New-York tribune., 1909-04-12
BARONETS NEW NAME
Sir Charles Hitte1crOnge Was For
nerlu Charles LGeces, the Sculptor.

Tttf'F f>'~'
rcopyright 1909 Il, the Brentwood CompanyI
IN Sir Charles NiteTrorge-the name should be
,-o1ounoed ''wit-rong"-Who has just been elected
t.;dent of the Society of British Sculptors in
'o.ssion 10 Thomas Brock r. A many peopIe
= 10Th sides Of the Atlantic will find difficulty in
O-,izing Charles Lawes, who not only won con-
t5e-able fame as a sculptor IN England and in
&c hut also the foremost athlete of his day
=. ar Eton and aftcTward at Cambridge where
ned stroke in two successive years in the in
,,,-arsfty race. At the recent Franco British
,,bitlon in London Sir Charles's superb marble
-, THE Death of Gree" was the feature of
tgre Arts Palace. and by reason Of the COM
- OF the design, the vigor of the handling
she spirit OF the execution, was described as
- the most notable triumphs Of British plastic
,,,boush Sir Charles is very rich man. both
-b the money which he inherited from his
ne and through his marriage. he has been grad
- from the bankruptcy court. But this was not
to.rse he could not pay, but because he would not
,r5er the damages awarded to the sculptor
,,..As-d Bet, who not long afterward
..5 70 \ term If penal servitude for forgery
= 4-aud thus justifying that opinion for the
e-szson Of which Charlie Lawes had been mulcted
= 5s-nares I4awes, who a the time
= ,ess dependent his very wealthy father.
- that he right about Belt and sooner
.hor nav the damages or costs went into volun-
tsry bankrlp'cH-
r.. Ts3veS-BeEt case the cause CelshTe of
,rs, There we're in reality three Belt trials-two
- and one criminal The first one was brought
,ort by rather sensational paragraph which
.a-ed in the London society paper Vanity
=, in-irnsting that Richard Belt, who had re
= -ritted the studio Of Charlie Iawes and had
=. m ss Z sculptor his own account. was not
a. -esritv the author Of the statue Of Dean STANLEY
a .ls F2yrCrl monument and OF the memorial buStS
- charles Kingsley and Canon Conway. but that
,bev had been made for him. that he was wholly
,onehIs Of doing anything in the shape Of artistic
ri and that he neither A sculptor nor an
-+.sr but merely statue jobher and an impostor-
-+z article remained uncontradicted for several
,c,4bs until when Belt sent in designs for a
sro-fgl advertised for by the Corporation OF
T,rson Charles Lawes wrote to the Lord Mayor
smpc attention To the statements in Vanity
r.E~ avoviug himself the author thereof. and
trinr stress on the fact that they had never been
,ntradcte5 II was only then that Belt was forced
br his friends bring the matter into court and
- ,e.5Y1ta = civil suit against -I-awes for damages
The trial lasted forty-five days. all the most emi-
sn. counsel of the day being engaged in the case.
-be Legal expenses of Belt being betrayed hy num-
b.- of his followers and friends. mostly people Of
she sn-csred aesthetic cult. of which oscar Wilde
-.e the bright particular star Indeed there Is no
small analogy between the careers Of these two
men The Jury IN the case was composed Of London
f-s6esnlen, without the slightest knowledge OF
at and when Belt modelled In its presence bust
which was declared by Lord Leighton, then pTeSi-
dent If me Royal Academy (hinself eminent
.cgl7torl by Sir John Millais and by the sculptor
Tbornrcroft. both of them members Of the Royal
Academy 20 he utterly devoid Of artistic merit ana
rnanifestly fashioned by different hands from those
which had produced the statue Of Dean Stanley
and the Lord Byron memorial, it decided, never
theless that Belt had proved himself TO be
sculptor, that he had been slandered and returned
g verdict in his favor for $4,000 damages This
verdict upheld appeal, in spite of the popu-
lar conviction and the certainty in all artistic cir
iFe5i IN
that Belt impostor-
II was thereupon that Lawes on the advice OF
his lawyer Sir George Lewis resoTted 10 the bank
rutpcy court, and, having no fortune Of his own
saving the income which he derived from his work
as sculptor easily obtained discharge Of all his
debts Including the s2co0 damages TO Belt and the
istter's legal costs for which he had become liable
few months later Bet Vas arrested and tried
st the Central Criminal Court in London on charges
OF having obtained by fraud and by forgery sums
TO the amount Of $4,000 from Sir William Abby
The frauds practised upon Sir William Abby by
Belt were OF the most gross and shameful descrip-
tlon and II was universally felt that Belt got his
merits when he was sentenced to g long term Of
penal servitude.
Il was six years ago that Sir Charles Lawes. who
Inherited his fathers baronetcy and great fortune
in 1900 adopted the name OF Wittewronge on sue
ceeding 10 the extensive property OF relative and
IN compliance with the stipuatons OF the latter
will Many regretted it, not only because Sir
Charles had won considerable lame as a Sculptor
under the name Of I.awes but also because OF the
celebrity enioved by his father. who may be said to
have been the founder OF the artificial manure IN
dustry and OF its application TO agriculture II is
from his estate at Rothamsted. in Hertordshlre
Owned by Sir Charles, that not only British
but American and foreign agricultural experts have
obtained much Of their knowledge and the inspira-
ton OF their teachings.
TIE late Sir John Lawes started the experiments
at Rothamsted in 1913. and they are going on
there 10 this day, thanks TO trust of $4,000 which
Sir John. who received q baronetcy for his ser
vices TO agriculture left his death for the pur-
pose.