The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-08-27 00:00:00

SURRENDER OF THE BANKRUPT.

On Monday afternoon, at the London Bankruptcy
Court, two meetings in connection with the Lang-
worthy case were held before Mr. Registrar Link-
later, at the first of which Mr. Brandon appeared on
behalf of Mr. Langworthy, and stated that his client
was present, and was prepared to surrender and
apologise to the court for the contempt of which he
had been guilty, and the second to apply for the an-
nulment of the bankruptcy. _

Mr. Theodore Lumley appeared on behalf of the
petitioning creditor; Mr. Stewart, assistant official
recei er, for the official receiver; Mr. Tanner on the
part of the official solicitor; and Mr. Kimber on the
part of two creditors, Mr. Bowles and Mr. Wimble,
whose proofs were disputed.
Mr. Brandon, who opened the proceedings, said he
had hoped that he would be in a position to apply at
once for the annulment of the bankruptcy, but there
were so many details to be carried out that they could
not be completed at once. Three deeds hatihad to be
executed, two of which had been settled and engrossed,
.s lid the third was in the course of being engrossed,
would be brought to the court in a short time.
,ro doubt some of the facts of the case had been
%heady brought to the judicial knowledge of the
learned registrar. It would be within his knowledge
that in the month of August, 1885, the order was
made in the Divorce Division of the High Court of
Justice directing that alimony to the amount of
£l2OO a year ohould be paid to Miss Long.
The Registrar said that the only judicial knowledge
he had oi tho cage was when he sat in the Court of
Appeal as registrar in the bankruptcy appeal.
Mr. Brandon: The first order for alimony being
wade in August, 1885, Messrs. Bircham, who then,
had the conduct of Mr. Langworthy's affairs' com-
municated that order by letter to Mr. Lang-
worthy, but Mr. Langworthy was travelling
about at that time in South America, and the
letters unfortunately did not reach him. He
(Mr. Brandon) had had an opportunity of satisfying
himself that the letters were sent in duplicate, but
from the facts that had transpired it was quite
clear that the letters did not reach Mr. Lang-
worthy, and it was more than probable that
they were lying at the addresses to which
they were sent. Mr. Langworthy came to England
for one day in 1886, and in reference to that he parti-
cularly desired to correct something which he was re-
ported to have said, but which he did not intend to
say. With reference to the advice which Mr. Lang-
worthy received on that occasion, he stated that Mr.
Langworthy had been advised that certain legal
arguments should take place before he committed
himself to any arrangements, and that subsequently
led to the bankruptcy. A mistaken construction had
been put upon the statement made by him to the
official receiver, which appeared to reflect upon
Messrs. Bircham, because the public might assume
that the advice he referred to was legal advice,
whereas he never intended anything of the sort,
and as far as Messrs. Bircham were concerned
they were absolutely absolved from all blame in
the matter. When the adjudicaiion of the bankruptcy
was made Mr. Langworthy only heard of it inadver-
tently, and it never occurred to him that it was neces-
sary for him to come to England to file a statement
of his affairs. He was now in court and ready to sub-
mit to it and file a statement of his affairs. He had
no desire to be contumacious, and was quite ready to
answer any questions that the learned registrar might
what to put to him. He, therefore, hoped that Mr.
Langworthy's apology to the court would be sufficient
to found a right on which he could apply for an order
to annul the adjudication.
The Registrar: Your present observations are in-
tended to show me why I may be in a position to
listen to the application made by Mr. Langworthy to
annul the bankruptoy.
Mr. Brandon: Yes. -

The Registrar: You do not desire the presence of I
Mr. Langwortby for the purpose of realising the pro-
perty.
Mr. Stewart: No; and as far as the department is
concerned we don't want him to go through the for-
mality of filing his stavement of affairs.
Mr. Tanner then read the report of the official re-
ceiver, which recapitulated the facts and dates.
Mr. Kimber applied to the Court not to annul the
adjudication until the proof of the creditors for whom
be appeared had been dealt with. He produced an
official letter from the secretary of the Marquis of
Salisbury, dated the 18th inst., stating that his lord-
ship would at once issue telegraphic instructions to
her Majesty's Consular officers at Buenos Ayres and
Rosario in the sense desired by him (Mr. Kimber),
on a letter from him stating that the expense of such
message would be defrayed out of the funds in the
bands of the editor of the Pall Mall Gazette. That
undertaking had been given and the messages sent
out.
The registrar said that the adjudication would not
be made until the proof in question had beer dealt
with.
Mr. Lumley said that after the fact of surrendering
and an apology to the Court, he did not oppose any
application for the adjournment on the usual pre-
liminaries being complied with.
Mr. Langworthy was then called and examined by
the registrar as follows: Mr. Langwortby, do I under-
stand that you now desire to submit to the jurisdiction
of the court ?—Yes.
The Registrar • Do you express your regret for
the contempt or which you have beeu guilty ?—The
contempt of which I have been guilty has been with-
out my knowledge. The letter written to me never
reached me.
The Registrar: You have heard your solicitor's
statement; is it correct ?—Yes. I was in Buenos
Ayres at time.
The Registrar: Do you now submit and tender an
apology '—Yes.
The .f.egistrar : Very well, having purged your
contempt, I will hear the application when it comes
on.

The Langworthy case was again before the Registrar
in Bankruptcy on Tuesday: and, subject to the pay-
ment of two small outstanding claims, if they should
be established, the Registrar stated that the bank-
ruptcy would be annulled,

On Tuesday evening a number of excursionists went
on a pleasure trip from Wadebridge to P4dstow, on the
north coast of Cornwall, in canoes, barges. and other
craft. The party were leaving Padstow Harbour on
their return trip about six o'clock, at Which time there
was a strong breeze blowing and the tide was running
rapidly. Shortly after they had left the harbour a
canoe containing two young men, named Bonney and
Docking. was seen to capsize and her occupants were
thrown into the sea. Their cries for help were dis-
tinctly heard from the shore, and several boats put off
to their asAstancc. Bonney, who is a good swimmer,
caught hold of Docking and succeeded in holding him
up for some time, but before the rescuing boats came
up he was so exhausted that he was compelled to
relkquish his hold, and Docking sank out of sight and
was drowned within a few yards of his would be
rescuers. Bonney was reecned in a very exhausted
state, and was on the point of sinking when he was
seized and dragged into one of the barges.
On Tuesday afternoon a temperance fete and gala
took place at Park House, near Barnsley. The pro-
ceedings were annowaced to conclude with a display of
fireworks by Wells, of London. Whilst the early
portion of the programme was being carried out about
twenty rounds worth of fireworks became ignited by
the sun aed exploded. The man in attendance jntnped
upon theca in the hope of saving some portion of
them, but was badly burnt about the hands The
whole went off, setting fire to a hedge, lied the flames
were with reat difficulty prevented from spreading to
an adjoining cornfield. The premature explosion
crw- d great consternation amongst thf3 thonesam
aesemb!fo,