The San Francisco call., 1897-11-30
The Dupe Believed That He
Was Merely Witnessing
Private Paper.
SCANDAL REVEALED BY A
LAWSUIT.
Incidentally the Methods of Most
Notorious Money-Lender Are
Also Revealed.
Special Dispatch 10 THE CALL

LONDON, Nov. 29-The Lord Chief
Justice is hearing an interesting case
which is attracting the attention of Clud
men and mem bers of the arstocracy here.
1t is the suit of money-lender to recover
| from an officer of the guards named Clay
the sum of 911 113 due on two promissory
notes cashed for Lord William Nevill.
Sir Edward Clarke, Q. c., representing
| Clay. examined the plaintiff and
! showed that Lord Neviu borrowed
| large sums at from 80 to 40 per cent
interest and that in one case recently The
| parents OF youth who had iudorsed Lord
| Nevill's unpaid notes paid the plaintiff
40, OO0
Sir Edward Clarke. for the defense, al
legged that Lord NeviIl secured Clay's in
dorsement by a trick. NevilI, according
to counsel's statement, asked Clay to wit
| ness his signature to family documents OF
q private character, these documents be-
ing covered by a paper in which there
were Sits, where Cay was asked to sign.
The latter demurred and asked 10 see the
documents, whereupon he was told the
documents referred to a divorce OF Lord
l-Nevtl's sister, Lady CowIey. Clay &C
cepled the explanation and signed with
out having any idea until he was sued
that he was signing promissory notes.
Clay testified in corroboration of the
statement made by Sir Edward Clarke,
and said that after the discovery of the
trick played upon him he taxed Lord
Neviu with il wtereupon Lord Nevill
wrote and asked him to hold his tongue
Tor a short time, as otherwise be (LOrd
NeviID would be ruined for life. Finally
CLAY called Lord Neviu a swindler. At
the close of to-day's testimony. the case
was adjourned.
Lord William Beachamp Nevlll, who
was born in 1860. is the fourth son ot the
Marquis of Abergavenny. He was
formerly an aide-de- camp TO the Viceroy
of Ireland, the Duke of Nj borough, and
is a lieutenant in The Third Battalion of
the Royal West Kent Regiment. He is
married The fifth daughter of the Mar
quis of Abergavenny is Lady Violet. born
| IN 1866 and married in 1899 TO the third
Earl Cowley. On October 30, 1896, petit
! tion for divorce was brought by Countess
| Cowley, who alleged matrimonial miscon-
Duct and extreme cruelty on the part OF
was a Mrs. Charington. 1t was brought
out in the course of the trial, which be-
IAN in January last. that the Earl, while
Viscount Langan, was forced to heavily
compensate Phyllis Broughton, the
actress, for breach OF promise.
In the trial of the divorce suit Earl
Cowley and Mrs. Charington denied t e
allegations of the com plainant. Counsel
| for the Countess asked permission to
amend the petition OF the plaintiff by in
| PRODUCING a new correspondent on the fol-
| lowing Monday. The request was granted
and the Jury was discharged. When the
hearing of the case was resumed on Feb
ruary i, Earl Cowley made no contest.
but admitted his conduct with the second
correspondent, and in August last the
Countess obtained decree OF abb QUITE di-
vorce, with alimony to the amount oil
| f22O0 year for life
Sam Lewis, the money-lender in the
case on trial in London to-day, is proba-
bly the most notorious man of his class in
England. During the bankruptcy proceed
ings against the Marquis of AiIsbury, who
died in 1894, it developed that Lewis had
a claim of f257.O00 against the estate,
which includes the famous Savernake
forest. Lewis, in Septem ber, 1895. pur-
chased the beautiful residence OF Count
ess CowIey at Maidenhead for G12, 900.