(Jewish Daily Bulletin)
Fifty-six changes, of which 54 are eliminations and two changes in phraseology, in the complaint of Aaron Sapiro against Ford, were announced by William Henry Gallagher, Sapiro’s counsel. This step was taken in accordance with a suggestion to that effect by Judge Raymond. Gallagher explained that the amending was of such a nature that the Ford counsel will be compelled to face the Jewish issue which they have studiously sought to avoid.
Defense counsel insisted upon adjournment until Monday to permit them to “study an entirely new case.” The court was reluctant, however, and declared a recess until 2 o’clock this afternoon to permit a preliminary examination of the eleven typewritten pages of the amended declaration.
“Amending the complaint sharpens the focus on the Jewish issue and makes it so specific counsel for Henry Ford must answer it just as specifically,” said William Henry Gallagher, chief of Sapiro’s counsel, today. “By cutting out instances which, while violent and unpardonable slanders in themselves, are comparatively trivial to the chief issues, we have strengthened our effort to make the Jewish issue the chief factor in this case.”
Although fifty-four instances are eliminated from the complaint, most of them are only phrases or extracts from the Independent, which did not contain Sapiro’s name. Many of these are repetitions of other alleged libels.
“Those instances which are solely slander on the Jewish race, such as ‘the Jewish organization,’ ‘the Jewish movement on American agriculture,’ ‘the Jewish promoters’ and ‘Oriental financiers,’ and not directly connected with Mr. Sapiro, were those we particularly cut out,” said Judge Marx. “Don’t think we’re dropping our attempt to get the ‘Jewish issue’ in this suit.”
Henry Ford, it is understood, will not take the stand until next Friday, or possibly, the following Monday. The decision of William Henry Gallagher, attorney for Mr. Sapiro, to place his client on the stand ahead of the man whom he is fighting, is responsible for this postponement of what is likely to be the high-interest mark for the trial.
The present witness, William J. Cameron, editor of Ford’s “Dearborn Independent,” will probably be on the stand the rest of this week. It is entirely possible that Mr. Cameron may continue on the stand until Monday, when Fred L. Black, the business manager of the “Independent”, will be called.
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