TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Star, Issue 726, 2 July 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

[From Our London Correspondent.]

London, April 29. The Babbicombe murder—Appalling miscarriage of justice—Misled by circumstantial evidence Parnellism and crime The second pamphlet ‘ Tho Times ’ challenges Parnell to vindicate his character—lrish excuses—Why not the Law Courts ?—Looting by stewards at the wreck of the Tasmania—Jewellery worth L 40,000 missing—A batch of good stories Lord Hartington and Lady Harcourt—The retort courteous— Theatrical failures A long run Buffalo Bill at the theatres—The 1 Pall Mall’s ’ latest sensation—The Holloway will case.

A rumor of a most extraordinary and sensational character, which, if true, would seriously shake public confidence in sentences pronounced on circumstantial evidence, is being whispered about amongst i the clerks at the Home Office, Some years ago a young man, a butler, named Lee, was sentenced to death for murdering his mistress and benefactress, an elderly maiden lady residing at Babbicombe, near Torquay. The case attracted a lot of attention at the time, and your readers will probably remember the facts well. I may remind them, however, that the lad all through stuck firmly to his innocence. On the scaffold there was a ghastly and shocking scene. Three times the hangman tried to do his duty and three times the rope broke, till at length the sheriff refused to allow the execution to proceed. In accordance with precedent in such cases the capital sentence was then commuted and Lee sent to “ living death” at Dartmoor, Mark the sequel ! It is now said that some months ago one of Lee’s fellow-servants—the girl who at the trial was suspected of having an illicit lover—confessed to the crime on her deathbed, and satisfied the authorities of Lee’s entire innocence. The unfortunate young man was subsequently released and pensioned for life at 30s a-week, but not till he had given a solemn undertaking to the prison chaplain not to reveal the truth. The Home Office justify their extraordinary action in the matter on the ground that if the facts were known circumstantial evidence in capital cases would practically become a dead letter, and that is moat undesirable, as in ninety-nine cases out of 100 conclusions deduced therefrom are correct. Since Gladstone’s famous ‘ Bulgarian Horrors ’ pamphlet thrilled all Europe, no political brochures have caused half such a profound sensation as the two penny reprints from ‘ The Times ’ of its swingeing articles on “Parnellism and Crime.” The sale of the first series was almost unprecedented, but it has been quite thrown into the shade by that of the second, which contains, amongst other matter, a reproduction of the now notorious fac-simile letter signed “Chas. Parnell.” That the influence of these pamphlets will be definite and farreaching, no one who reads them can possibly deny. Even the ultra-Gladstonites (including, it is said, the G.O.M. himself), have confessed that to leave such a clear, cogent, and definite impeachment unanswered must effectually ruin the Irish cause for the time bping. The leading Parnellites will either have to clear their characters in the law Courts, or else forfeit the respect of five-sixths of their erstwhile supporters. Public opinion is quite with Lord Hartington when he says that to meet charges of the gravest character with passionate indignation, unsupported by any serious attempt at disproof, is not a course that will satisfy either the House of Commons or the country. On the other hand, everyone knows that Mr Sexton talks “taradiddles,” which he doesn’t himself believe, when he professes to doubt the possibility of a libelled Irishman obtaining justice from an English jury. * The Times ’ meanwhile stands boldly to its guns, and scoffs at the notion of either Mr Parnell or his associates daring to face the law Courts. “If the charges we have made can beprovedto be baseless and calumnious,” it says, “ they can be made the ground for criminal as well as civil proceedings. But inside and out of Parliament Mr Parnell and his friends prefer to fall back simply on vague contradiction and. insolent abuse.” Last week the “ uncrowned king of Ireland” went over to Dublin avowedly with the intention of hunting up evidence to quash “‘The Times’s’ clumsy forgery.” Apparently, however, he was not successful. In the House on Tuesday Mr Sexton endeavored to convict Mr Brodriek (an old Tory) of breach of privilege for avowing his belief in the genuine character of the much-canvassed epistle ; but the Speaker would qot interfere. The wreck of the P. and 0. steamer Tasmania will be found fully dealt with in a special article, I may mention, though, that the catastrophe will probably lead to legislation re the employment of Las jar crews on large passenger vessels. Mr G, VV, Allen, whose graphic account of the wreck has excited such interest, sticks to the assertion that the stewards “ looted” the saloon cabins during the confusion. His story gains special force from the fact that jewellery to the value of L 40,000, belonging to an Indian rajah who was on board, is missing. The iron box containing it stood in the Eastern potentate’s cabin. Unfortunately, when the catastrophe occurred ho and his servants were so paralysed with terror that they forgot all about it. Somebody else appears to have enjoyed a better memory. But the tvhqle circumstances attending the wreck are wrapt in mystery, as it was a fine moonlight night, and the coast is as well known to all P. and 0. officers as the English Channel. I don’t much like retailing the good stories onb hear? at clubs, because they sooner or later get into the papers, and then one gets accused of plagiarism, llefe, 'howpyer, are a few which may be new in yoiir p&H of the world:— ; -> • • v ' . ’

