The New York herald., 1922-02-26
Trial of Capt. and Mrs.
Owen Peel Attracts Fash
iOnable Crowd.
BOTH DENY THE CHARGES
Result Depends on Testimony
Regarding Time Wagers
Were Placed.

Special Cable to THE New YORK lIEs,Lp.
Copyright. 1929. by THE NEW York HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
London. Feb. 2j.
A considerable stir has been caused
IN London society circles by the trial
of Capt. and Mrs. Owen Peel known
in racing and fashionable circles,
whom the post office authorities have
charged with attempting to swindIe
bookmakers by placing bets on races
by telegraph, after the results were
known to them. They achieved this.
the charges assert, by inducing the
postmaster who sent the kilograms TO
stamp them as having been received
earlier than they actually were turned
in TO him, thereby leading the book
makers 10 believe that the telegram
placing the bet had been sent prior
to the running OF the race Both
were committed for trial after plead
ing not guilty. Mrs. Peel broke down
ami left the court room in tears.
That Mrs. Peel was not near the
telephone booth and could not have
heard conversation relative TO the
timing Of the kilograms between her
husband and the postmaster was brought
out at the trial in the cross examna-
ton OF Gertrude Cooper. the 16 year
old assistant TO the postmaster in the
village of Avon Dassett where the tele-
grams were sent. 1t is alleged that
Mrs. Peel obtained the result of the
race over telephone from a. friend
after which the kilograms to the boo~-
makers were sent. 1t is the custom OF
English bookmakers TO accept post Of
flee timing as fixing the hour of plac-
ing bets
Miss Cooper testified she telephoned
the messages at the time she coded
them and that the Captain had told her
to stamp the first message :45 p. VI.
| The postmaster nodded assent when she
declared that she had coded the re-
manning forty-flve kilograms the same
day without further question. believing
! that they were filed at the same hour
Bradbury where the messages were
relayed. she said. questioned the delay OF
twenty-five minutes between the coded
time and the hour of reception. She
| testified that when she had told George
| Watts. the postmaster. about 1t he told
her that the delay was caused by count
ing the words. She also testified that
she felt sure that the time OF the mes
sages was coded wrong. but that she had
! nlcd them that way because she had
been told to do SO.
A long distance telephone operator
Miss Theakstonc. testified that a call
came from London with which Mrs.
Peel was engaged for ten minutes was
finished at five minutes past 3 o'clock.
The official time OF the start of the race
on which the bets were placed was 3 :o3
! T. NJ. Tho post Office which Is prose-
cutting the case, charges that by means
Of this telephone call. which was a con-
nection with a stock exchange office. the
result of the race was learned by Mrs.
Peel as soon as it was flashed on the
tickcrs.
Detective Gives Evidence.
Arthur Bishop. post Office detective.
laid before the court a long series OF
questions and answers upon which tho
post office largely bases its case. He
| said that both Capt. and Mrs. Peel had
told him that they had received the re-
suit OF the race later by telephone from
sfriends 1t IL alleged that Mrs. Peel
continued telephoning until 3:05. The
detective claimed that the result was on
the ticker at .6a. clerk. however.
said that the race was finished a few
seconds after $500 and that it would
take about l. seconds to get the result
on the ticker
Detective Bishop read what he alleged
were signed statements obtained from
Capt. and Mrs Peel According TO these
statements Mrs Peel said she wrote the
telegrams herself early in the afternoon,
and Cant Peel. according to the state
ment declared that the kilograms were
prepared with the name OF the horse
left blank to be filled later. MIS-. Peel
admitted. tho detective said. that they
no, heavier than usual for them and dis
,,.ibutod the bets because the bookmak-
era would net accept larger sums oy
wire.
Very Loauncious.
"t am very talkative over the tels-
phone." said Mrs. Peel She added thar
ste did NOT recollect all OF her con-
,ersation hut that she was discussing
the sale OF certain shares and that she
jq SIRE the kilograms were hled by her
huabard at 2.4J while she was in the
telephone booth
Bishop testified that Capt. Peel had
said TO him: "t'll be quite frank ana
toll YOU II II won't get the postmaster
I'm a row that IL was after $40 When
handed In the telegranls. but not more
than ten minutes. ! am sure, ana
thinl, Il was about FIVE minutes. ! asked
him 70 time all the kilograms the same
as the argt as that wouldn't make any
difference In the time they reached the
booknakers ns tho telephone was en-
gagged az the time
Bishop said that In response TO tno
question if ne knew Iue result W Nho
race cant Peel had answered: IL see
what YOU are getting at. but ! couldn't
lnow the result OF tho race. II looks
fshy. know. but | didn't offer the post
master any bribcs. thir" sny one
could have done II 90 oblige, especially
as tho result could not have been
known" According to the statement
read BY Bishop. Capt Peel admitted
later that he told the postmaster to
4. Nut q hgn an
I asked him 10 time them back for me-
Bishop admitted that both OF the
peels were anxious 70 give every assist
ance capt Peel Is alleged TO have told
Bishop "in confidence and proved tnat
II wasn't written down. that part OF tho
money was invested for the trainer OK
Paragon the winning horse. The train
or. Peter Gilpin. testified that he had
never authorized Capt. Peel 10 put any
money up for him on Paragon and said
that he did not fancy the horse.