New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-16
A BRITISH SPY.
,r, INCIDENTS OF THE LIFE OF
MAJOR LIE CARON AND SOME OF
HIS CHARACTERISTICS

London. April A.
.,vbody who cares for condolences may note
nearly the deaths Of Lord Hammer and
,,.,or lie Caron fall together The judge died
"' thursday; the witness on Sunday They
90 two Of the chief figures in the Parnel Com
'.,or The whole number Of chief figures was
~" very great; perhaps. as you think over those
w we're really prominent and memorable for
Va reason or another. not more than five or six
w." ard Hammer. Sir Charles Russell. Mr. George
,.nts Mr.. Parnell himself. of course. and the
witnesses Pigott and lie Caron.
Considering what Mr.. Asquith has since be-
10 his name also might be added. but he was
.snr in the second rank. No judge who served
,ha Commission will be remembered except
,.-s Hannen AS l said a day or two since
rriting Of him at some length. he was
-. tribunal None Of the lawyers were thought
have added to their fame. save the two above
med Sir Charles Russell did. as leading coun-
i Tor the defence and Mr. George Lewis-now
=. coorge-as solicitor for Mr. Parnell and the
others.
n the world in general Sir Charles Russell
r.s the most conspicuous The world which is
%, general but particular the world Of law. and
..o IN a more limited way. the political world,
Now that 1t was Mr.. Lewis who won the cause,
FIR as il was won. Like most great causes it
-. won out Of court; won by tireless industry.
$, the use Of an acuteness and sagacity rare in
Al times by elaborate preparation and a STRAIT
.rx which must be called mastery; by a great
"a continual courage. All these high qualities
NJ Lewis put at the service OF clients of whom
,,s nothinC to say that they were suspected and
,scradited. They were. or had been. a company
I. Of Immense moment n Mr.
gladstone and to the whole party which bore
81. name that they should be. If possible. cleared
,,ha charge Of completely in crime which then
..s,sd So heavily upon them They were suffi-
,sn,Iv cleared 10 make it possible for an enthu-
,t.st n convince himself that they were COM
,,stelv cleared: and to make the alliance be-
,uosn Mr.. Gladstone and Mr. Parnel possible
ID nIausble until Mr.. Parnel and Mr. Glad
..ona themselves smashed II in pieces. Il Is by
M means the first time in the history Of the
wo-ld that the success of a great political COM
hnat,on has depended upon a man who, in the
svAs of the world had nothing TO do with it,
Phi. History. which has SO many unfulflled tasks
tssore her will have to explain TO her readers
., the next century that Mr.. George Lewis was
ons Of the chief architects Of the political for
,unes Of the Irish Nationaists. and in so far a $
Mr. Gladstones hung upon their cooperation of
Mr. Gladstone's also at n very critical period OF
,,s career Let US hope that History hard
worked as she is. will find means to make this
clear
of course It Is grossly unfair to Major lie
Caron 10 bracket him with Pigott. until 1t is
explained that he is associated with Pigott
merely because the two were more conspicuous
than all other witnesses; and for the purpose
not OF comparison but Of contrast. Pigott was
not more entirely the witness Of falsehood than
LIE Caron was Of truth. The statement may not
be acceptable to that portion of the Irish party
on whom his evidence bore hardly. but accept
able or not It is no longer open to dispute, and
for two reasons. or three.
First, 1t may be said with confidence that If
lie Caron had been lying. he would never have
lived through Sir Charles Russells cross-exam-
!nation. That is the opinion OF the lawyers. and
they ought 10 know. 1t has been well described
as a duel Of fact against forensic skill. II Le
Caron had been lying Sir Charles would have
torn the lie out Of him as he did out Of Pigott
No doubt lie Caron had wonderful clearness OF
rind and cooness He might have given. and
9nk would have given, his crOss-eXaminer
I'm trouble 10 detect and extract the false
Id but the cross-examiner would have had II
q. Of him in the end. What proved too much
ar the lawyer was the truth. Sir Charles was
criticised az the time because he failed TO break
down lie Caron. Some Of his high clients ex-
pressed their impotence in the usual way. But
hey were unjust equally 10 Sir Charles Russeii
and to lie Caron My belief Is that II you now
asked Sir Charles in confidence. he would own
you that the evidence Of lie Caron was true
None the less was that an encounter long 70 ne
remembered BY those who saw and heard H.
any part Of Il. No more strenuous EFFORT was
ever known: there was no resource or the cross
Examining art which Sir Charles left untled'
and there was not one OF them which aVailed'
There was a piquancy in the contrast between
the fiery counsel and the cool witness as they
faced each other hour after hour. Each 1ell
that he could not afford TO give away single
point and perhaps neither Of them did. Ihere
were moments when the audience held thelr
brea:hs There were other moments when they
wanted 10 applaud. had they dared. but none
dared while Lord Hammer sat there with 'hat
air Of wakefu repose and Of authority not 10
Be triAed with
The judges-and this is the second reason-are
the best umpires in such case, and 1t was cleai
hat Lord Hammer believed lie Caron. more
than that when he had 70 make up his judicial
mind whether TO believe lie Caron or Parneli
Who contradctcd him about an interview DC
tween the two he let 1t be seen that ne preferred
Le CarOn's account 20 Parnelrs. Reason tho
hrd IS that his evidence has remained ever
nnce uncontrad!cted in substance. He has pup
hshed book. too. Both on the stand ana III
PINT this remarkable man has told the STORY u
dis ife and Of his relation 10 the irish conspird-
aes in America, with fulness and particularly
which insured his conviction OF faIsehoou il
'ssehoOd there were. The book, ehu'ieu
Twenty-Five Years in the Secret Service mas
zone through many editions here ana. pre-
sumo, In America II is an enthralling narrative
lays bare the facts Of a life which but ioi
one circumstance might have been called an IN
famous life
The circumstance which redeems 1t IL the mo-