Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1853-09-10
An Extraordinary Case.

MI EAU
An extraordinary case has been on trial in
the Courts ut Gloucester, England. lis fea-
lures are as curious as anything TO be found
in the records If the Causes Celebres. A
man calling himself Sir Richard Hugh Smyth
aged Go. brought an action of ejectmen', to
recover the estates in Worcestershire which
were formerly the property of Sir Hugh
Smyth Baronet, deceased those estates hav-
ing descended, in due course, to Sir John
S myth the d.ceased's brother as legal heir.
The deceased Hugh was known to have been
married, and to have had no issue in either
case The plaintiff claimed that Sir Hugh
had contracted third marrige in Ireland, |
in the year 1906, with Jane, daughter of
Count Yandenburg, which marriage was kept
secret, and that the lady died in bnth to him,
the plaintiff The plaintiff asserted that he
was sent abroad, and that his father, Sir
Hugh, was informed that he had died in in
fancy. The documents put forward in sup
port of the plaintiffs case were a register .
the alleged marriage, from an old family BIZ
Bile; u register of baptism from the same
source; a letter from Sir Hugh TO the lady,
just before her accouchment calling her his
wife and variety of deeds, purpoiting to
have been made by Sir Hugh, in favor of the
plaintiff, VIII en- The former was made acquain-
ted with the existence of his son, (the plain
tiff,) whom he had believed to be dead. Be
sides these, there were several family relies,
as mourning rings, cages d'amour, seals and
trinkets, inscribed with family names and
notices. These were also the portraits Of
Sir Hugh, of the lady, (his alleged wife, and
Of the plaintiff claiming to be their son. In
scriptions on the portraits testified to the re-
, btiun the parties stood in towards each other.
The evidence of the plaintiff was remarkably
minute in his remembrance of events that
had occurred in his childhood. The names of
: noble families with whom he asserted he had
r resided ana been patronzed by, were freely
stated.
5 All the details of his education and entry
at College, were given with minuteness
that certainly bore the look of truth. And
he stated that on leaving College where DIR.
! Goddard was his tutor, the Marchilness of
Bath and Lady Isabella Thyme, who had
/ been accustomed to visit him when at school.
e communicated to him that he was the son
of Sir Hugh Smyth, and handed him the
sum of $500 sterling, that had belonged to
his mother. After this he went alb DAD, met
, with Bell and Lancaster, assumed the pro-
lession of lecturer on education, was at
+, Brussels at the time of Waterloo and only
: recently determined to prosecute his claims
to the Smyth estates, In 1889 he called on
, Sir John Smyth, then in possession Of the es-
. ta,es, and informed him that h. was his neph-
ew aud legal heir. He says that Sir John
!. acknowledged his idently.-At all events
4 the shock was too much for the old baronet,
q and the next morning. he was fund dead in
Al his bed. Now comes the extraordinary part
. of the case. The signatures to the various
D.. deeds were sworn to as authentic, bv persons
II who seem really to have believed they were
Is speaking the truth. The deeds themselve:
4. were accurate enough, but acre altogether
II n,isspeA. One of the mutoes on his seal was
:. also misspet-"capi;or," instead of"capitur.'
a In his cross-examination, the plaintiff was pu
ID through regular course of spelling, and
y. spelled the words the same way they were
written in the deeds-"sett asside," very,
&c. During the trial, an cngraver, in Oxtort
street, London, telegraphed to the counsel
that in January last he engraved the Cres
is aud ring that had been produced as relic
O. and also engraved the words "F. Goking'' OF
.r a broach that the plaiatif had sworn hat
n been in his possession for years. AS the ex
" animation proceeded, it became evident, tina
$. the plaintiff was certain "John Provis,
ID whose most honest occupation was an timer
of ant lecturer on oratory. and who, at the dat
n. he had sworn that he was laid up sick fo
ne eighteen months under the care o! noble Ia
lis dies, was laid up in Leicester, Somerset, jai
m under sentence of death for horse stealing
lie At this point, the proceedings in court wer
IN, highly dramatic. The discovery paralyze
ry the audience with astonishment and the cour
or sci for the plaintiff threw up their breifs an
re asserted that they had been grossly impose
m, upon,-Sir Richard Hugh Smyth, alias Pro-
ne is, was forthwith indicted for forgery and pei
y jury. and was borne off in the police van
the Gloucester iail.