Acidulous, hard-bitten Philip Snowden, the only member of the Labor Party who has ever been Chancellor of His Majesty’s Exchequer, stumped into a London court, last week, on his heavy, rubber-tipped crutches.
“I congratulate you for coming forward, Mr. Snowden,” said the pompous, beehive-wigged judge. “It is not everyone who would have the courage to do it.”
Entered a policeman escorting Miss Bertha St. Clair Mason, 48, charged by Mr. Snowden with attempting to blackmail him. “I will break you politically and socially,” threatened one of Spinster Mason’s letters, “because you betrayed me 20 years ago.” Under cross-examination she admitted writing the letters, but said they were meant for another Mr. Snowden. “It’s just one of those cases of mistaken identity. I’m awfully sorry.”
Cripple Snowden. swaying on his crutches, pointed out that Spinster Mason’s charges might have imperiled his chances of being returned to the House of Commons at the General Election of May 30 next (see below). A detective testified that Miss Mason had said to him before she was arrested, “There’s no mistake. There’s only one Snowden in the Commons, and only one lame Snowden.”
Presently from the cavernous beehive wig to the trembling spinster issued a stern judgment: “I sentence you to 18 months in gaol for demanding money with menaces from the Rt. Hon. Philip Snowden.”
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