Huntsville gazette., 1881-07-23
A Canadian Mechanic Claims an Earl
dom and 100000.

After years of patient searching, amid
the difficulties which poverty has raised,
q workman in the Great Western Rail-
way car shops in London, Ont, has
traced up what seems to be an indisputa-
BILE claim to one of the richest estates in
all Scotland. The greatest interest has
been awakened by the romantic history
of the man who has thus been elevated
into prominence, and there is every
probability that he will soon be put in
possession of his rights. 1t may be re-
membered that some years ago the Earl
Of Mar died without leaving direct
heir to his immense estate, and by right
of succession, a nephew, Lord Kellie,
assumed the title and property Of the
dead nobeman, valued at 800, 100000.
Now, however, it has been discovered
that the Earl had a son, and that son is
believed to be John Francis Erskine, of
this city. The tracing up of the title
has necessarily been slow and unsatis-
factory, from the fact that Mr. Erskine
was poor and hampered by family,
and men who could have helped him
doubted his story. The facts of the case
are briefly these
In 1925, two years before the mar
riage of the Earl of Mar to the daughter
of Lord Montech, male child was
born to the lady, who afterward be-
came it's legitimate mother by her mar
riage with its father. When an infant,
however, the boy was secretly given
into the care of a poor but respectable
family, whom the Earl paid well for the
services rendered. Later on, when the
little fellow had grown five or six years
Of age, he was placed under the care Of
a man named Campbell, and sent to
Canada. His guardian frequently told
him in later years that he was the son
of one of Scotland's noblest earls, and
that he should some day be placed in
possession of documents that would en-
able him to 90 home and live in luxury.
The old man seemed under a strong
pledge, however, not to reveal the par
entage of his ward, and, although he
broke his promise so far as to intimate
on many occasions that the young man
was the heir to the earldom of Mar, he
never allowed the documentary proofs
to 90 out of his hands. He said that all
would be left in proper shape at his
death. A few years ago, however,
the old man died very suddenly, without
leaving the needed documents for the
establishment of his wards claim to the
property of the dead Earl Later on,
while excavations were being made in
stead, bottle was found with several
letters in it from the Earl of Mar which
referred to his SON.
rTh;e eoar,aI ~ La oil tba ,,roof ,,aooc-
sary; but, in addition to that, Mr. En-
skine has just visited Scotland quietly
and found the people who had taken
care of him when an infant and handed
him over to Campbell. The papers held
by them, and also those found in the
bottle, set forth certain marks by which
the heir could always be known, and
these the claimant undoubtedly bears.
His resemblance to the late Earl is also
so striking, despite the changes which
hard work has made, that friends Of the
nobleman have no difficulty whatever in
identifying Mr.. Erskine as the son of the
Earl. Articles of gold and silverware,
as well as ring, are in the presump-
tive heirs possession, bearing the ini-
tials of his mother and father. Leading
lawyers in this country and Scotland
hold out the strongest encouragement to
Mr. Erskine, and men of means are Of
feripg to unite in joint stock company
to establish the claim if bond is given
to pay certain percentage on their in
vestments. According to the outlook,
Mr.. Erskine's working days are over,
and his installment as the Earl of Mar
remains only matter of time. He is
being visited by thousands, and his story,
as it is learned, awakens the deepest
interest," Nea0 York San.