The Portland daily press., 1871-12-11
George Osborne, Earl of Aberdeen.
WHAT IS SAD OF HIM AT RICHMOND.


The Brunswick Telegraph of last week
added some items of interest to what Is
known of Osborne's career in this State 1t
says:
The papers. few months since, were filled
with details of the career of this young Scottish
nohleman, and we need go over but little OF the
grnund that has been occupied before. The
Taaler will recollect that he was for some time
a resident of Richmond, where he worked at
Law labor, being occupied during the spring of
1863 in cutting ice ON the Kennebec; he left
Richmond for Boston to take the position of
first officer of a three-masted schooner, bound,
we Believe, to Australia, and it was from this
vessel that he was washed overheard and lost,
when only few days out from port.
His family had been endeavoring to get track
of him for three or four years, and with that
view, after clue to his wanderings had been
discovered, a commission of three gentlemen,
Zone the tutor of the young Earl, and second
a chancery officer, came over to this country to
look up the evidence, not only to the identity
OF the Earl with Osborn, but to procure evil
dence of his death, point of great importance
to the settlement of the family title and estate
Subsequent to the Earps departure, the heir
had died and he stood next in right to the pos
session, a fact of which he died in ignorance
The commission visited Richmond and OBJ
tanned very conclusive evidence that Osborn
and the earl were one and the same person.
When Osborn was about to leave Richmond
for Boston, being short of money, he went to
an acquaintance there, young man by the
name of Randall, and asked the loan Of $40
and offered to leave with him a valuable rifle,
Randall to hold it for redemption until Osborn
return The offer was accepted. Upon the ar
rival of the commission at Richmond and when
their business was made known, of course par
ties having any knowledge of Osborn appeared
rifle, which was fully identified as the property
of the missing Earl. Another party had small!
trunk belonging to him, and in this were found
letters from his family, written some years ago,
soon after he left home. young lady, to whom
| Osborn paid some attention, brought forth a
picture presented to her by the Earl.
The commission took the rifle, trunk and pic
ture, giving to the young lady another picture
of the Earl, and making handsome compensa-
| ton to parties who gave its members any infor-
as good rifle in return for the one he had Civ
en- up, as could be made in England. About
two months since that rifle was received, and
parties who have seen it, describe it as an ele-
giant piece of workmanship, probably as perfect
in its shooting qualities as it is in its exterior
ornamentation The object in taking the rifle
and picture was for evidence, andEdoubtless the
parties surrendering them made dispositions to
the facts in the respective cases.
Osborn created favorable impression while
in Richmond; he deposited money in the Saw
ings Bank, the Cashier of which is an old friend
of ours. This officer at one time when Osborn
came in to deposit, pleasantly remarked to him
You will one day be somebody" "How
others of your age, you are taking care of your
money! was the. reply of the Cashier. OF
course, Osborns signature to the Pass Book was
taken in evidence.
Nothing was ever dropped by Osborn in Rich
mond to lead any one to suppose that he was
other than he appeared, except upon one occa-
sion, when after words which he had with a
well known shipowner there-probably in some
temper he remarked, 81 could buy and sell you
two or three times" At the moment the re.
mark made no impression.
1t is proper to add that the gentlemen of the
commission stated that the Earl left home from
no trouble OF dissatisfaction, but simply from q
sort OF boyish phrenzy to see the world, and
rough it for time; he certainly did accom-
plish this end, and there is something exceed
ingly sad in the manner of his death, at so early
an age; and of that death he seems to have had
premonition, for he more than once, before
leaving Richmond, expressed his regret that he
had shipped for the voyage