The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-11-02
RUCKER FINED $1,000.
Bicycle Promoter Alters Evi-
dence and Is Punished
in London.
IBy cable to The Associated press.1

LONDON, Nov. 2, 1895. Martin Rucker.
a former promoter of bicycle companies.
who was charged with contempt OF court.
in endeavoring to induce Mr.. Ernest
Terah Hooley. the bankrupt company
promoter. TO alter evidence which re-
hected upon the Humber Company direc-
tors, was fined $1,000 and costs today, and
was further ordered to pay the money
today or go to prison. Mr.. Hooley de-
clared that Rucker, in behalf of four
directors of the Humber Company, Of
fered him 25,000 to change some of the
evidence presented in the Bankruptcy
proceedings.
The examination of Mr.. Hooley in
bankruptcy proceedings was resumed to-
day and attracted much attention. 1Ir.
Hooley continued to testify to the
amounts, large and small, paid to trus-
tees and directors in connection with his
promotions. He created sensation by
asserting that he paid Sir William
Marriott $1,000 (s5.OO0, for intro
ducing him to the Carlton Club
and asserting later that he paid
10000 ($5o,0Oo) to the Marquis of Aber-
gavenny, prominent Conservative, for
party funds. The witness did not know
whether the money reached the party
fund. Subsequently. Mr.. Hooley ex-
gavenny 45.ee0 (S25,OO) first and then paid
him second 5000 {$25, ,000), because he
was told that he had promised E10,000
lso0 e0el But, the witness interjectec.
Az the Old Bailey Central Criminal
CourD. on February Is, of the present
year, Lord William Nevili. fourth son of
the Marquis of Abergavenny, was sem
fenced to five years penal servitude,
after having been convicted of fraud in
connection with the suit of Sam Lewis.
the, Sna money lender against Lieutenant
Guards to recover eli .113, due on two
promissory notes cashed by the prisoner,
who pleaded guilty of fraud but claimed
he was not guilty of forgery.
Judge Lawrence, in summing up, stern
" rebuked the prisoner, who was APP
parently almost unconcerned. The Judge
said
I'm my opinion, the crime is as great
as If he had abstracted the sum from
Lieutenant Clay 5 pocket or had burglar
lied Mr.. Lewis office and had stolen it.
II it had been some wretched clerk, with
wife and seven children who
had Incurred a heavy loss and
had helped himself to his masters
III, | am afraid there would have been n No
one 10 speak in extenuation- But. the
higher position the person holds the
higher his responsibility. l am sorry to
say | have looked in vain for extenuatilg
fraud as it is possible to conceive. You
have brought shame and dishonor upon
an ancient and noble family and sorrow and
suffering, upon your nearest and dearest
You have forfeited the position you held
in the world, and which should have been
8 guarantee of your honesty at least II
not of your honor. Your crime is great
and your sentence must be severe. 1t is
that you be kept In penal seryitude for
five years
Continuing, the report of the trial, as
cabled to The Associated Press at the
time, said
There was a sharp drawing-in of the
spectators breath. For a moment they
were stunned with surprise. and. almost
before those in Court could realize what
had occurred, the prisoner was being
hurried off to the cells of Newgate Pris-
on, where he was allowed to have q
lengthy interview with his wife and with
another lady. After the interviews the
prisoner was removed to Wormwood
Scrubbs Prison, where he will serve the
first portion of his sentence.
The prisoners face did not evinee
much surprise at the severity of his SEN
tence; but his unsteady gait on leaving
the prisoners dock showed that he had
been hard hit.
The sentence caused a great sensation
among those present in court and many
of the ladies there broke out into sobs.''