St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-01
LoNn0N's GHEAr SCANDAL.
Gritty LabOuchere Calls 1t Up in
Fariiam

LONDON, Feb. 2S.-In the house O
commons to-day Mr.. Labouchere spoke
10 his motion of inquiry into the Cleve
land street scandal which had beer
made of the regular order for to-day il
| the house of commons. He alleged
that the case presented an official at
tempt tOdeteat the COURSE of justice
and therefore he has moved the rednc
ton of the credits related to the admin
iStration of justice. He detailed the
facts of the scandal and contended that
the sentence OF nine months impriSon-
ment for Week was Itself a scandal, be-
cause of the inadeQuacy OF the punish
ment to the otfense committed. The
treasury officials, having full knOwl-
edge of the whole affair, had refrained
from prosecuting NewlOVe and Week
until Sir Stevenson BlackWO0d, secre-
tary to the pOstOflioe, had insisted upon
taking action against his own subordi-
mates, the postal employees involved.
Then, finding themselves compelled to
prosecute these two men, the treasury
officials determined to prevent the eX-
posure from going any further and tried
10 hush it all up. When Hammond lied
the police proposed to secure his extra
ditiOn from Belgium, where they had
him watched. Both the chief of police
and the secretary OF the p0st0thce urged
thesgoVeTnme ut to
OBTAIN HIS EXTRADITIoN.
There was no legal difhculty in the
way. Yhe eXtradition could have been
really obtained, but tile Marquis of
Salisbury, through treasury official,
wrote declaring that he could not ask
for the eXtraditiOn. The Marquis of
Salisbury certainly knew that the treaty
with Belgium covered the OffenSe al
legged against Hammond. Why, then,
could he not ask for his extradition?
Hammond discovered that he was being
watched in Belgium, and, informed
of his danger there, hurried
away and went to America; and
in all this, as to information
and otherwise, he was assisted through
MIR. Newton. the solicitor of Lord Ar
thur Somerset. The object of the gov
ernment was obviously to hunt Ham
mOnd beyond the range of eXtraditiOn,
that being regarded as the best plan for
preventing the making of revelations af-
fectlng certain perS0nages. Opposition
cheers When Monroe, chief of police,
reported to the treasury the evidence in
lD6 III ILlS JOilCO
Arthur Somerset and others. the treas
ury ordered the police to deSlSt from
watching the case. and Somerset oh
tanned at the Horse Guards four months
leave of absence to enable him to Quit
the country. But he did not quit the
country. lie appeared at the funeral
of his grandmother, the DOwager Ouch
esS of Beaufort. Lieus. Gen. Sir Digh-
ton Probyn, prominent member of
the household of the Prince of Wales,
informed Lord Salisbury of this. Lord
Salisbury stated that warrant to take
him into cuStUdy would be issued; but
he caused this decision to become known
to Lord Arthur SOmerSet'S commanding
officer, through whom this information
was conveyed to Somerset.
TuEREUPOR SOMERSET FLED.
Lord Arthur Somerset was not ouly
allowed to resign his commission and
leave the army as an honorable officer,
but at this moment he is still magis-
trate for two counties. Laughter. |
Moreover, he did not hide himself. He
went to Pera openly and asked for an
official place at the court of the sultan.
Two men are now in prison for their
part in these seandalOuS occurrences.
But they are poor and obscure men:
their highly placed confederate is un-
mOleSted. The government took care
that the warrant for his apprehension
should not be issued till he was out of
the country. [Chters and ministerial
oh's.l Mr.. Labouchere said his charge
was plain enough. 1t was that the Mar
uuis of Salisbury and others criminally
conspired to defeat the ends of justice.
Therefore, he asked that the committee
inquire into his allegations. Laughter
and cheerS.l He trusted that the gov
ernment, whatever their defense. would
not put a lawyer with brief in
his hand to defend them by special
pleading and evaSIYe chicancary. Mr..
Labouchere then withdrew his motion.
Sir Richard Webster, the attorney gen.
eral, said ne believed the house would
agree with him that there was not a
shadow Of foundation for these disgrace
full charges. 1t was absurd to suppose
that the Marquis of Salisbury or the
treasury officials could have any interest
TO retard the prosecution In this case.
The procedure. in fact, took the usual
course. When the evidence was all in,
it was first cOllated with a view to the
case against Lord Arthur Somerset.
The opinion of the lord chancellor was
then taken upon it, and this opinion
was that the
EVIDENCE WAS INSUFFICIENT
to justify prosecution. Subsequently
additional evidence was obtained, and
this rendered the issue Of warrant ad-
visable; but he had authority to state
that Sir Dighton Probyn, after his in
terVlew with the Marquis of Salisbury
on this subject, neither saw nor commu-
nicated with Lord Arthur Somerset.
either directly or indirectly. Neither
bad the MARQUIS la ,ns OF salisbury any any
Arthur Somerset to avoid the service of
the warrant. The story told by Mr.. La
bouchere, to the effect that the Marquis