The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-03-01

New York World.

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can shoddies who use coat armor have
not vestige of right to their bogu
heraldic bearings. But there is ont
per cent. of our citizens, perhaps less
who can lawfully bear them. Among
those who have the highest heraldit
authority to do so is simple American
village doctor, and he resides at North
ampton, Brandensburg, Prince George:
county, Md. In the little country place
where he lives he is known by all his
fellow-townsmen as "Doc" Fairfax -
He puts on no airs, does not wear frills
or ruffles, has not vestige of heraldry
around his house, and once a year re.
cords his vote for the stright democratic
ticket. Should he, however, think fit
to take his walks abroad from North
ampton, Md, and find his way to Great
Britain, he would be warmly welcomed
as an honored guest at the castles and
/ Even Windsor Castle ahd CsDdi1re
would open their doors to him, and the
members of the House of Lords would
receive him as one of themselves. This
honest, upright and God fearing Ameri-
can democrat has had his name record
ed by ohicious kings alarms and heralds
in their published peerages as the "Rt.
Hon. John Contee Fairfax, M. D.. !,
Eleventh Baron Fairfax of Cameron. I"
He could, if he chose, be sworn in
whenever he pleased as an English peer
in the House, of Lords at Westminster.
But "Doc" Fairfax, like his brother
and many of his predecessors in his
baronial title, have been contented with
American institutions and democratic
civilization, believing that the United
States was good enough for them. 1t
is in the Fairfax blood to believe in
political freedom and principles of dem
ocracy.. The Fairfaxes, although one
of the oldest Yorkshire families of aris-
tocratic lineage, have done good service
for liberty, equality and Paternity
The third Baron Fairfax fought with
Cromwell, even commanded the army
of the Commonwealth, and directly
assisted in the overthrow of the Tyrant,
Charles Stuart, whose life blood stained
the headsman's block in front of White
hall Palace. His descendant, Thorn
as, the sixth baron and dear old Thack-
ery's "Esmond," came to Virginia in
the eighteenth century, after giving up
his estates in England to his younger
brother, Robert. Since that time the
Lords Fairfax have always been Ameri-
can citizens, and one of them, as every
public schoolboy knows, was the friend
of Washington, and did his noblest in
the Revolution to rid our country of
the British flag. The English heraldry
books tell us good deal about "Doc"
Fairfax and his brother, the tenth baron,
citizen Charles Snowden Fairfax, who
was for some time lawyer at Cincin-
natl, Ohio. Then he was clerk of the
Supreme Court of California, which Sir
Bernard Burke sagely remarks, is "of
states further that Baron Charles died
in 1860 at Baltimore, and that he was
at one period "elected speaker of the
House of Representatives of the State
of Alcaldi," wherever that may be-
There is one story, however, about this
brave, heightened, chivalrous and truly
noble man that Sir Bernard does not
tell. 1t is how Charlie Fairfax, as he
was known among the Californian
Argonaut boys, nearly lost his life at
the hands ola miserable skulking hound
and gambler, who "got the drop on
him" for some fancied wrong, and not
as an honest gentleman in self defence
when his life was in danger. Stagger-
ing, Keeling like drunken man, and
with bullet in his body, Charlie Fair
fax managed to reach for his revolver,
and then he had "drop number two,"
and this time it was on the would-be
assassin. Slowly he raised himself to
his full height, and with the glistening
barrel covering the scoundrel'S head he
said, "You wretch! Your life is in my
hands. Why did you do this? But
forgive you, ana spare you -ioi-.i.-
sake of your wife and your innocent
children" Then he fired the deadly
weapon in the air, dropped backwards
senseless and was on sick bed tol
MANY long, weary day afterwards
This was the act of an American citizen
who had repudiated aristocracy, and II
should furnish lesson to our dudlSf
prigs and would-be heraldic snobocrats.
most of whom, as the old play gives It,
initiate, monkey-like, the vices of the
aristocrats and none of their few re-
deeming virtues. Citizen "Doc" Fair
fax's heraldic bearings are given a.
follows in the British peerages: CAIRNS
or three bars gemelles gules, surmount
ed of a lion rampant sable. Crest, 'allor
PEASANT guardant sable Supporters
dexter lion guardant sable, sinister
bav horse" The Fairfax motto
"Fare, Fac," a pun on the name
meaning "Speak, dc" it isto be hoped
will be the watchwords for the modern
patriotic English Fairfaxes to "speal
and do their best to assist in founding
Mazzini's fond ideal of the coming
"Republic of the United States 0
Europe" including England, Scotland
Ireland and Wales on truly demo
cratic basis.
aayTwo men of Scottsville, Va, mad
a wager as to the strength of their ri
ding horses, to be determined by tyinl