Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-08
THREE BAD DUKES.
Members of the English Peerage Wh0
DishOEor their Lineage,

DishOEor their Lineage,
The Duke of Beaufort is a sybarte. and.
although TO years of aye and the father of a
large family, he is notable tor his gallantries
as the gayest young millionaire about town,
says a London letter. He fancies himself great
patron Of the drama, which his grace evidently
believes to be most tltly representedby young la
dies in curtailed skirts. possessed of classicaly
modelled understandings. He is frequently
to be seen lolling in q stall at the Ga!ety pre-
sumabiy surveying the charms of the brazen
young actress popularity known as 1.-The child"
who tor some years past he has had the credit of
/ furnishing with silks. diamonds and seaskins,
hardly attanable the modest SALARY Of some
| go week. which this precocous young lady
enjoys For politics. the affairs of the nation.
the good of the people, the Duke of Beaufort
cares nothing He is president of the coaching
club. and one Of the hest four hand whips in
London. His charitable deeds would appear to
! be confined to the largesse lavshed on the in
| tcresting young female have referred to.
His grace'the Duke of Bedford Is one of the
richest men in England his rent roll reaching
Sl.JGN.OGO year. A large amount of this
enormous revenue is wrung from some OF the
poorest inhabitants of mighty London. The
| duke owns COvent Garden market and hun
Greds OF houses In the purlieus Of the unsavory
ne;ghborhood where stands that disgrace to the
greatest city In the world. Many of these
=.
i tunate occupants have during the last twenty
years been rack rented again and again by
the dukes agents. 1t is only three weeks ago
| since the board of health had to condemn sew
eral of these houses unfit for human habita-
ton. Thereupon the wretched occupants were
promptly evicted, and to insure their getting
out within the few days the law gave them. the
! water supply was inhumanely cut off and the
! poor wretches left to sleep In the streets go
! into the wOrkhOUse. as chance might decree.
This plutocratic nOblcman has long stood in the
way of the authorities. who have been for years
DESTROYS OF remodelling and improving Covent
Garden market, and his whole life affords
striking instance OF the baneful influences eX-
ercised upon the welfare of the people by an IT.
| responsible aristocracy who the mere accident
OF birth has for hundreds of years enabled to
fatten OH the industries of the people.
! A DISRErUTABLE DUNE
! The next duke on the list Is about as fine q
| specimen of the titled profligate as can be
found in the whole peerage The Duke of MARI
borough, who has only recently succeeded to
the title, led such life of dissipation while
known as the Marquis of Blandford, that his
father refused to or communicate with him
for some years previous to his demise After
gambling to an extent that has Impoverished
the duca! acres for years to come drinking so
! heavily that lie has already undermined an
originally robust physique, he put the climax
upon career as ignoble as foolishly criminal by
of Aylesford. while that drunken and empty
headed nObleman was travelling with the Prince
of Wales in India. At this time the wretch was
already married and the father Of sons and
daughters. His amable and long suffering
wife. daughter of the Duke OF Abercon was
willing. for the sake OF her children. to forgive
the titled rufan and resume living with him
on the condition of abandoning the frail
countess who had so basely betrayed the honor
of her absent spouse To the surprise of
noble tn licto fo
the pleadings OF the true woman who was I'M
fortunate enough to bear his name, and the
prayers of his aged father and mother failed to
win him from the companion OF his infamy
Satisfied at length OF the utter wOrthlessness of
her husband, the poor Duchess of Marlborough
eventually sued for divorce, and the decree
OF dissolution OF marriage, promptly granted
has recently been maGe absolute. RetributOn
however, was at hand. for when the old Duke
of Marlborough died some few months back. 1t
was found that he had left every shilling he had
the power to will to his second son. Lord Ram
dolph Churchill who married the daughter Of
| Leonard Jerome. of New York
| THIS TITLED EEPROBATE
| to-day enjoys think. pension of 10000 a
year, which has been religiously paid annually
to the head of the Churchill family ever since
the great Duke of Marlborough was endowed
with his title and his estates by a grateful
country in 1902.
| in 1868, and at once proceeded to dissipate one
OF the most enormous fortunes that ever fell
/ into the hands of minor, for at the time of
his fathers death the young spendthrft lacked
two years OF the attainment of his majority
+ Race horses. dice. cards wine and women
! solely occupied his attention for the next 10
years or so. when his affairs became so hope
lessly involved that nothing but protracted
residence abroad and a temporary seques-
tratiOn of his estates could save the then
| impending collapse of Scotland's premier duke.
The late Mr.. Padwick. an able financer and
| large money lender and the dukes heaviest
creditor. took the young protiigate's affairs in
/ hand. and about three years since his debts
were partially paid off. and he was once more
his own master. Since that period he has re-
| suIned racing ard gambling with apparently as
keen zest as ever. Newly contracted debts
last year compelled him to dispose of the family
heirloOms, consisting Of valuable pictures, plate.
priceless china and endless brc-a-brac that had
long been the envy OF half the collectors OF Eu-
rope.
1t is almost needless to add that this duke has
never opened his mouth in the house of lords
has never by act or deed benefited fellow
| creature, anu the only accomplishment know
him to be possessed OF is that of boxing AS
he possesses the physique Of a Hercules and the
personal appearance Of a butcher. there Is moth
ing remarkable in his being an apt disciple of
the fstic champions.
| The Smiling Gas Man.
From the Detroit Free Press
| You would have said as you looked him over
that he was man of fiery temper, and that it
wouldn't take over two sass words" to make
/ him peel off his coat and sail in for victory or
death, bu: you would have been sadly mistaken.
He was writing away In his ledger when man
came in. showed his gas bill into the window.
/ and said:
lis this where they knock man down and
! rob him.
The man at the window smiled
| Because, it's no more nor less than highway
robbery to send me bill like that, Twelve dol
| lars for gas for January, and the meanest kind
Uf gas at that"
The smile continued
why peOplew stand such outrageous treat
| ment Is a puzzle to me" continued the man. as
! he flung his money in after the bill IL never
! burned So worth of gas last month and I,Il