The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-04-18
THE MISSING EARL OF ABERDEEN.
A Claimant to the Title Turns Up in the
Sherifrs Hands-He Is Arrested on the
Complaint of jay GouId-The Litiga-
ton for the Estates Before the Eng
lish House of Lords.

family-a history not without pathos in it
has again been the object of much public at
tentIon In England; and the arrest in New
York on Tuesday Of a George Gordon, who
declares that he is the missing Earl, makes 1t
worth while to briefly recount the principal
facts connected with the later years of this IN
fortunate family. The case was opened some
thing more than a fortnight ago before the
House of Lords by Sir Rounded Palmer, and
Is precisely this The fourth Earl of Aberdeen
died In 1860, and was succeeded by his eldest
son, who survived him but four years. This
fifth Earl had three sons. OF these, of course,
the eldest came to the title on his fathers
death In 1864, and on the 18th of July took his
seat as Viscount Gordon In the House Of
Lords. The second son shot himself at Cam
bridge while in training for the University
boat race. The third son, John Campbell,
now claims to be summoned to the House Of
Lords In right of the English peerage belong
Ing to the family, having already succeeded to
the title and estates in Scotland. To do this,
as Sir Roundell Palmer observes, he has only
to prove that his eldest brother, sixth Earl of
Aberdeen, Is dead, and that he Las left no
issue.
The people Of this country have often been
made acquainted with the romantic character
which the case assumes just here. The facts,
real or imaginary, have often been related;
that the Earl, whose existence Is questioned,
left England In 1866 and has never returned;
that he adopted the very strange course of dis
cardiDg his title and engaging himself
UNDER TIE NAME OF GEORGE OSBORNE
as a sailor, which life he followed for four
years; that on or about the 9th of January,
1870, being at the time first mate of the ship
Hera, Of Boston, on q voyage to Australia, he
was washed overheard and lost in q storm.
Now 1t remained to be proved. Of course, that
George Osborne was the real earl, TIL he was
drowned at sea-, and that he lett LIZ issue.
This has already been done to the satisfaction
OF the tribunal In Scotland. From the docu-
ments connected with the decision the Lon
don Times takes the materials for the follow.
ing story, which 1t prints In Its issue Of
March rs:
The difficulty Of the case is constituted by
Its antecedent improbability. That O peer Of
the realm, well gifted in all respects, and
Ings, should ship himself as a common sailor
on board q foreign merchant vessel, and pur.
sue BY choice q life 80 hard and toilsome, Is
Indeed a thing almost incredible; but 1t does
appear that be had q strong natural prediction
for the sea, that he had mlsgivlngs about bis
constitutional strength, which ne thought
would be Improved by q seafaring life, and
that he had, besides, q desire to associate with
the laboring classes on terms Of equality, that
he might understand their habits and opinions.
That much, at any rate, is alleged towards the
establishment of some adequate motive for
conduct 80 surprising, but there Is also posi-
tive evidence bearing on the facts affirmed.
separated himself from his country and
friends he never ceased to correspond
with his mother. From the 9th of April, 1866,
to the oath of April, 1867, he wrote to her at
intervals in such q way as to keep her gene.
rally informed of bis proceedings without
giving any direct clue to his position. BE
signed himself simply George" and though
aud transactions, he invariably omitted the
names of persons and ships. But, as the in
cidents of George Osborne's life can be COM
pared with the Incidents thus related by the
Earl to his mother about his own life, one
method of Identification was here supplied.
taken In this country were identified by many
witnesses In America as portraits OF Osborne,
while photographs OF Osborne taken In Ameri-
ca were recognized by Lady Aberdeen as por-
traits of her son. The handwriting, again, of
George Osborne, as shown In a large number
of documents, either bearing his signature or
proved TO nave been written by him, was
identified by Lady Aberdeen and other COM
petent witnesses as that of the Earl. Lastly,
important "adminicles of evldence' were
furnished by articles either traced to
Osborne's possession or found among
his effects after his death. Not long
before he sailed on bis last voyage be
parted with q rifle which an Edinburgh gun
smith identified as one he had made for Lord
Aberdeen, aud other articles of Scottish make
were also discovered. It was found, too, that
the description given OF the appearance and
habits of George Osborne correspondent with
the known characteristics, intellectual and
physical, of the Earl himself. On the other
two points above mentioned, proof of course
was comparatively easy. E~ye-Witnesses de-
posed to the circumstance under which George
Osborne was washed overheard, and, to all
appearances, drowned; and it was never al
legged or suggested that he had ever been
married. We ought to mention that all this
evidence was procured by the Earl's W FAM
ily. When the correspondence of Lord Aber-
deem with his mother had for some time
ceased. the family became alarmed, and
at Lady Aberdeen's request, MIR. Alexander,
who had been chaplain n tutor In the
family since the year 1861, proceeded to
America for the purpose OF inquiry. After
six months of Investigation this gentle
man succeeded In obtaining the requisite |
and gradually traced the history which |
we have now related. We have already de-
scrlbed the simplicity Of this remarkable case
so far as the point at issue is concerned. No
thing, in fact, Is required but the proof OF q
death. If the eldest son of the fifth Earl of
Aberdeen died, as is here suggested, without
Issue, the third son of that peer-the present
Claimants beyond dispute or question the
rIghtful possessor of the title, and, as has also
been promised, this claim has been allowed
after formal process by the tribunal empower
ed In Scotland to decide upon It,. The claim
A. Alo eli, 0arno n onI