The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-25

and it was stated that, for every pound al
vanced, there was an annuity TO be paid. The
case eventually came on for trial at Gloucester,
before Mr.. Justice Coleridge and a special
Jury. Mr.. Bovill, the present Lord Chief JUS
tice, in the absence of his seniors, Sir +. Kelly
and Mr.. Keating, conducted the plaintiffs
case and Sir Frederick Thesiger led an army
of five counsel for the defendant, The claim
was that he was the son of Sir Hugh Smythe,
who married Jane, the only daughter OF Count
Vandenbergh, by Jane, daughter of Major
Goodkin of Court Maosherry.
Sir Hugh Smythe gave his evidence with
the utmost coolness. While his own counsel
was examining him, there was nothing to
check the easy flow of autobiographic nara
tive. He recounted his earliest Impressions:
how. while under the carpenters reof OF the
name of Provis, he was treated IKE a little
lord in the village; how ladies' OF the h'gnest
ronk visited HIM and how the Marchioness of
Ratb. when he was only thirteen, gave him
afteen hundred pounds which had belonged to
his mother, and various documents necessary
to establish his birth. He said that his re-
puted father, John Provis, of Warminster,
q carpenter, gave him Bible, some jewelry
belonging to his mother, his fathers portrait,
and a brooch marked "Jane Goodkin." 1t was
also stated that he was for some time at Win
chester School. He gave an account how he
had been lecturer on educational subjects, in
this country and abroad, and then turned lee
turer on oratory, and actually lectured before
the Queen at Buckingham Palace. The truth
of this statement was left untested. When,
however, the witness got into the hands of Sir
Frederick Thesiger, there ensued one OF the
most memorable and searching cross-examina-
tions known in forensic history. In the first
place, the educational lecturer altogether
broke down in his spelling.
Asked to spell ''vicissitudes," " he spelt it
"vissicitudes;' and when there was laugh,
he said he could give authority for such spell
ing in the dictionaries. Asked to spell 'scru-
tiny" he spelt it 'screwteny," and insisted
to the Judge that many persons spelt it that
way, He spelt "whom'' "whome," and "set
aside" "sett asside." In his speaking he had
the curious habit of thus doubling his eonso-
nants; and one of his signatures impugned as
forgery was "DObbson," " instead Of "Dob-
son." This false spelling constantly appeared
in the documents, and so impugned their
authenticity. He got very restless as SIR
Frederick's cross. examination increased IN
severity. He declared he would say nothing
except in answer to question. He used some
insulting expression to counsel. AT one time
he sat down terrified and exhausted by the
paocess of cross-examination. An anonymous
letter was sent to the Judge, which he pro-
duced urging that he ought not to be un-
fairly pressed. At o'clock in the evening
the cross. examination was suspended till the
following morning.
The next morning telegraphic despatch
reached Sir Frederick Thesiger from town.
This was a signal instance of the advantages
of publicity in trials and of the facilities af-
forded by the electric telegraph. II was said
that the electric wires hanged John Tawell,
and they were almost equally fatal to the cause
of the pseudo barOnet jeweller in Oxford
street sent word that he could give some i'm
portant information. Messages were inter
oh NJ EraIor;oIy ad N
ask him whether he had not directed the name
of Goodkin to be engraved on the brooch. He
now completely broke down under examina-
tion. He turned very pale, and asked per-
mission to leave the court to recruit himself.
Had he done this he might have escaped, and
have avoided his coming doom. at last, Sir
Frederick put the terrible question whether
he had not been in Jail for horse-stealing
during some period of eighteen months, of
which he had given a very different account
Then Sir Frederick, taking up the tele-
graphic message, amid breathless silence,
asked him whether he had not directed the
name of Goodkin to be engraved on the brooch
by jeweller in Oxford street, short time
beforeY The witness acknowledged that he
had. There was the utmost sensation at this
avewal. OF course there was an end of the
case. There were many more Witnesses
about a hundred and thirty, including both
sides--to be examined bat this utter failure
of the principal witness settled the case. The
counsel for the plaintiff threw up their briefs.
The unhappy man was Immediately ordered
into custody by the judge for wilful and cor
rupt perjury, and was received by iavelin
man in a neighboring apartment. 1t was
stated that there were about eighty witnesses
in attendance to disprove every alleged
fact in his case; and the Smythe family
spent some six thousand pounds in over
throwing this monstrous claim.
He was afterwards tried at Gloucester for
forgery, and sentenced to twenty years trans
portation. So heavy were the stakes for
which he had played-title and fortune on
the one hand and transportation on the other.
! The whole history of this wonderful fabric OF
deception came out on the criminal tIial'
The one strange fact was that he certainly
had received some education at winchester
| College. Otherwise there never was clearer
case of imposture, without even the slenderest
basis for the huge superstructure of deceit
His own sister identified him as the plain
workman's son. There never had beer
the least doubt about his name, though ht
had turned lecturer and assumed another
His career was traced step by step. 1t was
shown that he was man of bad character
with large intermixture of the fool, and al
one time had been under sentence of death fol
horse-stealing.