieutenant Hi yce (meaning the plaintiff), who w.ib in after yeaisfi Native Minister, distinguished himself. Some women and young children emerged fioma pa- to hunt pigs. Lieutenant Biyco and Sergeant Maxwell of the Kai Iwi Cavalry dashed upon them and cut tlmin down gleefully and with ea->e. This exploit will be looked for in vain in Mi Gudgeon's book, winch recoids a ' lash and unfortunate affan," in which subsequently (2Sth December), Sergeant Mawvell, riding up to Titokowaiu's pa, Taurangaika, was I shot. But the tieatment of the children was not unknown. J)r. Featheiston, the Supeiintendent of the Province of Wellington, expressed his honor. Kangihiwinui declaied that he would not have joined the local foices if he had thought them capable of hiich acts. He earned theieby tinhatred of Bryce, who long aftei wards, when Native Minister, dismissed Kangihiwinui fiom office " (meaning thereby that the plaintiff dismissed Rangihiwinui fiom office, being actuated theieto by corrupt and improper motives.) Biyce earned among the Maoris a title which clung to him. They called him Kohuru (themuiderer.)" And also the words following — that is to say, "Of the Native Minister, Mr John Brycn" (mu tuing the plaintiff), "member for Wanganui, a few woids must be, said. By laudable industry ho had raised himself from humble origin to comparative importance. His father, a tradesman, was shipped to New Zealand amongst the itnmigiant for defraying whoso passages Lord John Russell conti acted to allot lands to the New Zealand Company. The futuie Native Minister was in eaily life a cow boy. No honest: employment is contemptible, and amongst the labourers and handicraftsmen who maintain the slate of the wotld there aie as good and admirable persons as any who can be found in halls of luxury. Theie are also as ciuel creatutes leaied in the pui pie as any who are housed m huts. The occupation of a cowherd gives scope for the humane and foi the biutal. If the "'ad be kindly he will reclaim an on ing cow in a kindly maniiei. If he be inhuman he will inflict as much toiluie as he can by hulling stones at the eve> of tin patient beast which unwittingly offends him. Hi> admirers have not caied to ncid much of Mr Bryce's boyish days, but his conduct as Native Minister justifies the inference that he was of the infeuor older of cow boy. He was self-opinionated, sinew d, and callous. He would have been incapable of comprehending a charge that he was w auting in manliness or generosity. He was at Wanganui vvhnn the inhabitants piteonsly appealed to England for help against Titokowain, and by his own exploits with his Kai Iwi tioopers near Taurangaika against little children he had earned the title of Kohuiu (murderer) among the Mam is. " The plaintiff claims £10,000. DXI I.ME VNH ( Ol NlTIt ('I VIM. Dei'EM'E. —The defendant «ays that— l. Tie admits that he wrote, publi-hed, and caused to be printed, tho woids set out in the statement of claim, but without the meaning alleged at the end of the e.xtiact set out m the second paragraph of the statement of the claim. 2. He denies that he did so falsely or maliciously. 'A. The defamatoiy matter alleged is tiue in substance and fact. 4. The events and facts mentioned in tho. extiacts set out in tho statement of claim actually took place. •">. The publication was, and is, pimleged on the following gnmnds :— (\) it iefer« to inatteis of public mteiest ; (\\\ it is a fair and b.ma tide comment upon the plaintiff in a public capacity ; and (c) it was written by the defendant, who honestly believed it to be tme without malice, and in Ins capacity of a public wi iter. CouNim Ci.um.— 1. The defendant has suffeied damage by ieason that the plaintiff falsely and maliciously spoke, wrote, and caused to be pi inted and published of the defendant, the woids following, that is to say :— " He " (moaning the defendant) "is •a liar, a slanderer, and a coward." 2. The defendant has also suffeied damage by reason that the plaintiff maliciously procured and induced the said Chapman and Hall (Limited) to biealc a contract they had entered into with the defendant for the publication and sale of the said " History of New Zealand, 1 ' to stop the faither publication and sale of the same, and to refuse to sell copies of the said book to several pel sons who -\veie willing and offeied to puichase tho >amo. 3. By ieason of the acts of the plaintiff in the last paragraph mentioned, tho defendant has lost the piofits he would have deiived from the sale of the said book. Tho defendant countei claims— under paragraph 1, damages to the extent of ±.'2OOO ; undei paragraphs 2 and 3, damages to the extent of £2000.

A younu lady being asked if there were many beaut'ful women in the place, innocently replied, "Oh, no, there are only six of us at present." Tut Japanese say : " A man takes a drink, then the drink takes a dunk.^nd next the drink takes the man." Evidently the Japanese " have been there.'' The man in the moon always smiles, and he ought to. He is the only fellow v> ho can stay out all night without exciting anything but favourable comment. A ruiLObOPHKK writes : " Man is the merriest species of the cieation." Did the philosopher ever see a man when it was first broken to him that he was the father of twins ? We trow not. Thk following curious freaks of some water rats were observed by a Plymouth gentleman a few days ago in the Exeter canal. On the side on which he was walking a dead dog was lying in the water. A rat emerged fiom a hole on the opposite side of the canal, and taking to the water, soon appeared to be sniffing something. The rat at last reached the dog, and after smelling about it a short time, appearing quite satisfied with his examination, swam back to its hole. The gentleman then moved the dog with his stick a slioit distance from where the rat examined it. Piesently the rat again emerged fiom its hole, followed by several other lats They all took to the water, led by the pioneer, and swam across to where the clog first lay. The leader again indulged in sniffing and moving about in an excited state. He swam round about the spot for some little time, evidently looking for thr dog. At last the poor rat seemed completely puzzled as to what had become of his and his friend's dinner. He appeared to give up the search, and gave a, long and piercing scream which quite startled the observer ; and in an instant the other rats set upon the leader and killed him. The poor thing seemed aware of what was awaiting him. He had apparently told them a lie, and led them on a false errand, and for this the punishment was death, by rat law. —European Mail. l-'iiiis Yolmi Again — " M> mother was. afflicted a long time with neuralgia and .1 dull, h\iv), inactive condition oi the whole s\ stem, headache, nervous prostration, and was almost helpless No phvici ins or mHirines did her an good. Three months ago she began to use I Jr Soule's Hup Hitters, with u< li tooil effect that she seems and feels joung .iiram, a'thouirh over seventy > ears old." — A L\dy is R. 1., U. b. A. Look up