A Christian and a Jew got wrecked together at sea. They were just giving way to thirst, starvation, and salt-water when a ship hove insight. “A sail! A sail!” shouted the Christian. “ A sale,” gurgled the Jew, who had all but left his uncomfortable quarters on the raft for Abraham’s bosom. “ A sale I ” (Then more excitedly): “ S’wulp me, just my luck ; I havn’t got a catalogue I ” Tlio High Church belles of Brixton and

similar .suburbs justify thcnwlves for going to an exceptionally smart- hail given i;i i’.'.nt by ditiicir.;; only with very thin men. ./A - 1 fji'i’X muig don’t you know.

Dr Temple, travelling in the Underground recently, entered into conversation with a particularly bumptious Yankee. “ 1 rayther guess, Bishop,” said the latter at last, “that with all your divinity studies you can’t direct me the straight road to Heaven.” “ Oh, yes I can,” replied his lordshipgravely, “ turn to the right, then keep straight on /” A pretty girl entered a London ’bus the other day when it was quite full, and, after the manner of females under such circumstances, looked round for a foolish man who would give up his seat to her. No one rose, but a smart-looking fellow, with a little boy sitting on his knee, put the child down, and murmured audibly: “Be a polite lad, my son, and give up your seat to the lady.” Despite his apparent heaviness, Lord Hartington is not without humor, and occasionally says a really good thing. One of his hon mots was going the rounds at Sandown last week. His lordship, it seems, dined with the Harcourta one Wednesday during the dabate on the Crimes Bill, and took Lady Harcourt in to dinner. The latter, who is not a very brilliant woman, chose to dilate rather inopportunely on the political differences between Sir William Harcourt and her guest. “ You used to be such allies,” quoth she; “and now I really daresay you’d like to see my husband hanged.” “No, indeed,” Lord Hartington replied; “ I only wish to see him suspended.” First-night audiences in London grow more and more cxigeant and more rowdy every year. At the Royalty Theatre last Saturday a lovely scene was witnessed. The crowded house, after listening to Mr Mark Melford’s new and original comedy of “Toy” in ominous silence, insisted on calling that unfortunate young author. He came forward blushing and smiling, only to be rewarded by a perfect storm of hisses, which were unrelieved by even a single clap. I have also, I regret to say, to chronicle two other failures—the revival of “ Madame Favart” at the Avenue, and the production of the much-talked-of “Red Lamp ” at the Comedy, The former came to grief through Arthur Roberts being cast for a part quite out of his line, and in which he broke down utterly. The latter is a very pretentious Nihilist drama, with a fair plot but weak and tiresome dialogue. Mr Beerbohm-Tree made a hit in the part of a Russian detective, and Lady Monckton was fair as the heroine, but the pair couldn’t save the piece, which will never get as far as Australia.

