Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-07-31
.ttrsfell
Claimants to Royalty.
SOME STRANGE CASES THAT HAVE A
PARALLEL IN THE TICHBoRNE SUIT.

Since the famous Tichborne trial
brought 1.-THE claimant" so prominently
before the reading public, the general use
Of term which accurately described his
position without seeming to PREJUDICE his
case has given it universal currency as
convenient designation in similar cases of
disputed or doubtful identity. For in
stance, the newspapers have recently an
nonnced ''Napoleonic claimant" VINO
makes his appearance in the most unro-
mantle manner. by presenting himself be-
fore magistrate at police station in
Paris and asking for money TO pay his
passage to England. He claimed to be
the Prince Imperial, the legitimate son
of the Emperor Napoleon III. and the
Empress Eugene. The announcement
OF his death in Zululand was mistake.
He was not killed, but captured by the
ZuIus. Otter some time he effected his
escape, and. having traversed Africa from
south to north, he crossed the Mediter
ranean and landed at Marseilles. His
poverty and his dignity prevented him
from presenting himself before his
mother and so he stayed and worked in
Marseilles incognito for several years.
But he met the Empress once. 1t was at
Vienna, at the tomb of Macmillan. So
violent was his emotion that he swooned
away. The Empress herself raised him
and tended him; but when he became
conscious she had gone. He wished now
to go to her, but he was pennlless. Would
the magistrate grant him the sum neces-
sary and his mother, the Empress. would
repay the loan? When asked to show his
papers, he produced book in which was
entered the name of Polak, journeyman
clockmaker of Vienna. 1t had been lent
to him to enable him to maintain his in
cognito.
| When he found that his story was not to
be credited, he accused the magistrate of
yielding 10 pressure put upon him by the
| Princes Victor and Louis, whose interest
it was to supplant the rightful heir. He
spoke in the language of a wel-educated
man; and when examined with view to
determine his mental condition, he be-
traved no symptom of arrangement.
The methods of all claimants have q
certain similarity, though some have been
more audaclous and successful than 9TH
ers. This is perhaps the most audacious
| of modern instances. But there are MANY
examples of claimants more or less noto-
rous in the history of past times, whose
pretentions are quite AS difficult to recon-
Gle with recorded facts. In most OF these
historical instances the claimants have adj
vanced pretensions to the name and sta
| ton of deceased member of some reign
ing family, and much obscurity has thus
been thrown around historical events.
whose incidental details have been con-
fused and complicated by the conflicting
| of NEARLY
contemporary records.
Perhaps the least known, but not the
least curious and tragical story of a claim
ant is that OF the woman who, IN the first
year of the fourteenth century, attempted
to personate the Maid of Norway, heiress
to the crown of Scotland, and presumptive
heiress also to that of Norway. IL had
been given out that the Maid or Norway
had died on her voyage to Scotland; but
that, it was now alleged, was mistake :;
she did not die, but she was "sold'' or
BETRAYED by those who had charge OF her
and carried away to an obscure hiding
place on the Continent. She had at last
found means to escape, and coming from
Lubbock to Bergen-the very same port
, from which she sailed tor Scotland ten
years before-she there presented herself
to the people of Norway as the Princess
Margaret. Although her father, King
Erik. was now dead and her Uncle Ha-
kon possessed the throne, her right OF sue
cession to the crowns of Norway and of
Scotland had been secured by the marriage
contract of Norburgh, by which her father
had espoused her mother Margaret, the
daughter of Alexander H., King OF Scot
laud. The claimant appeared old tor her
wears and was white-hared but sorrow
brings gray hairs more surely than age.
She was a married woman, and her hus-
band came with her to Norway. and sub
sequentlv shared her tragic fate. King
IIakon himself was present at her trial in
Bergen, of which, unfortunately, no rec
ord exists. But we learn from the Ice
land Annals" that she was burned to death
as an mposter at Nordness. and her hus-
band beheaded. When she was being
taken through the kongsguard Port to
the place of execution, she said: 81 re-
member well when |, as a child, was tax
en- through this self same gate to be car
ried into Scotland there was then in the
High Church of the Apostles an Ice
land priest, Hatlidi by name, who was
chaplin to my father, King Erik; and
when the clergy ceased singing, SIR Hafll-
di began the hymn VIM treator, ana
that hymn on board the ship"
Hatlidi Steinsson, the priest here men,
toned, had long since gone back to Ice
land. where he. died parish priest OF
Breidabolstad; and in chronicling his
death the annaist adds that The was King
Eirik's chaplain at the time that his daugh-
ter Margaret was taken to Scotland, as
she herself afterward bore witness when
she was being carried to execution at
Nordness.' Indeed, so prevalent was
the belief of the personal identity of
the claimant with the daughter of King
Erik. who died on the voyage to Orkney
in 1890, that the place OF her execution
became resort of pilgrims; and. many
of the priesthood having ecuntenanced
the popular belief N her martyrdom, a
chapel was built on the spot where she
suffered; and though uncanonized. and
reprobated by the dcnities of the church,
her memory was held in reverence till
the Reformation as St Maritte (MargareD
the MARTYR OF Nordness. In 1920 the
number of pilgrimages to this irregular
shrine had become so numerous that
Bishop Audhna of Bergen issued an off
cial interdict against them, an interior