New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-17
SIR GEORGE LEWIS.

from Captain Selwyn Of the fOrgers continued
presence in London. they at once placed in
the hands Of the police who arrested him few
hours later. the confession of his crime. taking
the ground that il was their duty to relieve
society Of the presence Of so dishonorable man
1t does not seem to have occurred To them that
they ought to have rid London of him iminedi-
ately on becoming aware of his offence. instead
Of waiting so ing before doing so. and that in
becoming parties to undertaking whereby
a man who had given to them written con-
fession Of his forgery was permitted to pursue
his vocation undisturbed for period of six
months on the condition that he left England
before the expiration Of that time. they came
dangerously near the border line of the offence
which is known in Jurisprudence as the COM
pounding of felony.
THE TRANBY CROFT Affair.
Fortunately Lord Walsingham. Sir Nigel and
Major Atherley are all three men Of such high
character and of such unblenished honor that
70 one ventured even to suggest that they had
been guided in the transaction 10y any other
idea than q desire To do what was best for So
ciety and fol the public at large. Besides this.
they could have urged that they had a prece-
dent for their behavior. and that in their deal
ings with Or. Collins they had merely followed
the example set by the Earl of Coventry Gen
eral Owen Williams and by their future king.
in the case of Sir William Gordon-Cumming
True the latter had not been guilty Of forgery.
but re had signed what was TO all intents and
purposes confession that he had played un-
fairly at cards. an offence fully as heinous IN
the eyes Of society that of forgery. There.
too the Prince of Walls and the other mem
bers OF the Tranby Croft house party had
pledged Themselves to keep the affair secret. s.
as to enable Sir William to continue 10 retain
his ranl: in the amy his membership in the
London clubs and his position in society. on the
condition of his compliance with certain engage
ments which were extracted from him. and II
was only b. his own fault that the scandal at
length became public, and that his social and
of6cial ruin cnsued. OF course. the offence for
which Sir William had been 50 severely pun
ished was not a felony. and the conduct or the
members of the Tranby Croft house party was
therefore, less oDer to question from strlctlE
legal point of view than that Of Lord Walsing-
ham Sir Nigel and Major Aheiley AT the
same time IL was an instance OF compromising
a very grave breach Of the military regulation
as we'll as OF that code Of honor which To peo-
ple of gentle birth is far more binding and I'M
perative than the ordinary laws OF the land.
From a strictly legal point of view the Prince
Of Wales Lords Coventry and Walsingham Sir
George Lewis as well as all those other distin-
puished Englishmen who have ever taken any
mart in an endeavor to hush up crime. IN the
interests of the good name of societ; and or the
mora; welfare OF the public. may possibly be In
the wrong But il is difficult 10 withhold a
feeling Of warm sympathy and regard for those
who in their cndeavors to rid their nest of UNI
desira bile birds strive at the same time to pre-
vent its being foued by what they consider
imnoIitic and unnecessary publicity.
mp EX-ATTACHE.