The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-02-25
OUR SUMMER VISITORS.
This Time in Buffalo Under Arrest.

-hO Doheeio PopCIb are JuSb uUW luiA Va az
counts of young Englishman who has been
swindling the upper ten. From the accounts
given the man must be A. G. Dennison, the
English SWELL who made such spread
here last season. One of the Buffalo papers
says:-Lt. Hugh Courtney, heir presumptive to
the Earl of Devon, is young man of the ap-
pearance of great gawky boy, and the man
ners OF one in particular. He appeared in that
city some five weeks ago-from California, as
he stated-put up at the Tiff House, where he
soon became acquainted with many of the most
fashionable young men in Buffalo He chang
ed his clothes several times day, was petted
and courted in society circles, made, among
acquaintance, that of Mr.. Cleveland X. Hor.
ton, who had large circle of acquaintance in
England. He said his elder brother, Viscount
Courtney, broke his neck by falling from the
clubhouse window while intoxicated and that
he ran Through several millions before his
death. Although Mr.. Horton began to suspect
this gay young swell, yet when he asked for his
letters to prove his identity, he turned over
documents apparently written by the Earl of
Devon to Hugh Courtney, and from Lady
Courtney to the same person. This settled the
matter and Mr.. Horton advised the hotel to
let his bill run on, for the proprietors had be-
gun to wish to see some money from the gay
lord. 1t appeared also that Mr.. Courtney had
visited the family of Prof. Henry W. Longfel-
low at Cambridge, Mass, and showed Mr.. Hor-
ton little book in which were pressed flowers
and a verse or two of poetry given him he said
by Miss Alice Longfellow, the poets daughter,
and asked Mr.. Horton if he thought Miss
Longfellow would marry him and 60 to Eng
land with him. He also told Horton that
Charters, an English officer killed in Asian.
tee was engaged to his sister, that he was at
tached to the Bellerophon as lieutenant. He
showed Mr.. Horton pictures of the Duchess of
Manchester, Countess Dudley, and Lady Mary
Montague, identified by Mr.. Horton as bona
fde portraits of the persons represented. When
he said, however, that his mother was Lady
Anna Maria Courtney, whereas there is no such
person, but there is Lady Agnes Elizabeth
Courteney, and Lady Evelyn Courtnay, then
Mr.. Tuthill, proprietor Of the Tiff House,
thought the board had gone on long enough
without payment, and he made Courtney give
him note of hand for three months While
Mr. Tuthlll was looking for an endorsement for
this note Mr.. Horton wrote Prof. Longfellow
letter, receiving the following reply:
CAMBRIDGE, Feb. II, 1876.
My Dear Sir.-The person mentioned in your
letter just received is utterly unknown to me.
| never saw him and l never heard of him.
His story of the nosegay and verses is sheer
fabrication without the slightest shadow of
truth. Strangely enough 1 this morning re-
ceived the Portland Advertiser exposing two
other EDglishmen who had been playing the
same dishonest game in that city. You will
know best how to deal with this parsonage;
but ii were you L certainly would not pay any
bills OF his contracting.
am dear Sir, truly yours,
HENRY w. LoNGFELLow.
With this letter in his hand Mr.. Horton
went to the Tiff House and after reading it to
Courtney asked him what he meant by these
stories. The fellow replied with refreshing
GOODNESS, "There must be mistake, ali; there
were so many young fellahs calling at the time,
he must have forgotten me, you know" On
Saturday last Mr.. Horton met Courtney carry
ing portmanteau and said he had not money
enough to hire man to carry it to the express
office, where he was going to have it sent to
New York. Mr.. Horton took him and his bag
gage to the express Office and then carried
Courtney back to the hotel. All at once it
struck Mr.. Horton that he might be intending
to slope and he had him arrested.
When locked up in station 8 Courtney wrote
to Horton and begged him to let him 'out of
quad" but Horton turned deaf ear at first,
but afterwards went and told him what he
thought of him. On Sunday he was taken to
Jail where sympathzing society friends sent
his cigars and other luxuries.
Monday morning letter was received from
E. M. Archibald, British Consul General at
New York, stating that Viscou mt Courteney
was living and Hugh Courteney dead. That if
the man had spelt his name Courtney he could
not be remotely connected with the Earl of Da.
von's family, and that he had no doubt the
fellow was an impostor. When arraigned in
court Courtney pleaded not guilty to the charge
of obtaining money under false pretences and
was committed to Jail to await further exam
nation. 1t was stated Wednesday he had
telegraphed abe Earl for remittance. 1t is to
be hoped he will get it, when, perhaps. he can
swindle other communities. He wrote letter
to young lady-as follows-while in the sta.
tion house.
DEAR MIss----,-I am locked up for not
paying my bill at the hotel. Will you be kind
enough to come and make it all right? 1t is
for not paying my bill. am in dreadful
state of mind, and my dear Miss--,pl please
do pursuade the to do something or
H. COURTNEY.
P. S.-If you could see me it would be all
right.
He told a reporter that he was very anxious
that his name shoald not appear in print, and
refused point blank to give any information
beyond the statement that his people were
wealthy and lived in the South of England,
and that he had money enough when he came
here to get home, had he started Immediately
on his journey. He had no business or profess
sional calling; he had served some time as an
officer in the British service and had been
travelling for pleasure. He intimated that
''little unpleasantness" had occurred in the
family prior to his departure from home and at
tributed his misfortune entirely to the failure
of papa, you know to make remittsnces in
response to drafts he had made upon him.
Upon his arrest Marshal Parker received the
following dispatch from the sergeant of police
at Buffalo, N. Y:
BUFFALO, N. Y, Feb %, 1876.
Chief Of Police, Portland, Maine.
we nave IN custody young Engllshman by
the name of Hugh Courtney, who claims to be
nephew to the Earl of Devon. Says he was a
lieutenant on the ship "Bellerophon' 1t is
reported here that he forged draft on the
Falmouth Hotel some time since. Do YOU
want him?
JOHN BRYNE,
Sergeant of Police.
Upon the receipt of the above espatch the
Marshal sent an officer to the Falmouth Hotel
where he received the information that Mr..
Courtney was not wanted-as of course he was
not, for no man giving such a name had visit
ed that house. Under those circumstancesIMar-
shall Parker therefore teegraphed back that
Courtney was not wanted here
GOOD SCHoLARs.-At the beginning of the
winter term of school in district No. IS, West
Harpswell, the teacher, j. FL. Huntington, Of
Tered as an incentive to regular attendance, to
have the pames of those scholars who would
not be absent day or tardy during the term,
published in one or more papers, stating the
fact. The names of those who were neither
absent nor tardy are Howard c. Pinkham and
Orvlle s. Pinkham. Those who were not tardy
Melvine Landsou, Jeddie Pinkham, Willie
D,,,1I o,,1