The hearing was concluded at H. M. Supreme Court last Friday, before Sir Skinner Turner, Chief Judge, and a jury, of the case of James W. Fraser v. The Shanghai Mercury, Ld., the claim being for $8,000 damages for alleged wrongful dismissal. Mr. M. Reader Harris appeared for plaintiff and Mr. R. N. Macleod for defendants.
The jury was composed of Messrs. J. A. Moller, G. W..M. Snow, G. Grayrigge, R. B. Moorhead and H. L. Povey.
Mr. William A. Donaldson, who -stated that he joined the Mer—eury" as sub-editor, gave evidence. He considered: that plaintiff, whose duties included attending the courts, did that work very efficiently. Apart from this, he did very little indeed and seemed to take but indifferent interest in the rest of his work. So far as witness knew, plaintiff only wrote two para-: graphs for. the "Zn Passant'' ce Jumn.
In connexion With the "Elegante" shop murder in Broadway, they were unable to find Fraser, even after ringing up the Supreme Court. Mr.. Grifin was very annoyed at __plaintifi's absence and' said, "Cannot we depend upon him?' The editor him self was obliged to cover the "story. He had certainly often complained of plaintifis conduct. Wit-"ness had seen plaintiff's book of cuttings. It gave quite a wrong impression, A company meeting took up two columns of space; there were reviews at some length. They were not his work: at all. These reviews were supplied by the publishers. Witness had handled thousands of them. Plaintiff need not have bothered to be at the company meetings, as he was on an evening newspaper.
Mr. Stanley Jimson, reporter, stated that he wrote some of the articles in Mr. Fraser's book of cuttings. A report of the China Coast Officers' Guild v. the San Peh S._N. Ca, case was by witness.
Cross-examined, witness admitted that he had sometimes seen Mr. Davey in a temper.
Mr. Reader Harris—Mr. Davey only told you to give evidence. He did not say anything else?
Witness—No. I did not want to give evidence against Mr. Fraser.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.