Reminiscences of his experience at the Bar and sketches oj
the eminent lawyers whom he has seen and heard make up the staple of Mr. Ernest Bowen-Rowlands' In the Light of the Law (Grant Richards : 12s. 6d.). As the son of a county court judge, the author was nurtured in the law, and he quotes many anecdotes that have been told him, so that the book covers a long period. At the close he discusses a number of familiar criminal cases. He actually claims that he was the means of giving publicity to the Tranby Croft scandal of 1890, in which the late Sir William Gordon-Cumming was accused, in the presence of the then Prince of Wales (King Edward VII), of cheating at baccarat. All the guests pledged themselves to preserve secrecy on condition that Sir William promised never again to play cards for money. But some months later a fellow-guest at a country house told the story to Mr. Bowen- Rowlands, so that the affair should be made public. The informant said that he was acting on behalf of a woman unnamed in the book. The evening paper to which the author contributed saw fit to publish the story, and the slander action followed, at which the Prince of Wales gave evidence, and as the result of which Sir William Gordon-Cumming was disgraced.
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