New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-03
THE MILLIONAIRE.
AND WHETHER HE HAS ANY RIGHTS WHICH
A LORD CHIEF JUSTICE is BOUND TO
RESPECT
London. ,June ol

a natural prey doubt whether at any time he
has Jared very well in the courts of law or at
any time when his fate has depended upon q
British jury. Now it appears he has 10 reckon
with the judge also as a kind OF natural enemy
II this seems hard doctrine, you have only TO
read the summing-up Of the Lord Chief Justice
in the action brought by Mr.. Cutter the archi-
tect. against Colonel North the millionaire. more
commonly known as the Nitrate King.
Lord Coleridge is a character. and Colonel
North is a character Each has bis own sphere.
II Lord Coleridge went INTO the City, as the
phrase is here, TO measure himself against the
great operator who has convulsed two CONT
ncnts, IL is hardly probable that be would get the
best of it. SO when Colonel North tries fall
with the Lord Chief Justice in the Law Courts
it is not the great operator who comes away with
the honors of war. Each is best on his own
ground Colonel North OF course. had no idea Of
entering upon any such contest His is the po-
stion of many men before him. He thought he
had been robbed by his architect and refused to
pay him the balance he claimed. The architect
sued him. and that is why Colonel North happened
TO find himself this week in the awful presence
Of the Lord Chief Justice.
| made an effort to say not long since by cable
that the Lord Chief Justice elected TO try the
Cumming case The cable, with whose caprces
it is difficult TO keep step, preferred 20 say lie
was" elected; emitting 70 specify by whom he
was elected, or under what statute OF custom the
contest took place, or who his competitors were
1t is, believe, true that the Lord Chief Justice
Of England may elect TO try, In certain crcum-
stances, any cause which for any reason attracts
him, and that he did elect TO try the
Cumming cause. Whether he exercised this pre-
roga tive in rho action AGAINST Colonel North 7
know not. Very likely it came before him in the
regular course of business. But this eminent
Judge Is commonly believed TO like to try what
are called sensational cases, and the North case
was a sensational one; and remarkable for more
reasons than one. The picture it presents Of
Colonel North himself Is remarIa ble-a man who
gives order for palace like an Oriental prince,
without a word in writing about the price, and
who gives fits" to anybody about him whose
conduct does not suit him. No wonder such a
case with such defendant had an attraction for
such judicial lover OF the picturesque as Lord
Coleridge But / must pass over all this.
What first apprised the public that the Lord
Chief Justice was going for Colonel North a
line on the placards of the afternoon papers:
Colonel North sharply rebuked from the Bench"
Everybody bought the papers and read how the
Lord Chief Justice had told the witness-the re-
doubtabe Colonel himself being then under cross
examinatiOn-that he must behave himself to the
Court as If he were the poorest subject Of the
Queen; that he had no business 10 make such an
answer, and that they could not be overborne In
that manner. Unluckily, what Colonel North had
said or done not told il had been inaudtble
and invisible TO the reporter. We imagined IL
must be something awful-perhaps that he had
sworn at the Court, or threatened to heave half
brick at the Bench; or perhaps the New Testament
on which he had been sworn was the missile.
But now the Colonel writes letter 20 say that, in
answer TO q question whether his architect had
not received three four thousand pounds com
mission before he, the Colonel, had sailed for
Chill, he said: :" do not know the amount, but
1 do know he took care to obtain all he could on
account of commission during my absence This
ID was which brought down upon his head the
thunders Of this judicial Jove To one who is not
a judicial Jove the answer seems innocent and
natural; or would have been innocent and natural
had il been made by poor man ana not oy
Nitrate King capable of giving unlimited orders
for Aladdin Palaces at Ethan
When he came to sum up Lord Coleridge ar
gued the plaintiffs case with his well-known IN
Qenuity and ability. The question being whether
Colonel North had ever authorized any expen-
diture beyond at first $40, 900, which the plain
tiff admitted naming as the probable cost OF che
house, and then fs5,0Oo. Lord Coleridge told
the Jury he had, at any rate. got value Tor MS
money II then a man wishes TO spend tiO'OVO,
and his architect runs il up 10 over SlOOOoO, u
seems a sufficient answer that the house is good
one at that price To the judicial mind. the
architect is as much entitled as the owner TO say
what il shall cOst-in other words. he who has to
spend the money and get commission on II
NAV fix the amount; not he who gives the order
and has 10 pay the bill.
The tone TO Colonel North is one of severity
throughout He is lectured, rebuked. even
sneered at. The jury were invited to consiaer
the lordly tone" in which he had given Ills
evidence They were told that he was an over
hearing persOn accustomed 20 have his own ways
with tbe obvious suggestion that such person
ought 10 nav roundly for it, When asked TO look
et large estimates (which even poor human
creatures with only 100000 or f4O,oOo year
were obliged to do" Colonel North sald the
Lord Chief Justice. could not be troubled WIN
all that Il suppose we must consider CoioLci
North as a gentleman" observed LORD Coieruse
on another point And there were many more
remarks equally judicial in temper, were tlee
room TO quote them II all comes 10 thiS' tnS'
Colonel North was, in Lord Colerdges view
very rich man. very impenous ana doihuleerl's,
who thought his wealth and arrogance "oulu
! got him a verdict against mere archltecr Dun
NOT in this Court. cries the Lord Chief Justice.
riches and great authority shall be Of no avail 10
him here And they we've not. The jury FOL
lowed His Iordship's lead. and promptly returned
a verdict for the archtcct-that Respectable man
Of thirty years standing for the fal1 amoun'
claimed with interest; and the Judge absolutely
| o,1 ortireIv, refused 10 stay execution in order
that the miserable millionaire might appeal
Won may find, if you look for them-or even
:, ,,ou do not looly-sharp comments on the action
| 90 tbc Lord Chief Justice There are SIN papers
which hold aloof from the mob, ana from tho
noIitcs of the poor; which discountenance at
tocl,. ON properv or Oh property-holders, whether
the attacks come from the gutter or from the
bench One of the ablest and coolest and most
moderate Of them has a remark on this case when
! / will quote:
"We may perhaps be permitted to remind Lord
| - j. on ata in this country