New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-02-22
SCOTCH JUSTICE.
THE GLASGOW BANK TRIAL.

EniNBCRGH, teD. 81 no rcsuAt VA SAN Wv.
The City Of Glasgow Bank directors has probably
..oohai you by cable. 1t Is worth pointing out
lht the excellency of the system of administering
,,.t;c. according 10 the law Of Scotland has been
rnUv vindicated. Within four months OF the e1-
posnre Of one Of the most gigantic frauds of the
age the officers of the crown have studied q mass
of evidence that might have paralyzed less able
men. have framed an indictment in which the
,lightest flaw was certain of detection
and have carried the case through the
High Court Of Justiciary-after trlaI
extending over eleven days-to a success1nl
issue. On the twelfth day sentence was passed.
and within few hours of its delivery was IN course
Of execution. Whatever may be thought OF the
sentence itself il cannot be said that Scotch justice
moves with leaden wings.
second point 20 be noted is the extreme impair
tialty with which the prisoners were treated ana
70 this NAV be added the remarkable self-restr1nt
Of the people who have suffered at their hahds'
Naturally when the extent OF the wrong rfst Ie-
yealed itself there was CRY for vengeance IN
which both press and pulpit Joined. The appeal
was made to the law to puuJsh the men who Lad
perpetrated q wrong tina: in its results was pTacu-
csllv boundless There is not o town or
village I have visited in Scotland where
I did not hear of some pitful case oil
swift descent from sfucnce, at least from com
fort, 10 beggary. Retired professional men nave
been compelled in their old age 70 resume tue
battle of life-a battle they won through their own
industry and lost through others raScality. In one
particular case a physician upwards OF ninety
rcars Of age was obliged to choose between return
Nc TO practice or pleading for assistance from
brother nearly as old as himself and who has
moreover. to bear the responsibility Of twenty-five
bank shares. Near the latter was poor wldo"
who was living upon the interest Of two or three
shares and the rent of o small cottage. Young
men have not only lost their savings, but found
themselves saddled with mountain Of debt which
they have no possible means Of removing.
The failure, in short, passed ike a
blight over Scotland. Whether 1t has done
more than nip the national honor OF Scotland
am not IN position TO judge, but It has certainly
blasted the homes Of many Of the Scotch people ID
view Of all the bitterness engenderedby the conduct
of the directors it natural that there should be
cry, born Of sorrow. pity and anger, for the pun
ishment Of the offenders but the appeal has had no
apparent effect upon the administration Of justice.
Il was in fact rather the expression OF natural
feeling than the result Of any lack Of confidence IN
the law THIS Is shown by the fact that as the
trial drew near. the cry smOthered The papers
Ihave seen reported the proceedings without max
ing any comment until the trial was over. Every
one appears to have taken il as matter # course
that justice would move both swiftly and surely.
Nllulu Tue CONIt a e4L4I4d4 o'-A'''y a.
manifested to keep out prejudice. The
same caution to the jury forget all that they had
heard outside OF the court fell from the Lord Advo
cate in his speech for the prosecution, from the
counsel for the prisoners and from Lord Moncreif
IN making his charge In the Of the two latter
his was not remarkable, but that the prosecuting
counsel shouldn't only avoid in an Grafton So calm
and dispassouate as to be almost judicial, any APP
peal 10 the prejudices OF the jury, but should
actually 20 out OF bis way to warn them against
external Influences was an example of professional
mpartality and Of respect for the blind goddess for
which must confess ! was not prepared.
Within the court the scene on the eleventh
fay of the trial was both affecting and
Imposing The building stands behind the
Cathedral OF Saint Giles, and IN reaching II
stepped upon. before nOticingit, the small square
stone marking the spot where John Knox was
buried. All tic space between the Temple Of the
Church and the Temple of the Law was throuGrd
by mass OF people, composed apparently Of about
EQUAL portions of anxious spectators eager 10 hear
The verdict and of idle loungers. Merely throwing
glance a. tie great Cathedral in which alone stood
forty Of the atar- that Knox overturned, entered
door 70 the right Of the squar', and crossing
small autC-ToOm was IL the great hall OF the Court
NJ Session The members Of the old Scots Paria-
mcut who assembled here, until the Union of 1907
brought the sepeTate national IaIlGueut 10 an
end. have given place 10 crowd OF adI ocatos,
writers aud clerks he advocates lO1ugcd about
the huge fir places or promeHad.d the hall. and,
IUlgirg from the buZZ - conversation ana an occa-
E0uai laugh appeared disposed 20 their leisure
p.asantiv. Their costume j. rather amusing. The
gown mi ht be accepted even by one unused to
ANYTHING but the plain simplicity of IN American
court II icuds dignity and stat, mess 10 some men
Who naturally are neither ClEulh"d nor stately,
Bot the NJ. h1r>e-Ealr frl<zgd and curl"d, Is a
British Institution 10 Dc protested against I'D The
name alike Of comfort, Ape rance and common
sense. Along a corridor c ding from he sout end
of the hall lies the way To The Court of Juslc'ary
Livery cye Was bent upon tie Lord Justice
Clerk a. he delivered hs charge and
every ear was turned 10 catch the words Of
and q lawyer Is equaled by that Of no men IN
Scotland. he is The same MOnGef who repre-
sented Edinburgh IN Parliament before the reform
electors Of The " Modern Athens cultivated their
preference for successful dlygood> merchant
with taste Tor figures II tones that were low
but clear and with an admirable dI-unctucSs OF
elirnciafior be addressed the irfv, Il majority Of
whom could render a verdict. They listened with
GREATNESS attention 10 The words OF the Judge III
attitudes that gave abundant opportunity OF OH
serving th, u. one tl0 I0t I,qlhT q" ne 'oIH nat
lhey we're >cotcAmen. Their faces OF The strong
Lo"lsud typo, their general aspect OF d
termination. their look Of SPACIOUS lUtelIi-
1ruce were those OF men with ability TO
srTIye a. q conviction ana win courage cnoucn
o give "a cx preston. The prisoners. Stronach. Pot
Ter. and Oh. others presented marked CO0trd-t-d
body of old men mostly feeble. bowed with o. dl--
grace n their pC> ,lon, and sunk apparently 20
Departing re-IguanOu. II was hardly possible -
believe THAT these we're the men upon whom al
Scotland had called down vengeance or that these
Nerr tho men whose active or passive cl4Iue had
wrought Tie ruin under WnlCh tAtA country
poaned.
Advocates filed the place allotted 70 thcm-look-
i4g wonderfully alike N their curious head-dreSsi
alike M age and expression. Prom them the LORD
Advocate and SoiIcit0T-GeneTal are dstln-
ghsued solely by wearing gowns o. sAA,
Their eX-otiirial brethren being confined 70
material resembling black alpaca. The judges,
on the other hard wore magnificent robes If scarlet
and white. All however, wear tho wig which has
probably the ef CT on the one hand. OF putting oid