At the Vaudeville Theatre, on Wednesday, Robert Buchanan’s “Sophia” (which owes its great success chiefly to Miss Kate Rorke’s charming acting in the title role) was performed for the 300 th time. But this house is noted for its long runs. During the James and Thorne management “ Two Roses” was played 490 nights, “The School for Scandal” 450 nights, “Our Boys ” 1,362 nights, and “Confusion” 457 nights. “ The Road to Ruin ” also enjoyed two long runs here. The fair “ Mimi ” Anderson’s experiment of doubling the parts of Hermione and Perdita in “A Winter's Tale” seems to have been crowned with complete success. The critics who went down to Nottingham for the trial performance last Saturday telegraphed columns of raptures to the Sunday papers. No doubt “ A Winter’s Tale ” will now be the piice de resistance of the fair American’s coming season at the Lyceum, The “show” heroes of the hour are the Wild West cowboys and Indians who have taken up their quarters in the neighborhood of Earlscourt, and are vigorously “doing” the sights of London. Mr Cody (Buffalo Bill) himself was inducted into the sacred mysteries of the Garrick Club by Mr Irving, and amidst the convivial goodfellowship of the smoking-room is said to have unbent and told some capital yarns—- “ just, in point of fact, what you wouldn’t expect,” as some fellow rudely but pithily observed.

A great success has been scored at tho Italian opera with a revival of Bizet’s first opera, “ Leila, or the Pearl Fishers.” May 18.

At the present moment we are m the midst of tho Jubilee excitement, and no d übt as the weather gets warmer there will be more interest shown in the few outdoor celebrations which are forthcoming. As yet, the whole thing has fallen very flat; all the proposed schemes have been too prosy and commonplace ; there ought to be a little more barbaric splendor about it all in order to appeal to the imagination. There is going to bo a great fireworks display all over London, but perhaps the best suggestion has come from Lord Hampden (the Lord-Lieutenant of Sussex), better known as tiie late Speaker of tho House of Commons. In his county all the old beacon fires that flashed the news of the arrival of the Spanish Armada three hundred years ago are to be revived on the night of June 20th, Other counties have now taken up the proposal, and all along what used to be the Scotch and' Welsh borders the crests of the hills are to be illuminated in the ancient way. Probably, as the time draws nearer, the greater part of England will follow suit, and, at a trifling cost, a brilliant, romantic, and memorable display will be provided for the whole of the population. Last week the Corporation of London presented an address to the Queen upon her throne. The Queen wished to receive only a small deputation, but it appears that by immemorial custom they are entitled to appear before Her Majesty in person and not by a small number of representatives. To this privilege they steadily clung, so that at last the Queen had to give way. I understand pn the best authority that, had their Sovereign proved obstinate, they would not have presented an address at all The Jubilee rejoicing is drawing her out of retirement in a wonderful way. For instance, the day after receiving the Corporation she held one of the biggest Drawing-rooms on record, and followed it up on the next morning by superintending the Jubilee preparations in Westminster Abbey, «nd in the afternoon by patronising Buffalo Bill’s show at the American Exhibition ; whilst at the end of the same week she and the greatest part of the Royal Family went down to the East End of London to open the “ People's Palace.” This was one of the chief events of the rejoicings, although in its beginning it had nothing to do with the Jubilee, It is of course the first tangible outcome of the “East End movement, of which Besant’s * All Sorts and Conditions of Men ’is the literary record; but whatever its origin it gave an opportunity for a very magnificent show and a tremendous outburst of loyalty. The display of bunting was enormous and the enthusiasm correspondingly intense. 1 hear that the tradesmen of Oxford street intend to keep up their decorations through the summer, or at least until the 20th June, as a grand advertisement. The day of the opening was very bright and sunny, though rather cold. Vast crowds collected from every district of London, and, in addition to filling nearly all the shop windows on the route, lined each side of the road very thickly for the whole five miles.

The Corporation of the City are delighted at the special honor shown to them, in the person of the Lord Mayor, for after the ceremony was over the Queen visited the Mansion House to have tea—an act of graciousncsss unprecedented in the present reign. Altogether the Queen has done a good day’s work on behalf of the Royal Family, and coming as it did, just after the Parliamentary opposition to the Bill authorising the return of the Duke of Connaught for the Jubilee, and to the vote of L 17.000 for the Jubilee service at Westminster, it has done a lot of good. People say that it is Lord Salisbury’s influence on her Majesty that is working the change. There is a little grumbling about the privacy she still requires when she goes out. For instance, when she visited the performance of the Wild West Indians under Buifolo Bill last week,.she had the public excluded from the building whilst she was there, and had the pleasure of gazing on tier hpop tj.er of empty seats. Her interview •With “ Red BKjrt,” tfie chief of the Sioux,

