, 1873-08-06
GORD0N-GORDON,
The Most Successful Conf
F.? (: dencerN Man Ever
huOWus j.
Exploits Of an English c!ergyman's
K Legitimate Son. ,

From ths Toronto {can.) aEasl. '.>--'
Tho man now calling it!mdof Gordon rs tho
illegitmato son'of Tho Roy. DR.. Hussoy, rector
of Hayes, in tho County Of Kent England. At
sho ago Of years lo WAS plnced Under tho caro-
OF Tho Misses norsy, who kept boarding school
on Dulwch Common. IIo was then known by
tho na1no OF John Hamilton. IIore ho appears
to have continued for some YoarH buE llo
EARLY ooMMENoED HIS CAREER or CRIME.
In tho yoar 1851 ho was In tho onploy Of nIoaara.
White L Son. warehouBemon, Of OheapHide, Lon
don, md OH tho 25th Of May in that yoar he WAS
arrested on charge Of obtaining goods by falao
protcncos. Ho waH committed for trial, but no
prosecutor apponred On tho case COM
ing up and Hamilton " was acquitted.
Two.' yoara aftorward ho turned up
again at tho town of Yoovil, In sumorsotahiro,
whore he was Assistant Master In school. Tl1is
humble occupation, however. did not long con-
tont his ambitious mind, aud he aoon aot him
ae1f up for a man of wonith. In this character
ho formed tho acquaintance Of young attorney
at Yootii, wlose ollant ho became. Ho expressed
his intoution Of purchasing III estate in tho
country, aud actually, through hls friend, tho
lnwyer, agroed for ono situated about six miles
from Yoovil. Tho owner, howovor, wAa unable
To make his titlo good and the transaction foil
through. Being possessed OF plausfblo aud
well-bred manuor, credit was generally given to
his assumptions, and ho was onablod to contract
a inrge number Of dobtB III that part Of tho
country. His creditors received aovora lessou
whom It was found that tho wealthy Mr.. HRmil-
tic his "ltttlo bills"
After leaving Yoovi1, this extraordinary Young
man took another daring flight and
ASSUMED THE BAoRED CHARACTER
nf -. a11 1t.
Lie seonls to havo displayed d considerable pom
chAnt for o religious reputation. EucoogBfu1
again, no managed to rocoivo tho respect usu-
nlly paid tho Baoordotal Office, and ofticated for
discovered to bo an impostor, and 'was compelled
70 sool .''frosh fields and paaturcu now,"
but in tho year 1859 he once moro
appeared % M at IT. tho ,; little ;2y teyn ct Burbir-
stili bearing tho name, OF Hamilton, though ho
had changed hiB Christian nama from John to
f1orhert: III the following yoar ho became .ac-
9Ei qnaintoa with Mr.. Bird, farmer residing at
ao1d 1linl q house, and almost Immediately after
ward lost Aight Of him for two years. Iii 1862 l,e
canle acroRa him at a party giyeh at tho house
OF Mrs. Dayloy, on which oconson he rouewod
ducei Miss Dayloy rs lie intended, vito.
Orchard Court, Hook near snrSirtou,
which no furnished magnilcently. l1oro
erG h. vod ,,5au for some ,o fmo ytn Mrs: safah
aunt. Mrs. Borry diod on tho 10th Of July, 1867,
and Hamilton thcn sold of his furniture nni
agalu, went to live With Mrs. Bayley: Ho occa-
siona!ly vaitod tho Birds, aud from tmo 10 ti1no
ASSUMED THE NAME OF s'o1ENoA1ns,"
though it Ia difficult to discover at what time he
1nade tie change. It would seem, however
hat xr1o Hmm inn lot
protl1od tho title Of "nonorab1e," and TINT ho
subsequently represented that this was his
mothers namo, which he hnd assumed Oh in
heriting aome estates. III 1865, he rontod an
and introduced himself to MoBera. Howard, Pad
diaon l. Son, solicitors, of tho Banlo address,
as tho Hon. H. Qlencairn," representing that
ho waa ontitlod to the "Gencairn " eBtatoR. IIo
Of boxes, which, hc stated, contained = quantity
Of valuable plate, jewels, aud doods belonging
to bis family, aud which bore In gold lottors tho
name " Right Hon. Lord Glencairn." In Juno
o. Jnly, 1sGs he wont to osniBle. Fos{arehiro,
passed under tho name Of Hamilton, and lind a
amnl1 ellooting-box IN tho noighborhood. No
QUO knew anything about him, and many
surmiaoa sur woro ail9at ,9 "a to who ho waa,
lived quietly, and lad tho manners of a gontio.
