THE INDIGNATION OF JAMES JUDD 315 



for an amending Act was passed soon afterwards and no 

 such scandalous use of legal processes would now be 

 possible. 



As it was, the conviction was subsequently quashed, 

 for though I did not care two straws about it, Mr James 

 Judd could not endure to think of himself as a convicted 

 criminal ; so he set the law in motion once more, and it 

 was held by the Court of Crown Cases Reserved that the 

 Attorney-General's Fiat for the Prosecution was bad, 

 as being too indefinite. The judges were unanimous on 

 this point as regards the terms, " proprietors, printers 

 and publishers," but there was a division of opinion as 

 to whether " the editor " was not sufficiently specific. 

 Three judges against two decided that it was not, and so 

 even I was cleared. 



All would now have been well, but the Messrs Judd, 

 anxious to carry the war into the enemy's camp, went for 

 the complainant and made him bankrupt for their costs. 

 His host of Radical supporters were ready with any 

 amount of money for the attack on us, but not with a 

 farthing that might find its way to us, so no costs were 

 forthcoming. 



And then a worse thing happened. An action was 

 started in the Civil Courts against us for the same libel. 

 I knew a certain amount about law, but it was a revelation 

 to me that such a process was possible, after the criminal 

 one had been quashed ; but there was no mistake about 

 it, and as the plaintiff was a bankrupt, with assets nil, 

 we applied in chambers for security for costs, and got 

 an order accordingly. 



This order, however, was reversed on appeal, as it was 

 contended that libel was a personal offence, and a man 

 should not be debarred from redress by his poverty. 

 So we were up to be shot at once more by a man of straw, 

 supported by the same Radical capitalists as before. 

 The case came on before Baron Huddlestone, and the 

 plaintiff had a bad time of it, as also had his backers. 

 He was a milk-dealer, and in answer to Interrogatories 



