Jabez Balfour.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5303, 6 July 1895, Page 5

Jabez Balfour.

Mr W. T. Stead, of the Review of Reviews, who waß fined the other day for commenting in hi 3 journal upon a cisc then before the Criminal Court, probably committed the common blander of assuming that the arrest of Mr Jabez Balfour waa certain to be followed by a conviction. It seems, however, that the aatute gentleman who recently returned to England after a very pleasant sojourn in the Argentine Republic doea not yet despair of proving his innocence. Hi a acute comprehension of the enormously involved details of the Liberator business was apparent during the police proceedings at Bow Street, and the manner in which he prompted hia counael (Mr John O'Connor, M.F.), whom he addressed as "John," excited the lawyers' admiration. He waa ready and yet full of tact. The Realm notes that one result of the Balfour scandals will probably be the extinction of the name of "Jabez," which till recently waa enormously popular amongst Nonconformists in the North of England. Not one infant is bo christened now for twenty who got the name before Mr Balfour made it notorious. Another journal, commenting on Balfour's coolness and urbanity in the dock, as well aa on the shrewdness with which he manages to score every possible point, givea an instance of his assurance. Daring the proceedings at Bow Street a gentleman seated near the dock, reading an evening paper, was startled to find a fat hand on his shoulder. "Excuse me, my dear sir," blandly whispered the prisoner, " but how many has Grace made P It must be a most interesting matoh." The reader sought out the intelligence and replied, and when Balfour heard that the champion had just completed his hundredth century, he murmured softly, -V --liVr. '^Mt-MJiO*' » __:■__-*__-_ — »... - .- — ...