New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-04
AGAINST SIR WILLIAM.
THE STORY OF HIS ALLEGED CHEATING AT
BACCARAT TOLD.

IMPORTANT TESTIMONY BY ARTHUR STANLEY.
WILSON. AN EYEWITNESS OF THE AT
TAIR-suR CHARLES RUssELHs EE.
FDcTLvB OPENING SPEECH
FOR THE DEFENCE.
London, June s-one would imagine that after two
dayS Of the baccarst trial the public would begin 10
tire Of IT, Such, however, not the case, ana on
this. the third day, the scenes outside the oueehs
Bench Division Of Her Majestys High Court OF justice
were again repeated with hardly any variation 10
all appearances the crowd Of fashionable people women
stu psedominatng, the same that thronseo uo
courtroom on the two previous days. Lady CoPnoge'
the wife Of the Lord Chief Justice Of England VINO
prcsdos a. the trial occupied scat on the oench 10
the night Of her husband, IN company Win Laoies
Clarke and Russell. The Countess OF Yaroorough'
Lady Esher and the regnlng beauty OF England, Lady
Brooke sat Immediately boind Lady Colerdge ana her
party This presence Of fashionable women on and
about the bench, with the presiding judges WIFE, Is
novelty In British trials, which does not ma UNI
versal favor.
The court crowded before the official open
ing hour IL m. among the earlier arrivals being the
n,aintis who exouisttely dressed as usual, had no
sooner reached his lawyers side than he entered into
an earnest CONVERSATION with them Prom the Baronets
manner, II evident that something had broken
through his crust Of outward reserve and haughtness
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Wilson. in company with Mr. ana
Mrs Lycett Green and Berkeley Levett sat In front OF
the seats assigned TO their counsel They seemed to
be painfully conscious Of the fact that their position
was far from envisble.
The Lord Chief Justice took his seat on the
bench at precisely IL o'clock, and as he
did 70 the buzz of conversation ceased The Prince
Of Wales had not arrived up to the moment Lord Cole
ridge took his seat and the general opinion seemed to
be that disguised with his experiences OF yesterday ne
would find some excuse which would enable him to
escape any further attendance in court To the aston
ishment Of almost everybody present. however, the
Lord Chief Justice had hardly settled himself In his
chair when the Prince. again accompanied by his pT1
vate secretary Sir Francis Knolys entered the court
room, bowling and smiling to the audience who re-
speotfully arose As he drew near to the bench tho
Prince bowed 70 the Lord Chief Justice and to the
ladies on the lstters right and then, after quick
glance around tho court, he settled himself down com
fortaby IN tho chair on the left OF the Chcf JUS
tce.
Sir Charles RUSSELL leading for the defence, then
began his address He said that his clients had been,
nuch against their wishes compelled to take the course
rbich they had adopted. There were nine persons
concerned In tns melancholy business" continued or
Charles, AL of whom have known the plSntlf Sir
William Gordon Cumming, for many years Inc
plaintiff admitted said the lawyer raising his voice
sjghtly that his accusers acting conscentously
in this matter and the jury would find it impossible
TO believe that those persons were mistaken In regard
DO the character Of the plaintiffs conduct on the nights
of September and 8, 1890. The plalntf hah ADMIT
ted that they all persons OF honor ana honesty
and having made the charges they adhered 10 'hen
and the plaintiff had not asked to be confronted WIFI
either of his aocusers The objection TO secrecy came
nom Lycett Green, who asked that the matter DO
thrasbed out then and there" In order to avoid the
possibility of the plaintiffs afterward pudiang the
charges.
The plaintiff continued Sir Charles. chad signed
degrading humiliatng document, and he did not take
steps 10 bring slanderers to justice until he found
himself in another mpasse then he turned upon those
Win had been quite prepared to keep their agreement
+houoh in their ewes he was dishonored man. With
this remark Sir Charles seemed to take up announcer
line Of argument for he said, gazing earnestly at the
jury
And now how about the three principal actors and
the plaintiffs action in regard 10 them? DO you'
gentlemen Of the jury, doubt that the plalntn knew
that each OF those gentlemen believed him guilty. He
,new that in their eyes he no longer In the
category Of honorable men. Was it conceivable that
an innocent man, under such circumstances, shoWu
bear such an odious burden upon him? Inc ue-
PENDANTS will tell the jury that their mouths re
NAMED closed in this matter until January Z, 1871
-four months after the eventful baccarat games a'
Tranby Croft when Sir william Gordon Cumming
made an attempt through Berkeley Levett one OF the
witnesses to secure the modification or WITHDRAWAL OF
the charges The defendants then said that they
were prepared to subsantate the charges which they
had made against Sir William Gordon Cumming
Sir Charles Russell then laid special stress upon
the peculiar circumstances" under which the action
was brought and referred at length to an interview
which Sir william Gordon Cumming had with Lieu
tenant Levett. who subaltern in the plaintiffs
regiment and who, being asked by Sir william 10 10
what he could with Mrs. Arthur Wilson in regard TO
the baccarat scandal replied that he could not dis-
believe his own eyes. though he added that he would
gladly do anything for the sake OF Sir William Gordon
Cumming and for the sake Of the regiment TO which
they belonged "The plaintiffs conduct" Sir Charles
continued at stage Of this distressing story has
been the conduct OF an innocent and honorable man.
No innocent and honorable would have lain quiet
under tie charges made against the painuf or signed
the confession which the plaintiff signed
Counsel for the defendants then said that the present
action was brought only when the plaintiff failed in his
efforts 70 secure his retirement half pay from the
army Continuing Sir Charles enlarged upon the in
nocent character Of the Tanby Croft card party and the
mild sort OF baccsrat games played there last September
saving "One OF the satisfactory results of this case
has been the dissipation Of the absurd and preposterous
notions which have been formed In regard 10 the occur
rences at Tranby Croft
At the request of Sir Charles Russell models OF the
whist tables used each night Tranby Croft in Septem
Ter for playing baccarat with the positions OF the
PLAYERS especially marked upon them, were produced
sir Charles also caused TO be shown to the jury photo
graphs Of the at Tranby Croft where the games
CT baccarat were played The lurymer examined these
exhibits with great deal of asked questions about
the game the tables the positions of the players, ETC.,
and conferred with one another upon several points
raised by the production Of the exhibits. Sir Charles
Russell also dwelt upon the nrcacieS Of the game of
baccarat explained to the jury that, from the
sltions which, as they could from the tables, the
players occupied IT utterly impossible for the wit
nesses 10 be mistaken as TO the conduct with which
Sir William Gordon Cumming was charged.
1t was noticed that the Prince Of Wales and Sir
William Gordon Cumming followed Sir Charles Russell's
speech with great attention. At times Sir Chsrles's
voice roso to pitch Of considerable force and warmth.
Especially was this the when he denounced the
plaintiff asking the jury passonately If the first cry
OF az innocent man charged with cheating at cards
would not be: "'Where my accusersl Bring
them face TO face with me-
ctr Charlae odded Hhp plaintif's action in