New-York tribune., 1896-02-01
yOPD DTrNP1JTN PUT TO SH1 NE.


The report OF the committee on Lord Dun
ravens accusations is an explicit and absolute
vjndicotion of Mr.. Iseln and all who were con-
ccrnnd with him in the management of the
Defender 1t Is shown not only that Lord Dun
raven had no case but also that he never iu
tbe slightest valid reason for supposng that he
had case. The refutation OF his charges has
been confidently expected in the nltei States
and we suppose also in England but there are
probably many persons III bolh countries WIZ
will be amazed to learn how utterly hiinSy WIS
the evidence on which he based MS slahu'I'
Some OF his cOuntrymcn may still preVah upon
themselves to treat him with tenderness Dul 1t
is scarcely possible that any infeinGeht ana
candid man who reads this report VIII ne apIe
to rotoin so much as a doubt of It's truth. TIE
committee was peculiarly fitted for It's task ny
the character and ability OF lis members ana Dy
their high and wide repute for The possession oi
,hoso uaIities They did their work with
scrunulous care. and their report is aS admirable
in form as II IS satisfactory in substance
The essence Of Lord Dunraven's accusation
was that tho Defender sailed her iirs' i"'e
against the Valkyrie on September : more u'op
lv immersed by from two to four lhchcS INA"
she had been when officially measured 'he "'''
before. and that this condition was dchDcIa'rH
nroduced for the purpose Of giving her an ne
innate advantage. by the fraudulent addition
/ op ballast This allegation Is shown 10 De 'on-
trarv TO antecedcnt probabilities, 'nasmuch as
In tho Judgment of the Defenders builder ana
MANAGER such a change from her approved
roc,ng form would not have been hep1nl Du'
,niurious: tbe ALLEGATION IS wholly dlscrcdl'ed
hr tho attendan, circumstances, when made IL
/ ,rnossilla that such an alteration should De
/ oc,onnlishod without the knowledge or iaTSc
,,,r,hor e narsons even II 1t could be accom-
,,isbod AZ all. and finally the allegation IS con-
clusivelv refutel by mass Of unimpcachaDe
ud uncontrodictei testimony, by mcchancaI
measurements and by mathematical demonstra-
,,ors Acains- this solid array OF proofs l"rd
Dunroven brought a comparison OF VISUAL I'M
,rossions oh,ained under radically different con
d,,;ons ON successive days by reference 10 fixed
external points on the Defenders mli ana sua-
,oinod hv q recollection Of inconscquential move
nents and noises on two nights aDoaru 'n'
American Yacht. This is all of Lord Dunravcn 5
case which did not fall in pieces the moment ''c
! investigation touched 1t, and OF TINS not N'Su@e
remained when the investigation ended
Lord Dunravci. brought TO this country be
|
which, as he implied in the course Of the inveSu-
ootion and on, Of his witnesses frankly ex'
n,oined was suggested by experience at home
We are not called upon TO vindlca'e 'iie Hoi"i
or English yachtsmen, but we nope 'l'! VIII
have no difficulty In defending 'heiiiSeN''
against this impuation MeanWhlie IL Is III w !
| dcnce that the manager or the \alkErle ihous"'
t, rocosso-v 70 take special precautions against
foul conduct on the part OF his American "n
| tagonistS: and to support the spcclhc charee oi
| fraud into which his eyes betrayed MN ne AT
| tribuicd large Importance to TWO ailceeu occur
rcnccs lie testified that he repeatedly dehahu
cd before the first race, and again throush VII
Fish that the load -watcr-linc length OF each Do'
.bould no designated by external marks though
| there was no such stipulation III the aHi'c
mont 70 which he had subscribed. He testified
also that he urged the Cup Committee, throuel
Mr. Fish 10 put an official representative aDoaro
each boat as soon rs possible aftcr the hrst r"ce
in case remeasurement that night was lih
nractIcab be and to keep him there untll 'he re
meas asurcment had been made; ana the 1act 'ha
those things were not done was cited by MIN ~
strong confirmation Of his theory that swlndl'
had been peIpetratcd. But 10 Lord Dunravcn
shame It is concuslvely established that us t(
those matters he employed treacherous memory
70 sustain q base suspicion. His first and onl!
demand for external markings was sent In writ
ing TO the Cup Committee on September u, an'
was Immediately granted, with Mr.. lselin's con
sent and an endeavor TO aiiiX such marks a
once was frustrated only because the Nalkyrie'
,re,.ious denarture FROM the Erie Basin had made
II impossibe. Equally fictitious is Lord Dun
ravens statement that he demanded that al
official watch should be kept on the two yachts
pending a remeasurement This assertion, TO
which he made not an immediate but a belatet
draft upon his memory Is completely dlScredite'
nv Mr. Fishs memorandum written in Lore
Dunrayen's presence and amended at his in
stance With these disproofs entirely vanish tn
only circumstanta suggestions which ever tend
al oven remotely, to substantiate Lord Dun
rovcn's visual impressions by making his pre-
conceptions plausible.
rho committees report is simple, grave AM
oooorous as BELTS the subject with whic
+, Jeo,s but It contains two sentences whic
wore doubtless intended TO set l"rd Duhra'eh
odious conduct in clear light before the world
"To Justify even accusation, says me comml'
. ..susnicon must at least be reasonable,
All ..such u fraud should not even be charges
"witbout due regard, first to the cstaDsheu cn''i
"acter Of those upon whom the lmpuia'ioh
"ou,lt nust fall and. second. 10 the kihu an
.do,rae of the evidence on which il rests i-or
nunroven Is degraded in the estimation OF hon
orable men because he published ioathsoH'
charge which he knew lie had no facts 70 prove