The morning call., 1891-06-04
LONDON SCANDAL.
The Evidence Against Sir Cor
don Cumming.
The Counsel for the Defendants Makes a
Strong Case.
Interesting Testimony Of Arthur Wilson.
How Trap Was Laid 10 Catch the
Plaintiff Cheating.
Ereeial to THE MORNING CALI

| Sir Charles Russell, leading counsel for
| the defendants, commenced his address in
behalf Of his clients. saying: There were
! nine persons concerned in this melancholy
business, all of whom have known the
| plaintiff, Cumming, for many years. Plain
tiff admitted he said his aeeusers were
acting cons cientiouSly in this matter and
the jury would find it impossible to believe
those persons were mistaken in regard to
the character of plaintiffs conduct on the
| nights of the Sth and 9th of September,
1890. Plaintiff had admitted they were all
persons Of honor and honesty. and having
made the charges they adhered to them and
| the plaintiff had not asked to be confronted
| with either of his accuSers. The objection
| to secrecy came from Lycett Green, who
asked that the matter be thrashed out then
and there in order to avoid the possibility Of
plaintiff afterward repudiating the charges.
| The plaintiff had signed a degrading, hu-
initiating document and he did not take
steps to bring his slanderers TO justice until
he found himself in another tight place.
Then he turned upon those WHO had been
quieE according to their agreement, though
in their eyes he was a dishOnored man."
NOT AN HONORABLE MAN.
With this remark Sir Charles seemed to
take up another line of argument, for he
said, gazing earnestly at the jury: And
now, how about the three principal actors
and the plaintiff in the action? In regard
to them do you, gentlemen of the jury, doubt
that the plaintiff knew each of those gentle
men believed him guilty? He knew that in
| their eyes he was no longer in the category
| of honorable men. Was 1t conceivable that
| an innocent man under such circumstances
should bear an Odious burden upon him?
| Defendants would tell the jury that their
mouths remained closed in this matter until
| January Z, 1891, four months after the bac-
carat games at Tranby Croft, when Sir
| William made an attempt, through Berkeley
| Levett, one OF the witnesses, to secure mod
| ifcation or withdrawal of the charges"
Defendants said they were prepared to sub
| stantiate the charges which they had made
| against Sir William Gordon Cumming, and
Sir Charles Russell then laid special stress
urOn the peculiar circumstances" under
| which the action was brought. be referred
| at length to the interview which Sir Will
| lam Gordon Cumming had with Lieutenant
| Levett. who was a Subaltern in plantIHs
regiment, and who, being asked by Sir Will
| lam to do what he could with Mrs. Arthur
| Wilson in regard to Lbe baccarat scandal,
| replied that he could not disbelieye his own
! eyes, though he added he would gladly do
| anything for the sake OF Sir William and
for the sake of the regiment to which they
! belonged. ''The plaintiffs conduct" Sir
| Charles continued, "at no stage of this dis
| tressing story has been the conduct of an
| innocent and honorable man. No innocent
and honorable man would have laid quiet
| under the charges made against the plaintiff,
| or signed confession which the plaintiff
| signed"
THE INNOCENT CARD GAME.
Counsel for defendant then said the pre-
| sentatiOn was brought only when. plaintiff
| failed in his efforts 10 secure his retirement
| on half pay from the army. he dlated upon
! the innocent character of the Tranby Croft
| card party, and the ICld character of the
| Uaccarat games played there, saying one of
| the satisfactory results of this case has been
| the dissipation of absurd and preposterOus
notions which have been formed in regard
| to occurrences at Tranby Croft. At the
request of Sir Charles Russell models of
the whist tables used each night at Tranby
| Croft, in September, for playing hac-
carat, in default of regular bacca-
| rat tables, with position Of players
especially marked upon them, were pro-
| dnced. Sir Charles Russell also caused the
| jury to be shown photographs Of the rooms
at Tranby Croft where the now historical
| games of baccarat were played. The jury
men examined these exhibits with a great
| deal of care, and asked questions about the
| game, the tables, the positions OF players,
| etc, and conferred with each other upon
several points which were raised by the pro-
| also dwelt upon the intrieacies of the game
of baccarat, and explained to the jury that
from the positions which, as they could see
| the tables, the players occupied it was ut
terly impossible for witnesses to be mis-
| taken as to the conduct with which Sir
William Gordon Cumming was charged.
THE PRINCE ALL ATTENTION.
1t was noticed that the Prince of Wales
and Sir William Gordon Cumming followed
| Sir Charles speech with great attention and
| deep interest. In describing the events
| that took place, Sir Charles said: Arthur
| Stanley Wilson witnessed repeated acts Of
| cheating upon the part of Sir William Cor
| don Cumming, and that when he (Wilsou),
turned to Berkeley Levett and whispered:
| Cumming is cheating the latter NevetD
| replied, Nonsense, you are mad, but,"
| added Sir Charles, Berkeley Levett, after
| receiving this communication, paid more at
| tenti0n TO the game and watched Sir Will
| lam GOrdan Cummings play, and saw for
| himself. that Arthur Stanley Wilson had
| said was true. After the play was over
| Wilson told his mother, Mrs. Arthur Will
| son, and Mir. and Mrs. Lycett Green Of what
| he had seen while Cumming was playing,
and they agreed ON the following night to
| have for baccarat playing a properly
marked table. with a line upon 1t, beyond
| which the players stake must be placed"
! Continuing, Sir Charles said: THE preciS or
| document which had been drawn up in re-
| gard to the baccarat scandal said that
| the plaintiff should be watched. Beyond
| the marked table, however, there was no
concert of action Of any kind. but all who
| know the story of the previous days play
and Sir William Gordon Cummings actions
| saw the latter repeat the actions complained
| Of"
WHAT ARTHUR WILSON WITNESSED.
| &Renewed interest was shown on the part of
| the always most attentive audience gath
cred in the Court of Queens Bench. when
| Arthur Stanley Wilson. son of the million
| aire owner of 'franby Croft, aud the lead
| ing stakeholder of the well-knuwn Wilson
! Line of steamers plying between Hull,
| London and New York and many other
| ports, entered the witneSs-box as the first
| witness for defense.
| Wilson testified to the fact that on the
| first night of baccarat playing at Tranby
! Croft in September he saw red counter
! representing So on piece OF paper Hl front
| of Sir William Gordon Cumming when the
| latter's tabeau won. Sir William had his
| hands in front Of him, and he also had an
| other e5 counter in the palm OF his right
| hand. The Baronet, according to the wit
| ness, then looked at Sir Edward Somerset's
hand, and seeing he held natural and a
| court card, he (Sir William) at once dropped
the Go counter from his right hand, and was
| paid on both of the counters he had thus
| placed on the table. This evidence was
! given by Wilson without any hesitation and
| in a manner which seemed to impress the
| jury and which decidedly impressed the
audience and caused great s. nsation in the
/ COURTROOM.
! The court adjourned for luncheon in the
| midst OF this testimony, aud the Prince of
| Wales again honored Lord Chief Justice,
| Lady Coleridge and her party with his pres
| ence at luncheon, while such celebrities as
| Lords Coventry and Somerset and General
| Owen Williams, who had failed to bring
| luncheon. which their better ballasted
E-f.. hnI
! to fight for refreshments for themselves and
the ladies of their parties around the public
house bars of the neighborhood, which
| were packed to suffocation by the common
| herd.
THE AFTERNOON SESSION.