The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1904-05-19
KNIFE IS PUT TO
SPORTS CHARACTER
Sensational Testimony Is Ad-
duced in a Famous Libel
Action in London.
HE COULDN'T BE LIBELEO
So Sir James Duke Claimed in Defense
of Suit Brought by a Noted Turf
man, He Presented Enough
Facts to Prove II

London, May 16.-A sensational libel
suit brought by the we'll known race
horse owner, r. S. Sievier, against Sir
James Duke, also we'll known on the
turf, was concluded today with q YER
dict for Sir James. Sievier charged the
latter with calling him d thief, card
sharper and murderer, and that Sievicr
caused his famous mare Sceptre to be
pulled in the Derby.
Sir James pleaded privilege, as the
statements were made within the Raj
eigh club, but he endeavored to show
that SieVier's character was such that
he could not be libeled. The jury today
decided that Sir James had not ON
mitted any libel and mulcted Sievier
in the costs Of the suit. Sievier, who
was remarkably cool throughout the
case, broke down toward the end of his
counsel's speech and sobbed bitterly.
Justice Grantham in summing up was
very severe in his structures of Sievier.
He said the late Queen Victoria would
almost rather have given up her throne
than have such a man presented to her.
The case attracted considerable inter
est owing to the fact that Sievier's past
life was probed with a minuteness
scarcely ever equaled in a similar case.
He confessed to having been three
times bankrupted and to being several
times in police courts, but for trifling
assaults at card games and billiard
matches. Bets running into thousands
OF pounds were from the
witness stand with II Trankness and in
numbers that somewhat amazed the
hearers. On the long run, Sievier de-
c,ared, he was a heavy loser in gam
bling transactions.
American Sharper in Game.
One game in PARTICULAR, when the
Duke OF Braganza lost about So, 600
while playing With Sievier at Monte
a famous American card sharper, nam
ed Burns, brother of a man imprisoned
for robbing j. Pierpont Morgan's house,
participated in the game, but Sievier
declared he was not aware of his iden-
tity until after the game was over,
when the Duke Of Braganza himself
and Guy ChetWynd came to an az
ranGement satisfactory to all. Chef
Wynd is 4 son of Sir George Chetwynd
and married Rosalind Secor.
On another occasion SieVier won $780,
600 from a friend at cards. and the
losers wife wrote him a pathetic letter,
and SieVier accepted $12, 500, "a pretty
large sum for q ard sharper to let
anybody off," remarked SleVier on the
stand.
After his return from Australia
SIevier was presented at court to Queen
Victoria, but some months afterWard
the court circular announced that the
presentation was cancelled. This Sic
vler attributed entirely to the fact that
he had been a booknaker in Australia.
Through all the phases Of his check
cred career, from the time he "smacked
Lord Deerhurst's face in a Melbourne
racing club (the same Deerhurst who
married Miss Bonynge of San Francis
co, and who then was aide de camp to
the gOVcrnor), up to the present day,
SieVier>s life was mercilessly dissected.
But Sir James Dukes counsel did not
put forward any evidence to show that
SieTier was guilty of card %sharpfng,
pulling Sceptre, or other horses, thiev.
ing or numbering.
WEEDS Lady Mabel Bruce.
SieVier married Lady Mabel Bruce,
sister of the fourth Marquis of Ayles-
bury. She had arranged to marry an
otner man., and two days prior to the
wedding she IAN off with Sievier.
Bob Sievier, the former owner Of
Sceptre, is classed as the most daring
SPECTATOR ever seen on the English
turf. w. X. Vanderbilt in May. 1902.
was reported to have offered Sieyier
$4,000 for Sceptre, winner of the Two
Thousand Guinea stakes and of the One
~ Iul!lSdS Stakes tNaL year. Sic
V1er is well born and well educated,
n has been in turn a bookrnaker. ac-
tor and manager of a betting agency.
He has been stranded financially, but
is now a wealthy and owner and pos
SCISSOR OF the best horses on the turf,
eli acquired with the results of sensa-
tlonal plunging. In his younger days
Sievier was a celebrity on the turf at
MeIbourne, where he was a bookmaker
until he became involved in a differ
ence with Lord Deerhurst. He has
Travelled IN most Of the British colonies
and Is we'll known as a dead shot, both
IN elephant and In lion hunting.