The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-02-03
CALLED A BAR0a[T A LIAR
Then an American Slapped His
Face and challenged Him.
THE FNGLISHMAN A COWARD
Sir Rohesi Peel and Henry w. Mar
tin, w who L. Attached To the Amer
lean Consulate in Paris, Mixed
Up i'm "a Queer way-A Dishonest
scheme 10 haise Money.

Paris Feb. 3.-Sir Robert Peel.
grandson Of the famous statesman OF
Queen Victoria's reign. and son of the
fire-eating baronet. who challenged
Daniel O'Connell to single combat, has
a second time refused TO fight a duel,
this time with man who has branded
him as coward, who has slapped his
face in the presence of a number of
men at fashionable gambling club on
the Boulevard des Capucines
The man who slapped his face is an
American. Of the name of Henry w.
Martin. an attache of the American
Consulate here. and if his assertions
with regard to certain transactions on
the part Of Sir Robert Peel are true.
il may be questioned whether this most
degenerate scion of the British aris
tocracy has not laid himself open to
criminal charge in England. For Mar
tin insists that, with the object Of rails
ing funds To continue his gambling
here Sir Robert has secretly removed
from his country house in England
some Of the most valuable pictures ana
paintings.
They include two famous REM
brandts and Ruysdael. and Sir Rob-
ert. il is asserted. smuggled them out
nf England by cutting them from their
frames at Drayton Manor. packing
them i'm trunk and then awaiting him.
self Of the diplomatic immunities ac-
corded to Martin as an attache of the
American consulate TO pass the trunk
a. hng
To France without being opened
Martin may have known that they
were heirlooms and entailed. and as
such beyond the power of Sir Robert
to sell without a very serious infrac-
lion of English law But he certainly
did not know that they had been made
over toy virtue of "A sale of Sir Robert :
life interests Ia his brother-in-law,
Baron Won der HoydJ. i'm return for
very large sum Of money. which that
wealthy German nobleEan advanced
in order To- relieve Sir Robert from the
otulaWry To which he was subject as
an undischarged bankrupt I'm fact.
tt. painting carried off by Sir Robert
from DTaytan Manor are not his prop
erty. but that of the Baron, who has IL
nuu within his power to prosecute his
bruther-in-law Criminally. for larceny.
Sir Robert Peel who has been here
in Paris along with his young Swiss
wife and her mother the Baroness
GrafTs nrivd. living at a hotel. has been
pIaying eNtraNagantly and with vary
ing luck at the so-called "Cercle des
Cauucines" Losing heavily. he ad
dressed himself for assistance to Hen
~ W. Martin. who had been eNtraordi-
nafilN fortunate. and at one moment
/. OO0 or 3aGe francs ahead of the game.
Martin lent Sin Robert 10000 francs in
response To his pressing entreaties.
When Martins luck turned ne asked
Sin Robert To refund what he had lent
him. The Baronet declared himself
broke and unable To comply with the re-
ouest. but suggested a scheme whereby
both might profit. He Informed Martin
that there was number of valuable
old masters in the grand picture gallery
of his ancestral country seat. Drayton
Manor in England. which would bring
big prices if they could only be got over
L. this city. Sin Robert added that
There we're two obstacles in the way of
getting the pictures over her-nameiy.
that they formed part and parcel of the
entail Of the estate )of which. as stated
above Sir Robert no longer has any
CONTROL. and secondly that there would
be difficulty in bringing such extreme
Is valuable paintings into France with
out proving ownership. These obSta-
Giles. Sir Robert declared TO Martin,
might be overcome by cutting the pic
lures from their frames and packing
them in a trunk which might be passed
unoprnes into France by Martin, who
as an official of the United States con-
sulate was entitled to the entrance of
his luggage without inspection.
This scheme was put into successful
execution and two famous RembrandtS
aud a RuySdaci we're brought back by
Sir Robert and by Martin from Drayton
Manor. and Sin Robert found no diff
Guilty i'm raising a large sum of money
on the pictures. ON Martin demanding
the repayment of the money that he
had advanced Sir Robert not only de
clined to comply. but actually repu-
dated the liability. declaring that Mar
tin was nothing hut blackmailer.
Therrupun Martin. after calling him a
liar slapped the Baronet's face in the
presence of nearly all the members of
% club.
After waiting more than the preScrib-
ed length of time for that demand for
satisfaction which here on the Conti-
nent invariably follows slap on the
cheek Martin determined to challenge
the baronet himself, and accordingly
intruSted q cartel to two of his friends.
Sir Robert declined either To receive
tlle challenge or Nh Martins seconds
on the ground that the social status of
The latter Was of too inferior charac
ter TO admit of his meeting them on
terms of social equality.
TIL. baronet still asserts that is Is
lackmailing scheme and threatens to
proSacute Martin. What action VIII be
taken at the American Consulate can
not he Conjectured