The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-10 00:00:00

WIMBLEDON PRIZE MEETING.

(Before the Judge Ordinary.)
BREMNER V. BREMNER AND BRETT.
Mr. Hawkins, Q.C., and Dr. Spinks for the pe-
titioner ; Mr. Kerslake, Q.C., and Mr. Harrison for
the respondent.

This case was partly heard on Saturday last; and
to-day Elizabeth Pye, the sister of the respondent,
was called to prove an allegation of cruelty. An-
other witness, since married, admitted that Bremner
had had an improper intimacy with her. She said
that she was not a prostitute, but that she had a
iew friends who used to visit her. Some other
women gave evidence of a similar character.
The case was again adjourned.

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The crisis which had been impending at Wimble-
don for the previous two days in reference to the
marking on the Swiss principle took place yester-
day. The military authorities on the ground de-
clined any longer to expose the troops to what they
considered the dangers of the system. But, as there
was something remarkable both in the mode of
communicating this decision and in the spirit with
which the announcement was met by the Council
and the Volunteers, a slight retrospect is necessary
to convey a clear idea of the proceeding. On Wed-
nesday evening matters were in this position—re-
peated accidents having occurred to the markers,
application was made to the Commander-in-Chief,
who heard all that the Council had to suggest in the
way of additional precautions, and finally declared
that, if next morning, on viewing the alterations
which were proposed, Gen. Hay and Col. Steele, of
the Coldstream Guards, were of opinion that the
shooting might safely proceed, the Swiss principle
of marking should be adhered to; but if their deci-
sion was adverse to that method the old flag-system
should at once be employed. At half-past 7on
Wednesday night the only arrangements in exist-
ence were those made previous to the meeting for
marking on the Swiss principle. By half-past 9
o'clock next morning, if faith were to be kept with
the Volunteers, it was necessary that the Council
should be in a position to act on either alternative,
according to the decision of the military authorities.
The business of a week had to be compressed into a
single night, a second range of markers' butts
suited for flag marking to be erected, and the
sets of flags, forming an indispensable portion
of their furniture, to be procured from town. Ob-
viously, there could be little rest for the execu-
tive that night. Lord Elcho, Captain Drake, RE.,
Captain Wigram, of the Coldstream Guards, and
Captain Page literally spent the intervening hours
on foot or in the saddle, while fatigue parties of
soldiers and civilians worked till 10 p.m., and began
again with the first light at 2.30 a.m. Captain
Drake, in addition to his exertions at this point, had
undertaken some eveninge before to give a reading
of " Mr. Bob Sawyer's Party" in the Clubroom, at
9 o'clock. If thie were postponed the camp at large
would suspect the existence of some grievous hitch,
and the success, or, at all events, the enjoyment of
the meeting of 1863 would be endangered. Accord-
ingly this able and versatile commander fulfilled his
promise to the volunteers, and when he once more
returned to work no one could have guessed that
his own thoughts were less pleasantly engaged than
theirs had been in listening to him. Morning
dawned, and, after the most strenuous and unre-
mitting exertions, the Council, at half-past 9
o'clock, were in a position to say to the military
authorities, "We await your decision." This Gen.
Hay was not prepared to give, as Colonel Steele
was unfortunately detained in town, and did not
reach Wimbledon till past 11 o'clock. In the mean-
time, of course, the arrangements with the firing
parties were getting behind-hand, so it was agreed,
pending Colonel Steele's arrival, the marking at
those ranges where the greatest pressure was telt
should be on the old flag system. When the com-
manding officer of the Guards ultimately arrived he
was taken, with General Hay, to view the changes
which had been made, and which, with the rules
to be insisted upon at the firing points, the Council
hoped would prevent the recurrence of accidents.
The boards which were erected at some distance in
front of each firing point to prevent the marksman
from seeing any target but the one he ought to
aim at were pointed out ; the rule by which volun-
teers would be prevented from getting into position
before the danger signal had been taken down was
