SLANDER BY A JEALOUS LOVER......Part #1 HEAVY DAMAGES. At the Lancaster Assizes, on Saturday, the case of DIXON and ARMSTRONG v. COWARD, an action to recover damages for slander, was heard. MR. MATTINSON, Q.C., M.P., and MR. MELLOR were for plaintiffs, and MR. SHEE, Q.C., and MR. SANDERSON were for defendant. Plaintiffs were MISS DIXON, of Crosthwaite, near Kendal, and ARMSTRONG, a retired police constable formerly stationed at Crosthwaite and later at Arnside. Defendant is a nurseryman at Troutbeck, and for some years paid his addresses to MISS DIXON (who with her mother possessed a little property adjoining that of defendant at Troutbeck) with a view to marriage. In September, 1895, MISS DIXON broke off the engagement, but defendant would not take his dismissal, and visited time after time at MRS. DIXON's house. He was at last told not to come any more, because his presence annoyed MISS DIXON and made her ill. Then defendant, who believed that ARMSTRONG (who was a married man and 25 years older than MISS DIXON) was his favoured rival, complained to SUPERINTENDENT GRAHAM, of Kendal, about his conduct, and P. S. NOTMAN, in the superintendent's presence, took down the statement, in which defendant said that MRS. DIXON had told him that ARMSTRONG had made her daughter ill. Pressed as to how the constable had made her ill, defendant said the superintendent must draw his own conclusions. As he would not sign the statement, it was destroyed. Later, SIR JOHN DUNNE, Chief Constable of Cumberland and Westmorland, having received a communication from an influential magistrate, directed SUPERINTENDANT GRAHAM to make inquiries respecting the complaint of defendant against ARMSTRONG. He went to Troutbeck, and there defendant made a statement in which he said that MISS DIXON told him that she could not marry him because ARMSTRONG had been unduly familiar with her. He was asked to sign the statement, and he promised to attend at Kendal next day to do so, but failed to attend as promised. Later, however, he did attend at the police station at Kendal, and in SUPERINTENDENT GRAHAM's presence he told SIR JOHN DUNNE that the statements in the document were true. As defendant produced no evidence, the matter ended so far as the police were concerned, SIR JOHN DUNNE stating in a subsequent letter that the statements of ARMSTRONG, MRS. DIXON and MISS DIXON contradicted that of defendant, but that if the latter would put any evidence he had in respect to the matter, in writing, it would be inquired into. Evidence was then given denying the allegations made. Evidence was given by SUPERINTENDENT GRAHAM and SERGENT NOTMAN as to the accuracy of the statements taken down by them; by SIR JOHN DUNNE as to the remarks of the defendant in his interview with him; and by MISS DIXON and ARMSTRONG as to the falseness of the allegations. SIR JOHN DUNNE said that the defendant had subsequently gone about making similar statements, as appeared from letters he (SIR JOHN ) had received from magistrates. ..............................................................................................Part #2 follows.