"THE JUDGE CASE"

Final Refusal to Give Copies of Documents to Accused

In order to give the prosecutors every opportunity I wrote in February to Colonel Olcott, asking again for copies of the written documents in his possession forming the basis of Mrs. Besant's charges, and reminded him of his promise at London last July to send me the copies. While doubtful as to the result, I thought that perhaps he would see the propriety and wisdom of giving me the copies. But it is now quite evident that no intention ever existed to deal fairly. He replies under date of Feb. 26th, 1895, as follows:

My Dear Judge,
...I don't know where you get your law from, but hang me if I ever heard of an accused who has been furnished with a copy of the charges pending against him, expecting that the documentary proofs in the hands of the prosecuting attorney shall be given him before the issue is on for trial...I have given copies to nobody; Old's copies were taken by him before the action began and while he was the custodian {italics mine.-J.}of the documents prior to their coming into my possession. He had no right to take them or to use them How many duplicates he may have made and given out I cannot imagine...-H.S.O.

The law requires inspection and copies of letter if demanded by the accused; Theosophy and brotherhood would not require less than the law.

It is singular that Mr. Old was the "custodian before" Olcott got the letters, when many of them were letters to Olcott himself. This part of the letter is, of course, untrue-to call a spade by its name. He calmly admits that Old as an enemy was allowed to take copies-Olcott having handed the originals over to Old out of his despatch box- and shows he does not care really how many duplicates were made. But the accused cannot have the copies.

It may be that as Olcott is coming to London this summer "to settle the Judge case," as he says himself, he is keeping the copies from me because of some new campaign he is aiding the virulent prosecutors to begin.

The Theosophical Society has become, in Europe and India, a detective bureau, an organization for assaults on character, for punishments, and has ceased to be a portion of the real theosophical movement.

William Q. Judge

The Irish Theosophist
May 15, 1895