Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-09-05
A D~spotic Puke.

TROUBLE IN LONDON.
a London letter 20 the Boston Post SAW
His Grace the Duke OF Bedford has been ASSERT
Ing his ieudal rights with a vengeance This
ioten;a,e, you must know, the descend nt chief
representative OF TIE iliustrious house Of Rus
sell Is the owner Of what NAV ne. inapproprI-
ately be called the "hesrt OF London" " hole
blocks and squares and streets are his; his es-
tates In the very center OF the big metropolis
mutt cover an area of considerably over \ NILE
square, for one or its boundaries is the river
Thames, and you find yourself far on towards
tie City before you reach it, opposite limit
His tenants would form the population OF a nor
considerable town. Nor is this great quarter
owned by the Duke an obscure, much less a
sqnaid one. Ii is not, TO be sure, the most
fashionable Of London districts; ont il was so
many generations ago, and IL IL still very highly
respecta6e Men Of little and large wealth stiil
lnhabit the stately Russell square, the most i'm
posing of al the dlca posse ,siOns and all around
this street are owned by the Duke, of thrifty,
well-to-do appearance. The present Duke Is y
nan OF brains, liberal, a good scholar, a per-
s n of many accomplishments and high at
tainments; and this fact makes his recent
autooratic attachments the more astonishing
IL seems that his tenants need a protection
which Is not vOuchssfed TO the rest of tue Lon
don world. The rolling of the midnight cab
dlsturbs them. Their delicate nerves are
shocked by the mourDful passage OF funeral
professions. So the Duke. most indulgent OF
landlords, has put his lOrdly ban on cabs and
funerals. he has erected a huge gate at the
entrance OF Gordon street, leading out of l. aston
road; IL is needless TO say that Gordon street il
one OF has streets, and leads into the Eiysisu
retreats OF his squares ard "places." at this
gate be has posted -Cerberean lodge keeper;
the lodge Keeper IL armed with a stringent
d'cal code OF rules and regulations No empty
Gao is 10 be allowed to pass the gate. No nerve
shaking funeral cortege is TO pass the sacred
barrier. But the London cabmen have some
times provoking way Of Ignoring lordly uksses.
They have the plebean Obstinacy TO consider
that London street is a London street and not
ducaI street A few days ago some OF these
obstTepeTous individuals insisted on passing the
gate NJ the entrance OF GORDON street. The
Cerberus OF the lodge insisted they should not
A scufile ensUed, in which the Cerberas ~ an
Hged 10 nflct injuries, mental aud physical.
upon one of the cahmen, which proved MORTAL
1his cabman was taken home 70 die; Cerberus
retlred 20 Ills kennel in blood. thirty triumph
The next day the other cahmen were summoned
before the Police Court for tresDass: and were
un'y hned Tor daring TO invade ducal proper
W But the anair has occurred Rt a rather I'M
fortunate moment for the Dukes popularity. IL
is the dead season for the papers and the gOs-
sips, ana anything OF this sort l. easily snatch ed
mp 10 talk and read about That the Duke has
aty right 20 shut Up streets which sre public
ana are Kept and Tepsired at the public ex pense,
merely because they ron between rows of his
houses, Is Of course absurd enough, aud his ac-
uOD Is 6Scitediy denounced on every hand IL
IL certainly pie &c Of audaciOus autocrarv, and
thC@s how little even the most lib raj Of tue no.
hiitN Understand their position and dangers ia
ihls modern age. The claimants death has ai-
feC martyIdOm 20 the event, ant there can he
90 oOubt that Mr. Bradlaugh and MIR. Olger
VIII seize IL as ore more argument in favor Of
atc!isEiDg The aristocracy. The Duke of BED
fofd "a mex hsw of Earl Russell, and before his
SugcessjOu Ia tie title and estate a wear or 40
ago, was a lesGiDg and highly esteemed mem
Der of the House of Commons. Lord Odo Rus
sell, Who has played notable a psrt in the
allhomacy OF the past few years, is his younger
brother.