Commonwealth v. Little
Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Appeal, No. 48, Jan. T., 1900, by defendant, from sentence of Q. S. Lackawanna Co., Oct. T., 1899, No. 245, on verdict of guilty. Indictment for libel. Before Edwards, J. It appears from the record that Richard Little, editor and proprietor of the Scrantonian, was indicted for criminal libel against Ezra H. Ripple, then serving as postmaster of Scranton. A true bill was also found against M. J. O’Toole.
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Appeal, No. 48, Jan. T., 1900, by defendant, from sentence of Q. S. Lackawanna Co., Oct. T., 1899, No. 245, on verdict of guilty. Indictment for libel. Before Edwards, J. It appears from the record that Richard Little, editor and proprietor of the Scrantonian, was indicted for criminal libel against Ezra H. Ripple, then serving as postmaster of Scranton. A true bill was also found against M. J. O’Toole. Among the libelous articles complained of, published in the Scrantonian, was the following editorial, which, at the trial, Mr. Little admitted that he wrote himself: “ Colonel Ripple, the man…
1Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Beaveb, J.,
The appellant, who was indicted with a codefendant for libel, in the court below, was convicted upon an indictment which is printed in the paper-b'ook of the appellee, charging a libel based upon two newspaper articles, the one an editorial written by himself, and the other a communication which he received and directed to be published. Each of these newspaper articles is easily and naturally divisible into two distinct parts. The defendant himself, in his cross-examination, seems to admit this, and his admission would seem to relieve us of the apparent difficulties which…
2Cases cited1 opinion
- Conroy v. Pittsburgh TimesSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1891
3Cited by4 opinions
- Curry v. RigglesSupreme Court of Pennsylvania · 1930
- Commonwealth v. ScoutonSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 1902
- Commonwealth v. GraffiusSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 1917
- Commonwealth v. PascoeSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 1909