GLADSTONE’S LIFE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 28 January 1927, Page 7

GLADSTONE’S LIFE

ACCUSATIONS MADE. ASTONISHING EVIDENCE. RELATIONS WITH WOMEN. by cable—press association— copyright. Received 2.10 p.m. .to-day. LONDON, Jan. 27. Prominent social and political people tbionged Mr Justice Avory’s court tor the opening of Wright's action for label aga.nst Viscount Gladstone, the outcome of the former’s tetter to the Bath Club anent Wright’s “Portarit* and Criticisms,” which was given wide prominence. Wright gave evidence that he believed when he wrote, and still believed, the statement about“W. E. Gladstone was true. When a 17-year-old boy at Harrow, a friend of the* family, since dead, told him that Lily Langtry had been Gladstone’s mistress when he was 21. Dr. Greatorex. a prominent London physician, since dead, told him that some of his women patients informed him that Gladstone tried to make their acquaintance in the. streets. Ten years ago Walter Morrison mentioned as a fact that Olga Novikoff, a beautiful Russian, was sent fiom tin? Tsarist Government in the seventies, esspecially to fascinate Gladstone and become Gladstone’s mistress. V right added that the present Lord Malamesbury told him a similar story about a Russian twelve years ago, also that the late Lord Milner, in the. course a conversation while the .Supreme War Council was sitting in Paris, attributed Turkey’s changed attitude towards Britain to Gladstone’s passion for the other sex.

A feature of the opening day of the case against Wright was the astonishing evidence. Under cross-examina-tion Wright unblushingly justified his worst accusations. “I was told,” he said, “twenty-six years ago by Jean Bertrand of Gladstone’s intrigue with a French actress Brassine during her visit to London. A well-known steeplechaser rider, Charley Thompson, who was still alive, told him that Gladstone tried to make the acquaintance of the lady whom Thompson left for a few moments. When he returned, Gladstone fled. The lady told him that Gladstone had been making overtures. He had, several times, heard of Gladstone's liaison with Laura Bell. Fourteen years ago, at Eastbourne, lie saw a man named Cecil Gladstone resemblance to the statesman was unmistakeable. I was told that he was the illegitimate son of Gladstone. I do not remember the name of my informant.” Wright said that when he was 18 he saw a hook called “Parson and Painter,” by the Rev. Joseph Sel.apkins, which gave a picture of the London underworld in 1890, in which was a chapter headed “We visit Mrs. Langtry.” The book contained a Phil May illustration depicting a man standing at the stage door of a theatre carrying a bunch of primroses and a very amorous air. That gentleman was certainly meant for Mr. Gladstone.

The judge: “Do you seriously say that when you saw that, you believed Lily Langtry was Mr. Gladstone’s mistress.’.’

Wright insisted that Gladstone was a gross sensualist, though many worse charges had been made against innumerable great men. He admitted that Viscount Moiiev had described Gladstone’s ideal of married life, hut Wright pointed .out that a lot of immoral men were happy with their wives.