The sun., 1872-02-16
The Longest speech Ever Made in the
World.

The Longest speech Ever Made in the
World.
The opening argument OF the Attorney
General of England, Sir JONI ID. COLE
RIDGE, who appears for the defence In the
celebrated TIcHBoRNE case has proved
perhaps the very longest speech ever
heard of. IL was begun on the 1ith OF
January. and at our last accounts il had
not been concluded. An entire trial which
occupied rs much time as has been con-
sumCd by this address would ordinarily be
deemed u long ono; and II seems hardly
possible that speech of such extraordinary
length could be made continuously inter-
esting. However, ten days after he began,
neither Judge nor Jury showed any wish 90
p-ravc the distinguished advocate Stop
speaking. Before proceeding on that day
he remarked that certain ingenious per-
sous who were ignorant OF the facts had
criticised him for not restricting himself to
a day and a half. But it was necessary, in
asmuch rs the jury were now 20 hear for
the frat time connected account Of the
case from its outset, that he should still de-
tain them. This, however, he would not
do one moment longer than was absolutely
the jury at once expressed the opinion that
the Attorncy-General had not wasted Il
single moment since he began to speak.
There can be no doubt that This speech
has damaged the case of the claimant in
| public estimation. II exhibits most forci-
bly, and in the clcarest light the inconsis-
tcncy and inherent improbablty OF much
OF the testimony adduced in his behalf.
| Persons who lately were pcfectly clear that
hc must be the true SIR ROGER TIcHBoRSE.
in spite of all that the defendants could
| bring forward 10 show the contrary, are
now about convinced that his claim never
had any foundation Whatever, although -
| YET no testimony has been put in for the
| defence.
The so-callo1 coc',-phcasant story wcn
! illustrates how certain portions of the
claimants own evidence have been dcmOl-
| ishrd. \ Col. LvsuINGroS had produced IL
| certain bird which he testified was rccog-
| uilcd by the claimant "a a singular bird
/ which ne hIl shot in South America und
sent home 10 his family. Tho Attorney
! Gcucrnl avcrrcd that this was not a curious
| South american bird a, an, but an English
cock pheasant, killed on English SOIL and
skinned 10y nn English cook. Proceeding
i'm n somewhat facctious vcin hc said:
"wc rather challenged gls cock pheasant, aud wcre
furrr ci that Wy learned friCud dd not tiy 40 show
Gpciied s G- To- hear of come srcit laminary as to
te phts4nt ,1r ons ig,5 court na9 & Iy ils
can. W. ON our part heard of avery lniGlngcnt man
knows ali about these b s, and we won't to Mr w,Gn
! iisrg,,,r.ii' wc fGard Out not Sniy What Mr. VAN
Va. an Eus'h cock p9el.ant as ever ws and skinned
.y l az .li '. ~ AZ, W nnn tHu., Luz - ,@.n.,t @
ed friends but IT, curious that We should have goneto
ne ,5me EeIson - ~ tyy did and i,' ES 'hogd haSe
the truth anu dld not present toyou So ge thought
matters Of ornithology Wr. Goots whose name is
ds 80 Sg y h @ S est R a S IL he Sr 1 ndt @ sa
| hnffh cock pheasant, skluued by an English COOK;
ssGi' sant '''' '' '''' '' " j. d" h'S'''' COCA '"''
This was no unimportant matter. If the
bird story rs presented in the claimants
case remained uncontrovertcd, it would go
far toward establishing his position. But,
in the words OF Sir JouN CoLERDGE:
enc "lt turns out though e9nfe,. did not know 4 n
s,ST "a @ @ apI sS 40 e P4% % SSHd aSt ey , me
l. arUud Ilac, but what du you huN Of the scuuqdrel
i-u VI thr man VINO can gruvvy put that forward, and
| Try to st an estate by means OF lt2'
Sir JoHN was hardly le's severe in his
clover comments on the claimants account
Of his early life in Paris, where he must
have resided in his youth If he is the real
Sir Room TGcHnorNE. IL will be remem-
! bcrcd that he was asked 10 give the names
| Of some OF the young Indies with whom hc
was In the habit OF dancing AT that time.
| He profcssed his ability 10 do this, but de-
clincd on the ground that il would Ice i'm
proper TO mention their names in II court
| although previously he had not scrupled
to blacken the reputation OF Mrs RAD
cLrrFE, formerly Mis- KATE DoUGHTY,
whose cousin ne claims 10 be- The Attor-
ncy-Geucral said that tins refusal remind
ed him Of HANS CHRISTIAN Andersen
story about the princes who slept on
twenty feather beds, with Il pea under the
lowest one. Stin she perceived the pea
and was uncomfortable because OF its
presence; which shows, says the novelist,
that she was a real princess. $50 this is Il
real gentleman. Such is his dclicacy that
he objects to mention the names of young
ladies with whom he danced twenty years
ago, for fear Of woundinG their feelings"
IN the earlier pant Of his speech the At
toney-Geueral stigmatized the claimant rs
an impostor and pcriurer. Certainty he
is both or neither That the defendants
|
spimoy against them there cannot be the
slightest doubt. The manner in which it
came about was thus stated 10 the jury;
You have often heard me snclE ot thls as an mpos.
turc, and have Wcd other words 10 describe IT, TN
dtrsttud that 40 not mean 10 say THIS was Contul
racy IN the sense IN which you read Ot couspraccs IN
novels hut dc not see them IN public or private t.
10 not suppose that number Of men Slth masks and
dark lanterns met round table and c1ncOClcd this
story and, looking one another straight IN The face, re-
solved that they would put forward me pmnth AS the
heir OF the IlcunouNfs I'm my cNpoTnnc' never met
with mch pcnons and except nhooss you do not meet
VITA them In thr hnetrouth century. Nay more dare
say even ~ nlt innost Eluls the" pcrsons did not
deliberately intend To- dp thr great mischief thuy have
dOne--t0 inlet pam great connection, and cripple
for years and ycata great estate. do not SUPPOSE
these persons tucy thought ont what thCy
were about 10 do n Is not Ia aunln nature do 20,
aud do not suggest U Mltlout mrnniuE any JOKE, I
sl1ull fay Of THIS oousi tracy lorsY sad tu" Uncle
Iuu's cabin" hpttt Il gtuNd,'
It remains 10 be seen whether the forth
coming proof will justify the scnthng
speech by which il has been prefaccd, and
whether il will thus enable the jury to rem