Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-07-20
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son. 1t is deserving of mention as illustrating
the cool courage of the man, that on winter
voyage to Trinidad the mainboom of the
schoouer-sixty feet lOng-got adrift when
Osborne was sitting at the end of it,
He was swung from side to side Of
the vessel, and in the storm which ragged
he was undoubtedly in great peril, but he
calmly gave the proper orders for securing the
boom, (which the captain, from terror, was
unable to give at the moment" Two facts are
also stated, which, though not falling under
any one of the heads above mentioned, are,
nevertheless, of strongly corroborative char
aracter. Just before he set out to sea for the
last time, Osborne sold his rifle to NJ. o. Ran
dali of Richmond. This weapon was shown to
Mr. Harry Smith, and from the engraved num-
Der and mark upon it, it has since been identi-
fed by the maker, Mr.. Henry of Edinburg, who
sold it to Lord Aberdeen on the goth Of Octo-
Der, 1868. The other circumstance is that
among the effects Of Osborne, found on board
the Hera after his death, was a MS. copy of the
"Rainy Day." by Longfellow, set as a song,
with musical accompaniment. This, it is
remarked, was favorite song of Lady Aber-
deems, and the MS. words are proved by her to
be in her sons own hand.
So far we have been dealing solely with facts,
not, indeed, of an every day kind, but still facts
which hardly admit of doubt, Notwithstanding
their strangeness. But these, it may be said,
make up only one-hali of the story; they are the
IntTc OutWuTu ApTcSSlOu Vi II man 5 inner lie.
Admitting that for nearly four years the late
earl of Aberdeen led the life of a sailor, what
were his motives for taking such an altogether
Unprecedented course? Here, it must be con-
fessed, we are left very much in the dark. We
are not absolutely without clue, but at best it
is slender one, and to fill up the picture it would
he necessary TO draw largely upon the imagina-
ton. The sheriff. who appears to have a partial
tyIfor the tripatrite method of treating subject
observes that the motives disclosed in Lord
Aberdeen's letters are Decentralization for
the sea. Second-A belief that sea-faring life
is beneficial TO his health. Third-A wish to
gain some insight into the character and opin-
ions of the industrious classes. The first two
might have been followed without mystery, but
for the proper realization Of the third secrecy
no doubt was essential. The British tar stands
in no need of a certificate of character. There
is not an atom OF sycophancy in his compost
ton; but it is just possible that, were he to
know that his messmate was a real earl and
grandson of prime minister, it might put him
on his best behavior for the whole OF the voy-
age The earl wished to study Jack as he really
is, and for this purpose he fearlessly placed
himself on the same social level What the
"semi-political topics" were to which the earl
referred in his letters we are not told;
but perhaps we should not be very
wide of the mark if we were to
guess that more stringent legislation in the
interest of our seamen was their chief burden.
nection with this branch of the subject The
sheriff says explicitly that there is not the
slightest ground for attributing this change of
life on the part Of the deceased nobleman to any
"inhrmity of mind or temper, or unfitness for
society. On the contrary, he appears to have
been man of superior intellectual gifts, COM
bined with considerable force of character, and
decided taste for acquiring and imparting in
formation" Equally tlattering testimony is
borne by the witnesses 10 his uniform "cor-
rectness of conduct" and it is added that he
commanded the respect and esteem of all who
knew him. 1t is not little strange,
albeit the world is such wide place,
that the earl was only recognized once after
he changed his name. In February, 1867, he
went 10 tine banking house Of Messrs. Duncan,
Sherman & Co., of New York, and got TWO
checks on the Royal bank of Scotland cashed.
He was then recognized by Mr. Duncan, who
had previously seen him in company with Lord
GOsford and the present earl. Such are the
broad outlines of this romantic story. On not
few points curiosity remains baffied, while it
is not probable that further light will ever be
thrown upon it. By placing upon official record
"all the evidence known or supposed to exist"
concerning this case, the most effectual step has
been taken to prevent an imp0stor from attempt
ing to peTsonate the deceased earl at some future
period. 1t may not quite succeed in this design
for who can assign bounds to human effront.
ery-but it will at least make the triumph of
any such enterprise well nigh impossible.