The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-06-07
A CHECKERED CAREER.

THE ERRATIC d. WEMYSS JOBsON.
THE DEATH OF MAN WHO LOST A FOR
TUNE BY DEFENDING THE LADY FLORA
HASTINGS.
The New York Sun says that David
emyss Jobson died Of paralysis on Fri
" last In the Wards Island hospital for
insane. He was about 20 years Of age.
body was taken to the morgue yester-
lay, and if not claimed to-day the commits
bioners will inter it tomorrow in the pot
tiers field on Harris Island. Letters found
IamOng his effects show that he was born
In Dundee, Scotland, of family
pat had been landholders for centuries.
He graduated at the Edinburgh Uni
ersity about 1927, and studied both
Surgery and dentistry. About 1886 he
|settled in London, and obtained permits
|sion from King William w. to call him
self surgeon-dentist to the king, and this
permission was subsequently, accorded py
|Queen Victoria. A year or two after the
Iqueen's accession he gave offense by
|tsponsing Unexpectedly the cause of the
Lady Flora Hastings, one of her maids OF
honor, who was afflicted with form OF
dropsy, and who was wrongfully said to be
about to become mother. The lady soon
died, and
In consequence of Jopson's partisapship
1.-THE permission to style himself surgeon
dentist to the queen was withdrawn, and
he lost much practice among the aristoc-
rscy. His pecunisry fortunes then de-
clined, and he obtained precarious sup
port by writing for newsps pers and maya
zines. AT times be was aided by remit
tances from his relatives In Scotland. At
the outbreak OF the French revolution of
1913 be went to France, and ingratiated
himself with Lsmsrtine and other MEM
bers of the provisional government, and
without any military educ alton he man
aged, according to his own account, to OBJ
tain the honorary title of general. He re-
turned to London, and about 1854 came to
the United States, and sought an indi.-
ferent support by his pen. He became
natural Zed, but aiterward made repeated
voyages to England, and there he con-
tinued to write for the press. There are
numerous letters among his papers from
the secretaries of Prince Albert, Lord Pal
merstOn, the earl OF Derby, Mr.. Disraeli,
and others, thanking him politely for
documents SEM, but expressing inability
to render them available for any purpose
Jobson was imprisoned for night in
London and fined ESQ for insulting Alder
man Gibbs while that official was
ACTING AS MAGISTRATE.
On another occasion Recorder Russell
Quincy sentenced him to hard labor in
the Bridewell for libelling Sir James IL
gram. Sir Edward Thornton, the British
minister at Washington, was repeatedly
written to by Jobson with reference to
panscess for quelling the troubles in Ire
land, and Jobson received numerous polite
letters from him declining to act upon his
suggestions. In 1858 Mr.. Ira u. Jobson,
OF No. 2 Patrons lane, Perth road, Dun
dee, Scotland, wrote that his uncle had
died, leaving him and his brothers about
e40 q piece, but that David's name was
not mentioned in the will. The bulk Of
the property, he said, had been left to the
poor relatives of the Earl of Csmperdowp,
This took JobsoD 20 England, and among
his papers Is the copy OF a memorial that
he sent to the Lord Chancellor in
1859, announcing his return from
America to claim heritage of $1,000 acres
OF land that had been in his family for
centuries, and also 226, 600 that had been
lett by his uncle chiefly to Sir James Fer
guson, nephew OF Lord Campercowu, who
had married his CJobson's) niece. He COM
planned also that he had been placed in q
luDatie asylum by Sir JANIS Ferguson's
Vaccinations. Having been unsuccessful
in his application, Jobson returned to
America. His career here Is well known.
He wrote casually for newspapers, received
casual remittances of 9l at. a time from Mr..
Ira II. Jotsop, occupied lodgings that he
rarely paid for in cheap eating houses, and
obtained credit where he could for cloth
ing. In the winter of 1S74-75 he became
ragged and almost barefooted, and in
March last he was taken to the asy lum on
Wards Island, more out OF pity than on
occount OF any danger occurring to the
public from his harmless insanity.