Amusing Slander Case.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1467, 29 September 1885, Page 4

Amusing Slander Case.

In one of the Sydney Courts, on the ; 9th inst., an amusing slander case was heard by Judge Wilkinson; A man named Hayden sued a greengrocer named Pro wles for . i-200 damages for '? blander." The slander complained of by the plaintiff was that Prowles had made a false, scandalous, and malicious representation of him m the form of an effigy, and set it up m a place adjacent to the public highway m vie»> of passersby j and exposed; the plaintiff to public hatred, ridicnle, and contempt. The effigy was put m eyidence, and as it ap. peared m court, consisted of a figure ■stuffed with shavings, and wearing a ragged black coat; and -black hat and and grey trousers. The head was" al-so filled with shavings, some ot'which stuck out round the head like curls,- and there" was a piece of red cloth like a tie round the neck. The plaintiff also wore long curls and a red necktie. The effigy was pnt out on the. fence daily, except Sundays and wet days, and taken m at nights. Nevertheless, the effigy m Court seemed much thinner .than at;the, begin- ,, ning ot the seven or eight weeks' it .was hung out, probably as was suggested; -the result of general debility which had set m owing to exposure to the' weather. The figure had had something like a face painted on it, anfl.it was considered a vSry good representation of Hayden. , It appeared, however, that there had been two e'ffijj'ies.'the first having been stolen from the;defen'lant. The witnesses' for the defence gave evidence that the thing never had a face on it, and that the object m court m no way materially differed from the first one made. It could not: have been seen by defendant unless he went up a platform he had made, from which he and his associates uso'fl to overlook the private yards and premises of the neighbors and watch their proceedings, to their very great annoyance. The effisty had never been intended to represent Hayden, but was made for the purpose of frightening birds. . The defendant had never said it was intended to caricature Hayden, as Hayden alleged, although the' friends of the plaintiff might have assumed that it Was. It was contended that the plaintiff had not proved that he suffered any damage, the whole thing birring been lightly treated even by those who said it was meant for Haydefi. His Honor gave a verdict for the defendant.