Page 90 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

quantities of people came to interview me. 12925. But this particular man from the “Daily News”? - No, he did not; he was a friend having supper with us the night we arrived. 12926. (Mr. Clement Edwards.) Will you kindly look at that article (Handing the same to the Witness.)? - What am I supposed to say? 12927. If you will look at the heading of the second column on this side you will see that it is an article supposed to be specially written by you, and what purports to be your signature appears at the foot of the column. 12928. (The Commissioner.) Are you looking at it now, Lady Duff-Gordon, for the first time? - For the first time. 12929. Do you mean to say you have never seen the “Daily News” with that article in it up to today? - Never; this is the first time. The last little bit here is absolutely a story. 12930. (Mr. Clement Edwards.) Absolutely what? - A story. 12931. Then if your signature appears there it is a forgery, is it? - Oh, absolutely. Mr. Duke: Do you mind letting me see that. (The same was handed to the learned Counsel.) I have never seen it till this moment. 12932. (Mr. Clement Edwards.) I want to use it for a moment (The document was handed to Mr. Edwards.) (To the Witness.) You say that a friend came and had supper with you, and you suggest he is responsible for what appears here? - I know he is. 12933. You know he is? - Oh, yes. 12934. Some of it may be true and some of it may be false? - Would you like me to tell you the story? 12935. I should like you to answer the question. Is this true that you watched several women and children and some men climb into the lifeboats, and did an officer say, “Lady Gordon, are you ready?” - It is not true that the officer spoke to me, but I did see women and children being handed into the lifeboats. 12936. Is it true that he said, “Lady Gordon, are you ready?” - It is untrue. 12937. Is this true: “I said to my husband, “Well, we might as well take a boat, although the trip will only be a little pleasure excursion until the morning”? - Quite untrue. 12938. That is untrue. Is it untrue that you said it was the captain’s special boat, that five stokers got in and two Americans - Mr. Solomon, of New York, and Mr. Stengel, of Newark? - I do not remember saying that. 12939. It is true, is it not, that that number of persons did get in? - It was Mr. Solomon and Mr. Stengel and Miss Franks [Francatelli], my husband and myself. We were the passengers. 12940. “Besides those two passengers there were Sir Cosmo, myself, Miss Franks [Francatelli], an English girl.” is it true you said that? - I think that might easily be. 12941. Is this true that you said this: “Numbers of men standing near by joked with us because we were going out on the ocean”? - No, that is not true. 12942. That is invention? - Absolutely. 12943. Is it true that you said that some of them said “The ship cannot sink,” and that one of them said, “You will get your death of cold out there amid the ice.” Is that true? - No, not true. Is it true that you said you were slung off and cruised around for two hours, and it did not seem very cold? - Quite untrue. 12944. Is it true that you said “I suddenly clutched the sides of the lifeboat. I had seen the ‘Titanic’ give a curious shiver.” That is invention, is it? - Yes, quite. 12945. Did you say “Everything could be clearly made out; there were no lights on the ship, save for a few lanterns”? - No. 12946. Is this true that you said this: “We watched her - we were 200 yards away - go down slowly, almost peacefully”? - No.