The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-02-03
4 Skeleton OF the Royal Family-A
Stray Little Book Revealing secre'
Intriyues OF the Past.


Intrigues ofthe Past.
The New York Graphic has the follow
ing romantic story:
A rather startling placard has been
posted in various public places onerin : gd ~
huge black letters reward OF ti,ooU
for one copy of a certain book published
in London in 1880, and suppressed o.
that time by the Lord Chancellor At tue
instance ofthe royal family, because as
the placard mildly puts It. II contains
certain statements regarding certain
member of the royal family. The name
nftbe hook is not mentioned, but from
the names Of the publisher and printer
which are given, the book is recognized
~ sort of scandalous chronicle, which
gave what purported TO be all accurate
account of the secret marriage of King
George ". with Mrs. Fitzherbcrt, end
of the issue of that marriage-a son, who
was either kept in concealment or spir-
tied out of the country, but who, II this
story be true, could now make very
strong pretensions to the British throne
and the title Of George Y.
This story has been told more or less
in detail, in two or three books which
have appeared since 1890, and that some
degree OF importance Is attached to 1t by
the present royal family is shown by the
fact that every one Of these publications
have. without exception, been suppressed
by the government BY the inhictlon Of
severe punishments and the payment OF
large rewards for the possession OF stray
copies. The book now advertised for was
published by NJ. Lindsell, Paternoster
row. and printed by T. Jackson, New
gatc street. and both publisher and printer
suffered long terms imprisonment for
disobeying the injunction of the Lord
Chancellor.
About three years ago the scandal
threatened to burst forth again, for sin
Gle copy of the book, which had survived
the destruction of the original edition,
came into the possession OF the editor Of
the London Standard, who threatened to
publish il serially in his paper. This
came 10 the ears of the government,
which at once offered the editor the
choice of two alternatives-ether to pub
li>h the story and 90 to prison for con-
tempt of the Lord Chancellor, or to re-
frain from publishing it and accept G5,-
600 for his copy of the book. The editor
looked upon the latter alternative as the
most desirable of the two and pocketcd
the $1,000, turning over the book to be
burned. With the destruction of this
copy the government supposed that the
work was extinct, but it has lately been
lt.,t AI
remains and l. somewhere in America.
The p!acard does not bear any evil
dcncc of being issued or authorized by
the government, and is perhaps unknown
to the British authorities.
Another publication Of the story was
made some wears ago by Reynolds, u
London publisher under the title Of the
"My>tcries of the Court of George w.
hut thi, work was in the form Of fiction
and being evidently overdrswn aS to
convey but little impression that ii was
founded on facts, it did not 50 seriously
attract the attention of the government.
Another book which the authorities
have So Zralouslv cndcavorcd 10 suppress,
hut with only partial success, is Il History
of the FitZhcrbcrt Letters, published
within II few years by Bcntly, of which
at least one copy is now in this city. 1t
/ is "A matter Of history that King George
| ". had an odairc III, cociT' with Mrs.
/ Fitzhcrbrrt, and it is said that he was
privately married to her, but the legall-
/ ty of this marrigc is seriously questioned,
as she waS dcvout Catholic, and the
clergyman who performed the ceremony
was a Protestant Episcopalan.
Mrs. FitZhcrbcrt survived the King,
and also his successor King William ",
for the Grcvillc Memoirs, just published.
/ mention the inct of her coming when an
old lady, to look at the remains of the
/ last named monarch. She died at an nd
vanccd age in the carly part of the pre-
/ sent reign, and, according to the Bentley
| story, III" coniidcd to her executors II
sealed packet, which WA, to be- deposited
/ in bank, and to remain unopened, I'M
, lc-, her character was assaulted, when II
was to br opened and published i'll vlndl-
cation OF the purity of her relations with
George ". The executors, who were
the Duke of Wellington, Lord AIbrmarle
and another, Deposited the packet IN
Coutt> bank, but few wears after her
death highly offensive attack upon her
memory was made in the Edinburgh
Rer's,r. Upon this the third executor
requested the consent of his colleagues To
have the packet IN Coutts bank opened
md It's contents which were believed 10
include the marriage certificate, publish
ed in accordance with the wish of the de-
ceased. The Duke and AlbcmarIc op-
poscd this motion, and the other executor
wont 10 the bank and made personal
application for the packet.
At this time, however, tine Queen was
k..piur her own account at Coutts s
ham and the officials seemed afraid Of
displcasing 50 powerful II customer, and
threw various obstacles III the way OF
getting the papers. The executor again
appealed to Wellington and AlbemarLe,
/ but they. too, seemed afraid of roya! n
fluenccs and would not move in the mat
ter After while the three executors
died. but the executors OF the one VINO
had so long cndcavorcd to get possession
of the documents renewed these endeav-
ors by application to the executors OF the
| Duke of Wellington and Lord Able
marie. The latter, however were
also inexorablc, and rs last resources
the first named set Of executors
published Il detailed history OF all the
efforts to get the facts contained in those
documents before the world This his
tory showed very plainly that powerful
and royal influences had been active in
,upprcssng the facts, and the govern
mcnt at once came down in very en-
phatic manner upon the publisher and
upon the book.
The story is, at all events, curious