Lyman v. New England Newspaper Publishing Co.

These are two actions for libel. The plaintiffs are husband and wife. Save as to names, the declarations are substantially identical except that there is an allegation of special damages in that of the husband. Each declaration states the name and residence of the plaintiff and the marriage existing between the two plaintiffs. The declarations state that the defendant is a corporation which publishes and circulates throughout the Commonwealth a newspaper which usually contains, among other matters, a column of tattle under the caption “‘beacon hill’ by Betty Alden”; that on July 19, 1933, the…