372 



MY LIFE 



[Chap. 



began to receive letters from friends, and also from perfect 

 strangers, asking me if I knew what was said about me 

 everywhere. I will now give a summary of the steps I was 

 obliged to take with the results, or rather absence of results, 

 that followed. 



In 187 1, Mr. Walsh prosecuted Hampden for libel. He 

 was convicted at the Old Bailey, and bound over to keep the 

 peace for one year. 



In January, 1871, I brought an action for libel in order to 

 give Hampden the opportunity of justifying, if he could, his 

 language towards me. He did not defend the action, but 

 suffered judgment to go by default, and the jury gave me a 

 verdict with £600 damages. But whatever property he had 

 had been transferred to his son-in-law (a solicitor), so I could 

 not get a penny, and had to pay the costs of the suit which, 

 though undefended, were heavy. 



In October, 1872, I prosecuted him at the Old Bailey for 

 further libels. He was respited on publicly apologizing in 

 several newspapers. 



On January 13, 1873, he was brought up again for fresh 

 libels, and was again respited on publishing a fuller apology 

 and complete recantation of all his charges, as follows : — 



" Public Apology. — I, the undersigned John Hampden, 

 do hereby absolutely withdraw all libellous statements pub- 

 lished by me, which have reflected on the character of Mr. 

 Alfred Russel Wallace, and apologize for having published 

 them ; and I promise that I will not repeat the offence. — 

 John Hampden." 



This was published in several of the London daily papers 

 and in various country papers in which any of his letters had 

 appeared, and the judge gave him a serious warning that if 

 brought up again he would be imprisoned. 



Some months afterwards, however, he began again with 

 equally foul libels, and I had him brought up under his 

 recognizances, when he was sentenced to two months* 

 imprisonment in Newgate. 



But within a year he began again as violently as ever, 

 and on March 6, 1875, he was indicted at Chelmsford Assizes 



