The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-06-09
1t was nothing to what followed further utter
ances of counsel for the plaintiff.
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any comment necessary, saying that he (coun-
| sel) had painful duty 10 perform and that he
| intended 20 perform II honestly and fairly.
His opponents" he continued had
| always been careful 10 allude TO him. counsel
for the plaintiff as the solicitor general" and
! he added: while am proud of that title
must remind the jury that j appear in this
case simply as an English barrister. and am
| obliged 10 disregard friendships and even my
| own interest and comment on the conduct
and evidence of one of the highest in the
landn
| Sir Edward Clarke. rs he uttered these last
words, turned squarely around until he faced
| the Prince of Wales. upon whom every eye in
court was then fixed and who neryously
crossed his legs, while the audience was
| utterly aghast at what was considered 10 DO
| the audacity of the solicitOr-general.
In several directions the whispered COM
ment, Why, he is going to attack the Prlnce
| of Walesn was distinctly heard and caused'al
| attention to be riveted upon plaintiffs coun-
sci.
Continuing. the solicitor-general remarked
that Sir Charles Russell, for the defendants.
had said that, even if the jury found for the
| plaintiff and disregarded the document the
latter had signed at Tranby Croft. the mill
tary authorities would take the matter up,
! and that Sir William Gordon-C Cummings name
would be stricken from the army list"
| Il wish TO say in unmistakable terms" ex-
claimed Sir Edward Clarke, raising his voice
until it echoed tellingly through the court,
| that it would be impossible for the authorl-
| ties TO do any such thing. and TO leave on that
| list the names of field marshal, the Prince of
Wales and General Owen Williams.
GREAT SENSATION.
This bold statement seemed to completely
! take away the breath Of the audience, and
! caused by far the greatest sensation of the
entire trial A hushed murmur of astonish-
ment not unmixed with dsmay and some irri-
I tation, and taking several seconds. swept
here and there about the courtroom like
| breakers on a rocky coast. One must thor
oughly understand the almost religious
| worship of royalty which prevails through
out Great Britain to clearly under
stand the full meaning, the crushing. signiti--
canoe of the solicitor generals words aimed
| directly at the heir apparent. 1t was as II
thunder clap had suddenly shaken the build
| ing and as if fash of lightning had unex-
| pectedly revealed the Prince of Wales in
| colOrs totally unexpected-those of common
mortal, subject to the laws of England and,
according to the SOLICITOR generals intimation,
possible violator of the military regulations
| TO the extent that his name was liable TO be
! struck from the army list.
THE PRINCE UNMovED.
Amidst this storm the Prince of Wales sat
/ on the bench 20 the left of the Lord Chief
| Justice immovable. not a muscle of his face
| apparently twitching, leaning his head upon
his arm and endeayoring to appear totally
| unGOncerned
After the sensation had somewhat subsided
/ Sir Edward Clarke, apparently satisfied with
the effect which he had produced, directed
i his attention 10 the discrepancies which
/ he claimed between the precis drawn
/ up at Iranby Croft, which accused Sir
! William Gordon Cumming of Withdrawing rs
/ sr-.aH odd lfarg fA hn
! previously staked at baccarat, and the
/ statement which the Wilson family now
| disclaimp that there was n precOncerted
/ plan 10 watch Sir William GordOn-Cumming
on the second night OF the baccarat playing
! September gth-the sOlcitOr-general pointed
out that the precis was written when the
/ event 10 which It referred should have been
/ still fresh in eyerybody's memory, when the
nvent first occurred. and that they were in
| dorsed a. correct by the Prince OF Wales by
| Lord Coventry and by General Owen Will
| liams, and yet he added, now such important
details IS the agreement TO watch the plaintiff
| were repudated by the Wilson family.
THE wilson's ARRAIGNED.
| Sir Edward followed with an arraIgnment of
| the Wilson's which was most severe and cut
| ting and which demonstrated, from the smiles
| which pervaded the courtroom, that the spec
/ tatOrs Of this famous trial are not much III
| sympathy with them.
Yes exclaimed the sohcltor-general, at
certain portion Of his address, referring TO the
| Wilson's, they undoubtedly have money
| putting cruel emphasis upon the word
money but even if Sir William Gordon
| Cumming would cOndescend 10 take it from
such a source | shall not ask the jury to fix
| the damages beyond q nominal sum-"
At another stage Of his address the solicitor
general said that it was not doubted that the
evidence clearly showed that the Wilson
hal IA William
! don-Cumming on the second night.
! But he added, they now saw the mis-
| take which such an admission would be.
| They knew that TO admit this would be that
! Tranby Croft would become by-word IN the
| land Were this established Yranby Croft
would be in the future known as the place
where man who for twenty-three years had
enjoyed an unsullied reputation, cOnsOrting
with the highest in the land, was 10 be watch
ed and trapped and they Ohe Wilson's
would al last know that nobody would ever
visit their place again-a house which would
be Stunned by all honorable people as the
| place where a reputation is not safe
There is no doubt as TO the accuracy Of the
precis as representing the story told 20 the
| Prince of Wales to Lord Coventry and TO
| General Owen Williams. But Is 1t likely that
such men would be careless Of what they put
| down upon such an occasl0ng
No thank God. The charge that dis
| titSuiHntt Diittt hho bctH thu5hb NhSot.Ab
at cards is not so frequent here in England as
| 10 be lightly dismissed or carelessly recorded,
and. although Mrs Wilson says that she dis
missed the subject from her mind and did not
! tell her husband about it. men like General
/ Williams and Lord Coventry, accustomed to
the best society in the land. would not regard
1t as OF so small importance.
ANOTHER GENERAL SMILE.
Another wholesale smile was enjoyed in
! court when Sir Edward Clarke referred to the
! difference existing between the society which
! Lord Coventry and General Williams had
| been accustomed 10 from birth and the so
ciety which the Wilson's had been used 10.
Abiding 10 his question put during the
| crOss-examinatiOn of the witness for the de-
| Tense as % the lavish hospitality of the VII
| sons and as TO the question asked of him, the
! solictOr-general, as TO if he meant TO say that
! the Tranby Croft party was IN state OF IN
| toxication on September 9th, counsel for the
plaintiff said:
mo. but did mean 10 say that 1t was quite
possible that they were not in judicial frame
OF mind
THE family" he added after agreeing TO
watch Sir William Gordon-C Cumming on the
second night of the baccarat playing. spent
the day on the race-course. where the Prince
of Wales horse won and, returning from the
races. they sat down 10 a long dinner.
RECESS AND ADJOURNED.
When the court adjourned for luncheon,
shortly after Sir Edward Clarke had made the
above intimations as to the state of sobriety of
tba Vronbv Croft marty the prinre Of Males