The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-07 00:00:00

A PHASE OF ARISTOCRATIC LIFE.

111ARUP3ON 'V. THA Mentarrs OP BATH.—In the Court.
of Q teen's Bench on Wednrslay, the plaintiff in this action,
Adolphus Harrison, sued the Marquis of Bath to recover the
sum of £7B; which he claimed to be duo to him for wine
supplied and SErviees rendered to the defendant in the years I
185 a and 1854. The defendant pleaded the general ssue.
The plaintiff was examined. He said :Ie 1852 I lived
in Tachbrook street, Pimlico. I carried on the business of
a wine agent. Some time in 18521 was acquainted with a
Madame Denis. She lived in 3, Denbigh terrace, Pimlico.
I several times saw the defendant, the Marquis of Bath,
there. About the middle of 1852 he gave me an order. lie
said, " Harrison, send in two dozen of port and two dozen
of champagne.° The price was not Mentioned. That was'
all that was said when he gave the order. I supplied the
wines. In 1853 I had a further order. I was at Madame
Denis's, and saw the defendant there. He ordered six
dozen apart. I supplied In December, 1853, I saw
the defendant: He wished me to go to Paris to carry some
letters. One was from himself to Mademoiselle Adele,
and the other was to Mademoiselle Gabrielle, I reeeived
the letters, and went to Paris, and delivered the
letters. I brought nothing back. I was absent ten or twelve
days. I hate charged £2o'foi that journey, incindieg the
-menses. In 1854 I went to White's several times, and
delivered letters for detlinclant to Mademoiselle Lmou-
rene I have charged £lO for that. I had several cabs.
Ie 1854 I received orders from the defendant for four dozen
more wine. It was not .always from the defendant per-
sonally; sometimes from Meditne Denis, who said; in the
defendant's pretence, " His lerdship wants four dozen of
wine." It was to be port and champagne. I am not positive
ebont. the port. The sums charged are fair and reasonable.
1. was for some time in prison, under sentence of
a court of justice. After I came out I saw the de.,
fondant at 44 Thrkeley Square. He gave me £5. -He
asked me whore Madame Danis was ? I sail she was in
Switzerland, and that she had forwarded to me two of his
lordship's letters. I had the letters with me, and handed
them to his lordship. I said I had called upon him for my
&aim for the wine. His lordship said he was certain I was
ill-treated, and aekefl me that wes,tlte aniount. I told him
the amount wag £7B, and that I thoneht I was entitled
to three times the amount for C:ie loss I had; experienced
and the heavy exPenses Of my trial. The defendant
said he would think over it, a:-.1 I might call on
hire in about .three weeks. He on that occasion
gave me •X 5. Nothing more passed before I left.
Cross examieed by Mr. James : My name is Adolphus
Harrison Feistell.# I call myself a wine mfrchant.
dropped the name of Fe'stell eight, nine, or ten years ago.
My 'nether is alive, and felsse.s by the name of Peistell. I
was arrested on the 2.2ecl of V:lnttary, 1854, on a charge
of entrapping a Belgian- girl into the hots e at Pinal'e
She went by the name of Alice Leroy. 1 was tried in
April, and' sentenced to two years' imprisonment with bard
labour. I came out on the Ist of April,lBs6. .I was tried

at the Central Criminal Court. This is my handy', iting.
The paper was read. It was headed :—" A •Harrison, of
Denis and Co., Denbigh terrace, Pim!ico," and purported
to be on account of wine consumed at the house of " M.D.,
by his lordshio's personal order;" I was not in partner •
ship with M. Denis. My partner was in Montevideo. I ex-
plain the heading by saying, it does not refer to Madame Denis,
but to a man who lived with her, named M. Denis. I have
known Madame Denis since 1850. She then lived in Stafford
place. I was•not present when she was arrested there in 1850,
far keeping a brothel, when Set jeant Loom arrested her.
I save her the day, after her tii tl at Clerkenwell. The
champagne was supplied from the docks ea warrants, as
usual, and the other by Mr. Dry, a wine merchant. I bought
it of him. There were cellars at Denbigh terrace. Three
or four dozen at a time were kept there. 1 slept there a
few times. I open.d the door a few times accidentally.
(The witness was then cross examined on the particulars of
his demand, which, among other items, contained one under
the date of May and Juni, 1854; for attendance on the
defendant; and carrying letters to various ladies, for
which he charged £10) The plaintiff said, in May and
June, 1854, I was in prison. (The particulars charged
for two dozen of champagne supplied in Joly, 1854.) The
witness sa El, I was in prison in July, 1854, but it was
ordered in January. I will swear that. I will swear I saw
the . defendant at tho house in October, 1853. To the
best of my belief he was there. I could almost swear
I saw him there in January, 1854 The July, 1854, is
a mistake. I swear that in January or February an or,:ir, was
given by the defendant for wine. I will not swear it was given

