Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-08-23
A Contested EaF1dOm-A Roy Five
Years Old the Claimant.

An unusual incident (says the London
DAILY Neies) occurred in the House of
Lords few days ago. A little lair
haired, blue-eyed boy, FIVE years old,
presented himself at the bar of the House,
and their Lordships, sitting in the Com
mittee of Privileges, were asked to pro-
nounce him Earl of Wicklow, and virtu-
ally to decide that he is heir TO the ex-
tenpiye estates Of that earldom in Ireland
A rival claimant of the vacant peerage
contended before tie committee, over
which Lord Redesdale presides, that the
child was illegitimate or supposititious;
tLet he was not the lawful offspring Of the
mepbeF of the Wicklow family from
whom he claims to inherit the title and
property; and the unsatisfactory pro-
ceedings in the House of Lords, arising
from the suspicious absence of most
important witness, show that the case
is invested with grave difficulties.
1t appears to be conceded that il the
child is the lawful son Of the late William
George Howard, be is entitled to the earl
dom. The barony of Olonmore vas
created in 1878 in favor of Ralph How
ard, NJ. P. for Wicklow, who had large
estsfes in the county, and was scion of
the HovsT5e of England. His wife was
created Countess Ct Wicklow ia 1893,
and at her decesse, in 1907, her son
became first Earl Of Wicklow. The last
possessor Of the earldom died without
male issue, and the present dispute is
between collaterais.
The story told by the widow Of William
George Howard at the bar of the House
of Lords 10 simple enough. She says
that early in life she was governess. In
1862 she met Mr.. Howard, who was the
nephew of the Archbishop Of Armagh, at
the Great Exhibition In London, being
introduced to him by a mutual friend,
Mr. Bordenave. The intimacy thus COM
msnaad led to O marriage in 1853, at
Kensington Church. The child was born
in 1864. Mrs. Howard states that the
event occurred when she was about to 60
to Irelen nd to find her husband, in the
hope of weaving him from bad asso-
eiates, with whom be appears to have
been connected. When about to set out
on the journey she was suddenly taken
i'll, and compelled to return to her
lodgings, where doctor vas summoned,
but before bis arrival the child was born.
This evidence is directly confirmed by
Miss Rosa Day, the sister of the person
who kept the lodgings. She says that the
infant was taken from the bed in which
Mrs Howard was lying and given to her,
and that the child was brought up BY
\ hGSd, aud was for long time under her
obserys6oa.
These witnesses have, however, been
subjected to cross-exsnIns;ion Of un-
usual severity, in the course Of which it
appears that before she knew her hus-
band she had been acquainted with Bor-
denave, and that after The marriage she
hsd occupied lodgings in the same house
With hia during her husbands absence.
She denied ell familiarity with him be-
fore the deceass of Mr. Howard, but ad-
miitsd that since that event her " line OF
conduct" togard Bordenave had been
changed, and she Lsa resided in the same
house with him for the last Two or three
years. The mystery was considerably
increased ~ the secresy observed in the
communications between the married