j was rather funny. Ogila-Sa, for that ‘ is his real name, had shown the sternest integrity in dealing with Mr Gladstone a few clays before, and when the Great White Chief asked him as a representative of the whole civilised world—what he thought of the relations between England and America, he declined to be drawn ; but the glamor of Royalty was too much for the Republican of the woods, and without any compunction be told the “ great mother ” that ho had come all across the ocean from his wigwam in order to see Imr, end above all that lie liked her face so much, which was laying it on pretty thickly considering that she is no great beauty. After that it was not surprising that he “strode abruptly away.” Then Her Majesty summoned the squaws, who, in a moment, came racing across the arena with their little brown papooses on their backs. They were not so dignified as their chief, but stretched out their hands in an excited fashion, dismounted the babies, and pressed them upon the attention of the Queen. When the petting was over the papooses were gathered up, the squaws fled, and the Queen retired. Bitterness in the Liberal camp over the Irish question does not cease. Mr Chamberlain had long been greeted with the opprobrious titles of “traitor,” “turncoat,” and the like; but now Lord Hartiugton is being dead cut by Mr Gladstone. The Unionists are yet very happy and confident. Mr J. Morley used the expression “ 670 gentlemen,” in describing the present House of Commons at a Newcastle banquet; but the manifest disapproval of his audience soon made him substitute “individuals.” Such is the pass things are reaching. Rumor has it that a fresh dynamite campaign is to be inaugurated as soon as the Crimes Bill is passed. The Liverpool police have long been watching a gang of receivers, and now the Government have got a steam cutter guarding the Shannon, their agents having informed them than an American cruiser is on the way there. ‘The Times’ has begun a new series of articles on “ ParnelJism and Crime.” It is now dealing with the American organisation, many of the papers of which it professes to have bought. By the way, there was a rather curious story told about detectives at the Manchester assizes. A clerk who had forged to the tune of L 5,000 went to the theatre to see “ The World,” and as the play worked on his feelings betrayed himself so unconsciously that a detective whose suspicions had been aroused knew he was on the right trail and quietly took him in charge. We often hear of the domineering of British officers on foreign station, but in the Portsmouth Police Court a case just came to light in England itself. Admiral Sir G. Willes and his flag-lieutenant were riding along a narrow lane, and the latter, dissatisfied with the “ insolence ” of a small tradesman in a cart, who would not allow them more than the usual amount of room in passing, struck him with a riding whip. The man thereupon turned his cart and pursued the officers, but after a hard gallop they escaped out of sight. Some bystanders, however, told him their names, and the lieutenant was fined L 3 and costs. The heart-burnings that arose from the Government proclamation against foreign coppers have cooled down now that people have got rid of them at the post offices. The craftier shop-keepers and the proprietors of automatic machines, by accepting the proclaimed coinage, have driven a roaring trade, and then exchanged their receipts for notes, etc., at the Government offices. Arrangements have been made with France and Italy to get rid of the thirty tons of metal that have consequently been withdrawn from circulation ; but perhaps the latest discovery-, that moSfbf those under-weight foreign coins have been issued by a Birmingham firm and circulated slowly through the pawnbroker, may impede the international agreement. The application of Mr Tomkinson, a shareholder in the South-eastern Railway Company, to restrain the directors from presenting LI,OOO to the funds of the Imperial Institute has proved successful, Mr Justice Smith holding that the payment was ultra vires. On behalf of the directors it was urged that the donation would be beneficial to the Company by reason of the large increase of traffic that would result from Eersous visiting the Institute ; the Judge, owever, declared that this argument would not hold water, and pointed out that on similar grounds the directors might as reasonably subscribe to assist the Crystal Palace, Madame Tussaud’s, or half-a-dozen other entertainments of the sort. The Company mean to appeal. The numerous friends of Sir Robert Fowler at the Antipodes will be glad to learn that he has been acquitted of complicity in the charges of corruption recently proved before a Parliamentary Committee against the City Corporation. During the last fortnight or more one of the latest developments in the journalistic line has been going on in the ‘ Pall Mall Gazette.’ I don’t think that their example will prove infectious, although they themselves promise a continuance of this new departure. Ever since its notorious article of two years ago, the ‘ Pall Mall ’ has posed as the chivalrous champion in a callous age of weak woman’s cause, and it is in that rdle that it now again startles the London world. Every evening three or four short chapters of an apparent story is given. The plot is sensational and excitable so far as the ‘ Pall Mall ’ can make it so ; but the real interest hinges on one fact: 'all the statements made in the course of the narrative are (at least, so says the ‘ Pall Mall ’) absolutely true. Certainly there has been no reticence or disguise. The names of living persons are used in the frankest manner; the heroine and hero are or were members of English society; and all their intercourse with their friends, their letters, and the dates at which they did anything relevant to the story, are laid out most explicitly. The story in outline is like many another—a confiding girl and a treacherous man—but the details render it more than usually horrible. The hero is a man named Langworthy, a member of two West End clubs, the owner of a large fortune by inheritance, and the prospective heir to two others. His first wife was a daughter of the Earl of Limerick ; Ida second—the heroine —the daughter of an Irish land agent. He possesses vast estates in Buenos Ayres, in addition to his English fortune, and is a thorough milord in all his habits of life. It seems that he met the lady in good English society, and, qfter proposing to her and being accepted, induced her to join his party in a yachting expedition which ultimately led them to Normandy. Here by using the greatest pressure ha prevailed upon her to acquiesce in ' a clandestine marriage by a French priest, whom he had bribed to perform the ceremony. With this his pseudowife was dissatisfied, and it was not until after another mook-marriage before an American pastor in Belgium that her scruples were ultimately overoome. Immediately after this ceremony she left him and returned to her family in the North of Ireland; but ultimately rejoined him in order to go out to Buenos Ayres. Up to this time all had been kindness and love; but as soon as Mr Langworfchy discovered that his wife would have a child, and that the marriage, which he had kept secret from his own but not his wife’s friends, could no longer be concealed, his whole course of conduct changed, and ho indulged in the most persistent and cold-blooded villainy that has been heard of for many years in real life. He destroyed all evidence of the marriage, and shipped his wife, ill and prostrate as she was, home to England in a French sailing ship, the doctor telling him that she could not live. He let her know that the religious ceremony in Belgium was no legal marriage, that she was not his wife at all, and that unless she obeyed him she should bo left in utter beggary and want. All this was grossly inhuman and brutal; but it must be acknowledged with regret that there was nothing unusual in it except its extravagance. But the revelations of the ‘ Pall Mall Gazette ’ bring to light the hollowness and unreality of the justice administered in these Courts, and how successfully a clever solicitor can protect his client. Mrs Langworthy, fortunately or unfortunately for herself, did not verify the doctor’s predictions. She neither died nor went mad, but lived on to struggle for the happiness of her child. She began proceedings against her husband for restitution of conjugal rights some yeors ago, and followed it up by a petition for divorce; but he has used all the artifices of legal chicanery to bush the matter up and avoid punish-

