Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-02-01
HAIL, DEFENDER!
Your Name Stands Clean and
Unsmirched by Dunraven.
Committee Reports That His Charges
are Proven False by Evidence.
Charitable to Dunrasen in Saying Charge Had
Its Origin in aislakc.

| New York, Jan. STA general meet
ing Of the New York Yacht Club YVES held
at the club house, tonight The meeting
was called for the purpose Of presenting
thc report Of the special committee which
Investigated the Dunrayen charges. There
was large Attendance Tho report was
adopted, amid q scene of great en-
thuSiasm.
Captain Ledyard offered a resolution
providing that the consideration Of the re
port and the matters appcrtaining thereto
should he postponed until The next gen
erai meeting of the club on the 18th
proximo. The resolution was adopted.
None of the members would express
any opinion as TO what would ho the tiiti
mate action taken by tie club on the re
port. The report Of the committee was as
follows:
The report gives the correspond
ence in regard to the charges made
made by Lord Dunrayen, as well us the
charges themselves, all of which have
been published, and states that the com
mittec has confined its inquiries solely TO
the question of the truth of the charge II
surreptitious changes in the hallasting of
the Defender, Sept. Z, not dceming them
selves authorized or called upon 10 inyes-
tigata any other circumstances connected
with this or subsequent races between the
same yachts except so far as they might
assist in determining that question
The testimony given at the hearing is
included in the report. The substance of
this WIS covered in the Geographic reports
of the Sittings of the committee TIE re
port continues:
Upon careful consideration Of the
whole case the committee is unanimously
of tie opinion that the charge made by
Lord Dunraven, and which has been the
subject of this investigation, had its
origin in mistake; that it Is net only
not sustained by the evidence, but is com
pletely disprovcd; that all the circum-
stances indicated by him as giving rise to
his suspicion, are entirely and satisfac-
torily explained.
They deem it, therefore. but Just to Mr.
Isclin and the gentlemen concerned with
him, as we'll as to the officers and crew Of
the Defender, that the committee should
express einphatically its conviction, that
nothing whatever occurred in connection
with the race in question, that casts the
least suspicion upon the integrity or pro-
priety of their conduct
Thu committee is not willing to doubt
that if Lord Dunraven had remained
present throughout the invest CATION. :,
us to have heard all the evidence that was
introduced. he would of his own motion
have withdrawn a charge that was Sc
plainly founded upon a mistake and has
been 50 unfortunate in the publicity il
has attained, and the feeling to which il
has given rise.
The committee cannot take leave OF
the case without expressing regret that
part of the evidence now annexed should
have been surreptitiously obtained by o
New York newspaper owned by one of
the Oldest members Of the club, and pub
iished with comments very adverse 70 one
OF the parties, on the morning Of the Goth
Of January.
The report is dated Jan ~, and is
aligned by Il. j. Phelps, J. Pierpont Nor
gan, w. c. Whitney, A. r. Nathan and
&. l.. Rives.