New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-14
THE BACCARAT SCANDAL.
,-xcrJsY SENTIMENT TOWARD THE PRINCE
AND TOWARD SIR WILLIAM CUMMING
CONTINENTAL AUTHORITIES As7oNIsHED THAT
FIELD MARSHAL SHOULD PLAY CARDS
WITH A sUBALTERN-sIR WILLIAM
CUMMINGS MARTI
lRY cApLE To rHR TaIBuXE. /.

CUMMINGS MARlI AGE.
by CABLE ruE TRIBUNE
c.,,,oht: 1891 BY The Tribune association
London. June IS.-There appeared in yesterdays
= cozettes official notice that Major and Lleuen-
y. Colore, Sir William Gordon Cumming, hrt,'
: .omoved from the Army, Her Majesty having 10
srthor occasion for his services. That is the time
.orored formula by which an officer is casiiered.
7, has not yet been employed with refernce 10
rYsN Marshal His Royal Highness the Rlnce Oh
; wales nor with reference to Major-Gene& owen
Williams. nor does anybody suppose II VIII De-
Sir Edward Clarke's Examinations against thoSe
officers were sound and fiery, -signifypg noC'ne
except his desire to score point for MS cHen'
and perhaps for himself 1t was frh@ps 'ne
only error in speech Of singular a'llty'
But the Prince Of Wales does mt escape 'he
penalty for such mistakes as he bs couilni''eu
The press turns on him. What Is alo Ia respect
able papers is seldom very severe WORDS ~ ~
significant that anything SHOULD be SAID. Inc
Prince during his long social caeer. hos enJoSeo
something like immunity from Tlticlsm' oei'oni
have the English papers taken rotice OF wna' "usV
have come TO their knowledge buV ~
this case silence would hav become ncN W
toctation and most of then say plainly that
the Prince deserves censur. lie oush' noV, Al
their opinion TO be a gambia, or TO keep canning
counters. or to choose his fiends with such pehu-
tnl lack OF wisdom. He il reminded in more than
one leading journal that he monarchy itself is III
his person on its trial, " and any peiSon"i
fault Of his gives SHOCK to the principle wnlch
in these democratic day, is mischievous and even
dangerous" That is prhaps slightly too solemn
60 arc some Of the resolutions passed by religious
hodie,-in all cases by Dissenters. There are noV
many of them, and they are not very important
but the outburst in The press Is eXceedinsV lni-
portant. There are in this country haIl-uoAI"
treat Provincial paers of different partles "lnTn'
when they acTee o. any public matter, may NC
deemed 70 express the general opinion Oh Vne
community TheT do agree IN reouhllg ."e
Prince of Wales in language all the more eNo0
lecause of It's studied moderation.
r. mus, be said that it is not what the Frlnce
has done which has brought down on nun 'ni'
avalanche of reprOof. He is the same man he was
before Sir William Cumming thought proper 10
cheat a. Tranby Croft. His way of life Is the
come. /, was perfectly well known 20 his present
.ormonzers. or 10 many Of them. But they were
dumb and they only found their voices wheh inc
nubIaty of this trial made II imperative 10 say
concerning II is his breach of the Eleventh Ooln-
rnantnent which has proved so disastrous 10 'he
Prime 1t need not be permanently dlsasuous'
prea though the shock Of this discovery DE 10 uie
seri,us mart of the community. Very slight signs
Of epentance would be accepted joyfuny. None
q ct made. though the Princes friends say that
III. baccarat DAYS are over. He was greeted Ut
ACCT very much as usual, but that proves little,
t,cause no WAS in the same carriage with uhe
Tr;rcess who has never yet been i'll received oy
,nv Of her future subjects, except those VINO re-
side in the southern part of Ireland.
The anger of the working classes IS under
stood 10 be deep. They think that they nave TO
nay taxes in order 10 provide the Prince WIN the
means of gambling Yet all municipal attempts
~ express this feeling have failed. resolution
NJ censure offered in the Birmingham Town Couh-
Gil found no seconder.
perbaps what he will care for most is the Con-
,irental view of his conduct. French ana Uef-
man officers are scandalzed that the Prince OF
wales sbould play cards with subalterns; scandal
lied still more that his name should DE slsheo ~
a document the intent of which was TO condone'
or at least TO conceal an act of cheating at cards
bv q colonel in the Guards. The military nina
o6road does not understand rifing in such affairs
Vienna has spoken loudest; but perhaps IL is Ia
parun that the indignation is greatest Nor is u
thouobt that the Prince will he likely again 10
lecture his Imperial nephew on points OF depor''
ment ..oI
This military view of things IS not the general
F,oJisb view. The point of honor Is not theu
MONITOR not that of the majority. The mldu1e
classes care little it appears, about cheatns,
What horrifes them is that cards should ne piaSeu
for money at all. The most perverse opinions are
hoard. They are sentiments rather than opinions
and the most complete expression OF them was LII
tho kissing with which the verdict OF the jury
was received No verdict was ever Daseu on
clearer evidence II Sir William Cumming uld
not cheat when playing baccarat at Iranoy
Croft on the sth and 9Th of September OF last
year. human testimony is good Tor nothlng' INC
Inv were never in doubt, the Judge was in no
doubt society has doubt, the press has no
dopbt: probably the very classes who dislike the
vsrdict believe Sir William Cumming guilty But
l., This os in some other current matters, one sec
ton of public opinion is demOralzed The people
,ho hissed in court are people who think II
,reater offence 10 see cheating than TO cheat They
disl,ke the Wilson family They hold that obhga-
lions Of hospitality should cover such acts as those
Of Sir William Cumming. lie was the guest Of
the Wilson's and it vas an outnge, they say, that
though guilty. he should be exposed or even dls-
covered They consider that IL was the duty or
the Wilson's in Difference to this particular guest,
"a allow their oher guests to be robbed.
They complain q spying and watching,
though il is abunhnty proved that there was
none of either Sir William Cumming was
in truth given evey chance His friends, from
the Prince downward including the whole VIII
son family, strove % screen him. To accept bis
written confession # guilt and his pledge to alb
stain from cards vas mistake, but mistake
dictated by charityto him. The Prince of Wales.
Lord Coventry and General Owen Williams knew
him to be guilty. His confession was not a more
damning proof than his demeanor when accused
and his conduct ince. Yet Sir William Cum
ming's guilt seems to this curious English mid
die class less guilt than the indiscretion Of the
Prince. 1t is naural that his family should
stand by him as hey do. But could anything
he more grotesque than the triumphal welcome
which the Town Ouncil of Forres offer him?
man Of high psitiOn found cheating at cards
Is thought by his brmer associates to have fallen
Ae io,r &c an, ma, can fall The wreck Of his