Hersh v. Ringwalt
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Slander. Words of homicide, and that the plaintiff was in York gaol on that account. Plea non ml. with liberty to give the special matters in evidence. It appeared, that a very injurious report, without the smallest ground of suspicion, had been circulated respecting the plaintiff, *who possessed an irreproachable character. Five or six p persons had spoken of it, before the defendant uttered 5 y the supposed slanderous words.
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Slander. Words of homicide, and that the plaintiff was in York gaol on that account. Plea non ml. with liberty to give the special matters in evidence. It appeared, that a very injurious report, without the smallest ground of suspicion, had been circulated respecting the plaintiff, *who possessed an irreproachable character. Five or six p persons had spoken of it, before the defendant uttered 5 y the supposed slanderous words. The defendant afterwards mentioned the mattér at a public inn, and' said he heard it from two persons, whose names he mentioned. Pie produced one of them at the trial,…
1Opinion of the Court
By the Court.
It is sufficient, if the substantial slanderous words are laid and proved. Otherwise the consequence necessarily would be, that if a conversation, wherein slander was uttered, continued for an hour, the whole must be distinctly *expressed in the declaration and proved in evidence, *510] which would be idle and superfluous.
The case of Davis v. Lewis is sound law, founded on the common usage of mankind, and adapted to the common concerns of life. Vid. 1 Rol. Abr. 64, pl. 20. 1 Com. Dig. 202. 4 Bac. Abr. 509. 1 Rol. Rep. 69. 1 Lev. 82. Cro. Jac. 91. 2 East 436. If one assert a slander…
2Cited by2 opinions
- Itri v. LewisSuperior Court of Pennsylvania · 1980
- Long v. Fleming, Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County1837