personally. The defendant was present when Madame Donis
gave the order. He cane on horseback. I was not in the
habit of delivering letters to gentlemen at different clubs. I
delivered two letters. In December, 1853, about the middle of
the month, the defendant sent use to Paris with letters. I
called on the defendant in July last year. I took some letters
Lord Bath had written to Madame Deals. I fisst saw the
valet. He offered me something in his hand like that, and
said " His lordship sends you that." I will not swear that
I saw the colour of it. I said I required to
.FCC his lordship.
I saw him, and gave up two letters. He gave me £5, arid; as
a matter of politeness; I thanked him. (Laughter,) My at-
torney's name is Barrow. I instructed him to write to the
Duke of Cambridge. I swear I saw the Duke of Cambridge
at 3, Denbigh. terrace, Pimlico. I swear the Duko of Gem.
bridge gave orders for wine. He said he was the Duke
of Cambridge to Madame Danis. I saw the Duke of Cam •
bridge on the bench this morning. I will not swear that
was the gentleman. I will swear Lord ,Somerton (who stood
up in court) was at Madame Denis's: His was only a slight,
order. I have brought an action against him' for wine. I
can't swear to the date et all. I hactsome books. I-believe
they were seized by. the police, stolen, or something—letters
and all. This is the inspector who arrested me. I had a.
pocket book taken from me, which was returned to me. I had
a ledger, an entry book, a cash book, and a bank book at the ,
Royal British Bank. (Loud laughter.) My house was broken'
into, and the books were taken. They were kept at 3, Den-
high terrace. I bad dissolved partnership with Jackson and
Harrison, eight months before. The inspector said, he had
only taken the pocket book from me. I have written to several
noblemen and' gentlemen for payment for wine. I have
written to-. perhaps a dozen. I instructed Barrow to
write. I thought he was a solicitor. (His Royal Highness.
the Duke of Cambridge here again entered the court and took
his seat on the 'bench.) If it was not his lordship (the Duke
of Cambridge) who was there, he had exactly the same fea-
tares His lordship gave me orders for wine. These noblemen
all prothised me a government situation—(loud lau3later)
if I said nothing. Lord Campbell : What situation did they
offer you? The witness said it was
.one of the. islands. Mr.
James suggested Norfolk Island. Lord Campbell: Was
it Norfolk Island ? The witness answered indistinctly,
and We understood him to say Nova Scotia, near
Montevideo. This was the 'plaintiff's case. The
Masquis of Ba'h was then called. He said : I am
the defendant in this scion. I visited this establishment.
I came of age on the first of Mareh, .1852. There were
French women there. I never ordered any wine of that
man (the plaintiff.) I may have had same wine in the
middle of the day, and occasionally at supper. I knew
Maclaine Denis. I have always paid for the wine, either
at the time or the next occasion. I used to m.ko her
a present, which included everything. There may
have been three bottles Tut on the table—one of
port, one of sherry, and one of champagne. I never sent
the plaintiff to Paris with any letters et all. I left Eng-
land on the 27th of October, 18:53. This is my diary. It
was on a Thursday. I went to Paris, and through Pat to
Marseilles, where I sent my yacht. 'I returned to England
on the 22nd of February, 1834. I was never at the house
after October, 1853. I never empoyed the plaintiff in
1854: He may have brought letters to moat the club, but I
never saw him. I have seen him .open the door both going in
and coming out of Madame Deals's. Madame Denis once said,
" Won't you give something to that poor Harrison? ho is out
all weathers." I gave him a sovereign. lit July, 1856, the
plain,iff's name w-.s brought up to me in Berkeley square. There
was a long letter brought, which I threw into the fire. I told
my servant to give him (the plaintiff) a sovereign, and send him
away. He sent word that he wanted to speak to me.' I told
the servant to let him come up When ho came up he either
said he was sent by Madame Denis,!or had received a letter
from her. He produced two or three letters which I had
written to Madame Denis before I went abroad. I took the
letters,_ and destroyed Them, • and then gave him £5. .He
thanked me for it, and seemed. extremely contented and
pleased. Ha made no claim upon use for wine. Ho.did not
ask me for £5 for his claim for wine. 1 gave it him as a
free gift—es a reward far 6riting ..my letters.' he made
no claiin for wine. Same time after Mr. Barrow sent
'in a 'claim: That was the first. I beard of arty claim.
Cross-examined by ' Mr. ChamberS : • I .visited Madame
Denis from February, 1852, to October, 1853. I have had.
wines at supper. They were .not supper parties. Two or
three ladies might have partaken of it, I dtd not meet gen-
gentlemen there. Ponce met accidently one gentleman there ;
and on another occasion I, took a friend ehere to show, him
the. house. I occasionally made Madame Donis presents.
She -would suggest that I should give something for supper
which the women would like. On more thin one occasion
she hai requested that I shbuld order
,wines, I should say
most distinctly Harrison was not present. He is not a man I
would permit to be in the' room when I was there. I have
been with Madame Denis in eher room, on theg round floor.
I. cannot tell how many times I was at the house. I
geterally, remained' a Short time; two or three hours.
Mr, James proposed to call 'Lord Somerton' and the Duke
of Cambridge to show that they bad never been 'at the house.
Lord Campbell- said he, could not receive the evidence ; it
would be contrary to the !Arles of evidence. Lord. Campbell
was about to sum up, when the jury. said it was unne-
cessary, as they- bad made tip' their minds to find their
verdict for the defendant, Lord Campbell Said the action was
a most unfounded and infamous one, and the defendant had
had done well in defending it. The uncorroborated
evidence of the plaintiff was contradicted by his own conduct,