ment—false affidavits, constant appeals on interlocutive points, in order to exhaust his wife’s resources, has transferred of all his English property to his mother, so that there is nothing within the Jurisdiction for the Court to seize upon, and every other device which a firm of solicitors hitherto deemed of high repute could suggest. His wife has already got a decree nisi for divorce and a judgment for L 1,200 ft year, hut there is at present no property of Langworthy’a in England from which it ear, he ta'vOTi, so that ho snaps hie fingers at our Courts. Hie only difficulty is that from time to time he wants to visit England, and then his wife is in pursuit. His last stay here was cut short by her discovery of his hotel, and he only eluded her by a fictitious telegram and Eight to Prance. The greatest possible interest and sympathy has been excited in the case, A fresh trial will come on in August next, and it promises to be one of the sensations of the year. Nominally it is for breach of promise of marriage. The ‘ Pall Mall ’ is also raising a large subscription on behalf of the lady, in order to carry on operations in the Argentine Courts. People are subscribing freely, and probably the scoundrel will be caught and made to disgorge pretty heavily. Before that comes off, however, there will be another cause ceUbre, arising out of the will of Mr Holloway, the pill and ointment manufacturer Quite apart from the property he left to his college for young women near Staines, there was about three millions of money to be divided amongst his friends and relations. This is quite worth fighting about; and, as the costs will probably come out of the estate, his disappointed kinsfolk dispute the disposition he saw fit to make, and allege undue influence on the part of their favored relatives.