THE COLONEL'S PARTY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16020, 11 September 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE COLONEL'S PARTY.

.--A. VISIT TO THE WEST EN&. "- OFFICERS* LOSSES AT CHEMIN- ;-;'- DE-FER. ' How a number of army officers went gambling in the West End on February 17 was told before a general court-martial - recently, "'with Bfajor-Ggneral Lord CheylewiM*e f as president. Lieutenant-Colonel Charles- Lawrence Prior,. charged with conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline, in tEat he, in London, on. February 17, 1915, when commanding officer of the No. 1 Reserve Transport Depot at Deptford, invited Lieutenant Percy Barton, Captain J, R. B. Cameron, Captain R. J. Kidston, Captain A. G. Gibson, and Lieutenant Bruce Ottley, all officers in the Army Service Corps, then serving under" his command, to accompany him to a house in Connaught Square for the purpose of gambling, and himself gambling in their company in that house, contrary to the provision in paragraph 90 in the King's Regulations, that a commanding officer shall discountenance any disposition in his officers to gamble. A number of officers mentioned in the charge gave evidence that on February 17 the accused invited his brother officers to dinner at the Cafe Royal, to celebrate his coming promotion. Towards the end of the dinner the accused received * note from a man at another table, and said to his guests, "A fellow has asked me to come and have drinks at his house, and there may be card 3. I am thinking of giving a hundred a run. What about you fellows?" Five of the seven officers accepted the invitation, and went to a house in Connaught Square, where they played chemin-de-fer with & man named Harris, and another man who spoke with an American accent. This man won a considerable amount of money. Captain Gibson's Evidence. The chief witness was Captain Gibson, who said that he was Under the command of Colonel Prior, and dined with the party at the Cafe Royal. He saw Colonel Prior send a note to a man at another table, and another note was sent to Colonel Prior by the man to whom the first note was addressed. The note* crossed. They went to the house in Colonel Prior"* car. The man with the American accent wonthe money. The witness stayed on to the', end, and Mr. Harris asked him to pay. He replied, " I will wait until to-morrow." At that time he was rather suspicious. On , the following day witness said he told Colonel Prior that he did not propose to pay, as he was not satisfied that the game was straight "The conversation occurred at Deptford, and m Colonel Prior told him that Harris had telephoned to him, stating that he, the witness, refused to pay, and asking what he should do. While thev were at Park Royal, Colonel Prior said that he had received a letter, from Harris about the matter, and said that it was rather awkward for him, seeing that he was the witness's commanding officer. On a later date, Colonel Prior told him that • he had the narrowest squeak of his life in not being court-martialled for saying that . .Colonel; Prior had arranged the game on the night of February 17. The witness replied,"! did say that you had arranged i it, and I say so now." Colonel Prior said, "I suppose you said I made money out of it?" and witness replied, " I have never said that, because I have no - proof of it." : ~,;. ■ Mr. Hume-Williams, K.C., cross-exam-ing: How often have you been in gambling hells in London!— Four or five times. "/:-:^Xott.' : came to the conclusion that you ■■,; had. been cheated?— Yes. ~. The witeees admitted having told other officers that Lieutenant-Colonel Prior had arranged the game. He had mentioned it a.t , the.Junior Naval and Military. j .'.' "You mentioned to brother officers at the • v "club that' Colonel Prior had arranged a •game, that yon' had been cheated, and "; that you did not intend to pay ?—-That was '"• not it. I never connected Colonel Prior A with arranging the game with a view of cheating anybody.. ■ Was he to be paid so much per officer " whom he brought to thenlace?— is '=. very frequently done. i That is what I suggest was done on this occasion. Colonel * Prior told me so himself. > r What? Told you he had been paid for -.^bringing officers to gamble?— His words to \ me , were, "All I .got; out of it was £25 tonlay with." . ~.»v .■.■ 'Have you mentioned that before to any human being?— have. . 1 mentioned it to .Sir McDonnell, at the Horse Guards,, • and to General Sir Francis Lloyd, -too. ;;. .;■•;■'.•;■.; '.V\ - '-' ' \ "

' The Defence. ,'',.: ; « 'In the witness-box, Colonel Prior said • " that he -was educated at Hafleybory and served in the South-African war. Last : Augusts-he .rejoined Che army, and was ■■• promoted lieutenant-colonel on April 7. • When he went to the dinner he had no - idea of gambling. , Harris was merely a gambling acquaintance. He had met him four or five times over four or five years. Until he received the note from Harris ; he did not know that he was at the Cafe RoyaL As far as the -witness could remember the note said that Harris was having two friends in that evening, and -that it was likely there would be some cards afterwards. Later on Harris wrote • him, that Gibson refused to pay. .;-, "Did yon see Gibfion on that letter?" asked counsel. % . .: ■- "I did see Gibson," I replied witness, ,: '* and I told him I thought he ought to pay." He turned round and said, "I am -not going to pay; the game was not straight." ■ As far as I can remember, I "raid, " Why don't you consider the game was straight He replied, "I have rea- - son to believe that a fellow who was there "V was a: card-sharper." I said, "Well, I ; "have paid, and. the others have paid, and I think it is up to yon to pay." I did not press him' or use"any threats. I sim- '*; ply said, "It is a debt of honour, and I ' cannot see how the game could have been anything eke, and I think you ought to pay." I said nothing else to him until I met him at Park Royal about two days before he left to go to the Dardanelles. I took Captain Gibson aside, 'and I said„ "I have received another letter from Harris,' and I may say that Harris also said that he had written to Gibson without getting any answer. Gibson said on that particular date that I had arranged the interview, to which I replied, " Gibson, do you know that in saying these things you have the nearest squeak in your life of being court-martialled ? There is not a vestige of truth in it." I also said, " Yon accuse me of having made money out of this." He eaid, "No, I will not accuse you of that. I have no proof." ' Did you say to Captain Gibson that all you got out of it was £25 for taking the officers there, or anything of the kind? That is absolutely untrue. It is not-likely that I should ever make a statement like that to an officer whom I had accused of saying things against me, and practic- * ally expecting him to be court-martialled. On May 10, the witness continued he TnS ffij*ft General Sir Franci * Lloyd, and immediately reported himself. Charges ' Sh £l, to f. a let ter which SLrSvS ¥° 7A Baid hft Va * going to State, Secretary of Llovd that IhlL u ld Sir Francis untKe hargM Were absolutely had he named Carter ZTi. j pt bv a ma « Harris [some ** idea that house, becaust he 1 with the . croup er. HTauiL ™* ta ? e ! , acted fact thatV going r t he "SW the fact Square for SSeI>WpWT n S? * T, «* taking the otheTXis wRV»B and contrary to regulations anSL him ' was sorry he did it. 9 ? and he Was very The President: Hoes it „„* t •> as an extraordinary thing CLIt.^ 6 ytm as a commanding officer i-?? ■$ y° a « officers under- yolr Tt ft" house of a. man where vnXj 8 *°, the before in your life for +I f d " eVer been gambling ?-ij did & for the purpose of moment: Sadl IJ? th ! s P ur of the thought J-SraM rST 6n r l ' a m °m«nt' a WgJS wlthout thinking. Pounce d de m S 7ue° f CO S £ e e COUrt b ° "- I