discussed; and, finally, the butts, in each of which
there was only to be one marker at a time, were
visited. The following special order had been
widely circulated :
" Several accidents having occurred to markers, the fol-
lowing regulations will be most strictly enforced :
" 1. No person will take up his position to fire at any
target until the Register-keeper gives the word ' Ready,'
and names the target at which he is to fire.
"2. The person about to fire will take care that he fires
between the boards, which are numbered the same as the
target at which he is ordered to fire.
"3. Any competitor firing at or hitting the wrong target,
or infringing these rules, will be excluded from all further
competition throughout the meeting. "By order,
S. FLOOD PAGE.
" N.B.—The Council earnestly appeal to every competitor
to assist them in giving effect to the above necessary rules."
General Hay and Colonel Steele admitted that in
their opinion no more effective precautions could be
taken than those which had been devised, and that,
if the instructions were only adhered to at both
ends of the range, all danger of accident ought to
be at an end. Later in the day they seem to have
been under the impression that a qualified consent
only was given by them to the Swiss system of
marking ; but at the time the impression conveyed
to the Council certainly was that these officers
sanctioned the measures adopted during the night,
and that the shooting was to proceed as usual. In
that belief Lord Elcho quitted General Hay and
Colonel Steele, and, telling the Guardsmen that he
would not ask any man to undertake a duty from the
discharge of which he himself shrank, went into one
of the butts, and remained there for upwards of an
hour. In the meantime, General Hay and Colonel
Steele arrived at the conclusion that, although acci-
dents ought not to happen, it was still possible that
they might happen; and the British officers' bug-
bear "responsibility" having been placed on their
shoulders by the Commander-in-Chief they deter-
mined to get rid of it as soon as possible. They
accordingly drew np and signed the following do-
cument, which was duly forwarded to the Execu-
tive of the National Rifle Association :
" Wimbledon-common, July 9.
"Having most carefully considered the question of the
present system of disc marking, and feeling the very grave
responsibility a continuance of that system entails on us,
we are compelled with much regret to decline to accept such
responsibility beyond this day's shooting.
"CHARLES HAY, Major-General.
"Thos. STEELE, Colonel, Coldstream Guards.
" The Executive of the National Rifle Association."
Manifestly, such an announcement was as un-
pleasant as it was unexpected. The Council having,
at great labour and expense, placed themselves in a
position to adopt either system of marking which
the military authorities might select had a right to
expect that one or other would be chosen. The
sanctioning, for a single day, of a system of mark-
ing which at the same time they condemned was
not only inconsistent, but mischievous, as regards
the conditions of the contest. General Hay and
Colonel Steele said, and, no doubt, intended, that in
the partial sanction given to the disc system the
convenience of the Council should be consulted as
much as possible. But the fundamental principle
of the competition for the Queen's prize beingthat
Volunteers shall shoot, as far as possible, on terms
of equality, it follows that to continuethe
contempla-
tion system for a whole day when it was irnmgtherest
to return to the flag-marking d
of the meeting must create the
between competitors. When Lord
Elchoinequality
n he lost wasp
no
of the step which bad been take .
Volunteers—
about lunch hour—and explained to them the position
widest
e
prised w
ued
that the disc system of marking
voice they of affairs. He then asked thuheruuitlwd absetchoenitrinw wish
insure willingnessits continuance. e
ne rwa co-operate in any
thLi osmbreedeoaeusnEludtlrecerisie Elcho which
would declared it
or be abandoned. With one
the butts
to be preferable to the old flag system, and intimated
thi
there was only one way
was by volunteering toGuard
go into be done,
themselves till arrangements could
and that
for supplying the places of the
this address
were willing to follow them, If others
member 8.
would set the example. The Bof the Council
effect of
was such that in a few moments names
sufficient to supply all the more than
during the day but throe ghout the
vacant places, not only
meeting, were gives in, beet part of the
the members of the Victoria