The case in which V. Shitt-Shatt, president of the Union of Russian Military Invalids, charged A. Meyer, managing editor of the} "Evening News," a German citizen, with circulating certain rumours of September 7 in that paper derogate ory to plaintiff and tending to injure his business credit, came up og before Judge Chou in the:|Shanghai_ Provisional Court, Friday afternoon.
Mr. N, A. Ivanoff appeared for the] prosecution and Dr. F. Wilhelm was] [present for defendant and the "Even ing News."
Defendant was the first witness lealled and he introduced copies of Japanese paper known as the Nippo" in which the offensive article was said to have appeared originally. This, ai ness, was the article which had be translated and which had appeare fu Ws paper. So far as he knew the article did not refer to. the Russian Club conducted by: the Union lof Military Invalids because it was) his impression that the Union was fan organization of men who. had been crippled in the Russian wars He did not read all the reports fore they went to press because that] would be impossible. He did not receive Mr, Ivanofs letter but he Tearnt later that it had been reesived by a member of his staff who had island it and failed to hand it on to him. "He was prepared to make a Jeorrection because the "Evenins News" did not go put of its way to insult or injure people, nor did it wish to create wren impressions, The article was published with the] object of showing the nature of the articles which appeared in the Japan ce press, on the subject of Communism, which was a very important] question of the day. When he read] ff, it occurred to him that the club} referred to might have been some] Jother place in the vicinity. Anybody could go to the plaintiff Club to eat, drink, gamble and dance, and witness had seen there men, women and dren, There was no control over the membership. Anybody who signed) the register became a member.
Cross-examined by Mr. Ivanof? witness stated that he knew of 19 other Russian club in: the vieipity of:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.