man, no one could find anything against hiB
character or conduct. He loft about tho end Of
the season, having taken larger shooting-box,
alenisle II August, 1863, Under tho title Of
Lord Glencairn," and accompanied by Mr.
Paddison, his solicitor, and A1r. or Capt. Wobhor
During the previous season he had thrown ont
hiuta to thoso with whom he came in contact
that he was something grauder than ho seemed
to be. Among those with whom ho became ac-
quanted wnA the Rov. J. D. Simpson, Of tho
Froe Church, Glenlsle, to whom he aaid that he
had place III LanarkBhire, and another in Ayr
H.. IL
becanao thoir pituatlon did not agroo with
his hoalth. Ho also limited that ho had
property ut Northampton, III England. His
manner aeems to have boon, not to say directly
who or Sllnt he was, but to mako statements
Which led people to infer that ho was nun Of
titlo, md TINT 10 had property ut various placos
In tie United Kingdom. When he returned to
Gonis1o III 1869, aB Lord Gloncairn," thoro
were grayo doubts as to his character. His own
Atatan,eut was tint his grandfather, a Cunning
ham, hsd loft him ward in chancery with III
immenso property, on conditions that lle should
take up the tltto Of d1oncailn WHOM he roaolod
tho ago OF a7 that he WAS now OF age and must
take It up; that his agents IN London Ind nearly
completed tho process, and ho would i'll few
months bo served heir to Ills grandfather, mud to
tho Earldom OF Gloncairn.
CONSIDERABLE DOUBT wAs FELT
by many aa to tho corroctneHs Of Aia story,
but aa he continued to behave IN n ynntle1nanly
manner, had friends from England with him who
wero mon OF stand!ng and responsibility, and
especially as ho was certified to be man ot
rank aud woalth by his lawyer, q we'll known
firm in Lincohs Inn, ho was il, general crcdited
with yoraeity. Ho remained at denislc III 1862
for q fortnight in tho month of August. In Sop
tombor Of that yoar Mr. Simpson, tl.o clergyman
roterrcd to, accompanied him to Edinburgh a,.l
introduced him to the firm Of Marshall & Sons,
golasn.itts and jewellers of TINT city. Tho firm
iB composed Of AlcBsrs Illonas Smith,
Alexander Scott, and William Brook. hir.
Simpson introduced bis friend to lie
mediately aftor tho introduction tho iIrm con-
suited tle Scottish peorago,'"' and found t,ore
Btatol tho faet, which waB VOL known in Scot
land at tho timo, TINT tho title Of Earl Of Glel,~
oairn hcca1ne dormant in 1906, upon tho death OF
John, ftoonth eari Of Gloncais,i, mud TINT there
wore two claimants for tho titto. Tho firm in
question, knowing Mr. Simpson to bo gontlo-
man Of high character and standing, ANNOUNCED
TINT tho Hoi tIsant Lord Glencnirn belonged 10
aolne brunch Of tho Cunningham fa,nily-tho
family OF the Earl Of alencaIrr,-anl not wlat
hora!ned to bo. From tltB time until Jan,lnry.
1871, Glonuairn dealt largely with tho Marshall
firm, Lila bill amounting III tho ond to 4:iOD.
which included plate md iowelry af all aesurip..
tionb. lilo made tho Hamo ro1>rouontationu to
Mr. Smith that to had nireRly nado tn mr.