The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-07-12
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The Select Committee on the Lord Chancello
and the Leeds Bankruptcy Court were unanimously
highly desirable for the public interest and one
can read their report, published in another column
of our impression of to-day. without coming to the
same conclusion. stranger picture of official
life has never been unveiled to vulgar gaze. The
committee were charged with the investigation of
the circumstances under which Mr.. Henry Wilde,
Registrar Of the Leeds Court OF Bankruptcy,
resigned his post and Mr.. WEIGH became his sue
cessor and they were further required to ascer-
tain whether any negotiations had been entered
upon for the transfer Of Mr.. Welch to Registrar
ship in London. so as to make vacancy for the
eldest son Of the Lord Chancellor at Leeds. Such
an inquiry was obviously difficult, and its difficult
ties were not diminished by the contradictory ma
ture of the evidence which the committee had to
sift and estimate. But the facts which they may
be considered to have ascertained beyond dispute
constitute grevious scandal. The Lord Chancel
lor indeed is not found to have been guilty of any
greater fault than haste and want OF caution; but
this is the only redeeming point in the pic
surs Geo ana , n,ons ere Re ss 'er On
first thought seems to hdue been priuote gain, and
he last thought the public seruice to 'OAtch they
sCere devoted.
Early last year an inquiry had been instituted
into the Leeds Bankruptcy Court by the Lord
Chancellor, and the reports made to him charged
Mr.. Wilde with having improperly passed the &C.
counts of the official assgnees and messengers OF
the court, and with having borrowed money from
them, to the destruction Of his Independence and
efficiency. These reports were, by order Of the
Lord Chancellor, sent to Mr.. Wilde by Mr.. Miller,
the chief registrar in bankruptcy, on the 10th OF
May, 1854, with q request that he would explain
the charges against him. In the same month Of
May the Lord Chancellor had learned that his
eldest son, Mr.. Richard Bethel, was deeply in.
debted, and had compelled him to resigned his post
~ registrar and In the middle Of the same month
Mr.. WEIGH, a barrister Of the Northern Circuit,
man of some means, and an acquaintance of Mr..
Bethel, pressed upon the Lord Chancellor appli.
cations which he had previously made to
in the middle Of May was just this-that Mr..
Wilde was accused Of serious misconduct, Mr..
Bethel had been dismissed from his Office and was
deeply indebted, and Mr.. Welch, with some money
la mis- pocket, was applicant for an appointment.
That Mr.. Bethel and Mr.. WEIGH could help each
other IL obvious and the Rev. g. r. Harding, vicar
Of St. Anhe's, Wandsworth, stated to the COM
mittee that 1t was arranged in May, 1864, between
himself, Mr.. Bethel and Mr.. WEIGH, that Mr..
Welsh should advance $500 to Mr.. Bethel, who
should use his influence with his father to get
Mr.. WEIGH al appointment On receipt OF 1t
Mr.. Welch was 60 pay 81 900 more, one-thlrd
of which was to be Mr.. Harding's share. The
arrangement is denied by Mr.. Bethel and Mr..
WEIGH, but the fact that Mr.. Wclch gave Mr.
Bethel check for five hundred pounds on the 9Th
of May was undenable, and Mr. WEIGH confssses
that he advanced the sum to secure Mr.. BethelPs
influence with his father. vacant Office was soon
found. On the Goth Of June Mr.. Miller sent Mr..
Wilde percmptory letter, informing him that un-
retire he would be served with notice to appear
publicly in open court. to show cause why he
| should not be dismissed. SO much OF the letter
| Mr.. Miller declares was in strict accordance
with the instructions Of the Lord Chancellor, al
though the Lord Chancellor himself distinctly
denies that he authorized Mr.. Miller to say any.
thing about retiring; however that may be, Mr..
Miller added Of his own motion q suggestion
| to Mr. Wilde that hts state Of health was such
that he might get medical certificate emitting
him to retire on pension. The suggestion was
at once taken by Mr.. Wilde, and on the 30th Of
June Mr.. Miller submitted TO the Lord Chancellor
Mr.. wide's petition to retire, accompanied by q
certificate from Mr.. Hey, an eminent surgeon OF
Leeds, stating that he had been consulted by Mr..
Wilde in the previous August on account of a fail
ure in his sight. Mr.. Hey appears TO have been
the only person involved in the business who was
troubled with a conscience, and he fatty refused
TO express the certificate In stronger terms. Mr..
Miller says he called the Lord Chanceor's attcn.
ton TO its unsatisfactory nature; but the Lord
| Chancellor declares II impossible that he could
have seen IT, or he should never have done what
| he did on the same 30th Of June-viz., allow Mr..
Wilde 10 retire on pension, aud appoint Mr.