The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-03-10
SCOTLAND'S CROWN.
It Was Once Worn by a Lady
Now Living in Pittsburgh.
Romantic Story of Mrs. Duncan Daughter
Of the "Kceper OF the Crown'-Born
In tho Castle Where Queen Mary
WAS Once q Prisoner.

room up in the Castle Of Edinburgh, but no
brow wears the diaden and no hand lifts
the rod There is q palace at the foot OF
the Canongate, but it has become only
hotel for her Majesty en- route for Bal1noral.
There has, however, been from time I'M
memorial a "Kaeper Of the Crown A
Pittsburgh home, says the Commercial 90
xette OF that city, furnishes bit Of Scotch
history in y way connected with one OF
these e keepers There bas been living in
this vicinity for the past half century dear
old Scotch lady, Mrs. Duncan, OF " iiifns-
burg mother OF a. @. Duncan, q Well
known business man: vlo was tue daugh-
ter Of Colonel Dingwalt, keeper Of the
crown.
Colonial Dingwa!J was soldier Of dis
tinction and after the battle OF Waterloo,
where ne won promotion, he was appointed
"Keepcr Of the Crown Of Scotland" From
the time of that appointment he took up his
residence, II, the grand old Cassie Of Edin
burgh. and here Just sevcnty-two years ago
was born the little daughter. who still pre-
serves the intense love Of native land SO
characteristic Of every true child OF Scot
land.
She was born i'll the very wing OF the Old
castle where more than a century and q
half before the Inflated James VI. Oh Scot
lard and James /. OF England saw the light,
and where llterWard lis mother, the beau.
tiful, but unfortunate Mary, Queen
Of Scots, was held II prisoner III
her own castle, The window troal the room
where she was born looked down ever the
steep prccipico where, during the bitter
strife between the Scotch Lords, the infant
King was lowered IN 4 basket and carried
oil BY his encnies. During her whole LIFE
in Scotland this = ]nssie " never knew any
Other hcmc than the old castle, around
whose walls chung so many historic asso-
Citations. Her playground was its stone
paved courts an(. It's lofty t)attlcMentS; her
lullabics were ballads Of brave knights :sn<
fair ladies Wuo had made il famous. Ine
furry tales oil .ler childhood We're the thon-
sands of legends which cling around its
lofty elnblll!ed towers.
When Colouel DingWalt's daughter was
but titecu YNa1s old Captain Duncan, Of
the Itoyai Scots, returning from seven
years active service in India, Was quar-
tered in Edinburgh Castle with his re5l-
ment, he saw the fair = Maid Of tie CASTER
at church, and although he had alreldy ar
rived vi the staid age Of tiye-and-t''irly n6
immediately fell III love. But many diff
cul,ies stood in the way. The father was Il
SuCrn HAIL. DEou1 iilltI
be regarded his little maid as yet iu the
nursery. But g love laughs at lockslnt}is,
and The nurse proved IL faithful latter-car-
rier. The very first letter that she brought
10 the bonnie Scotch lassie WAS a proposal
Of marriage, which she still keeps among
her dearest treas ures. and Nhieh Gully the
most favored friends are perrnltted TO see,
One evening when the grey walls OF the
.1r,, had
Princess street gardens, aud when the stern
walls tooke:! out over the city as from an
other world in all their quiet pcacefuiness,
she stole ont from the castle, and i'll the
shadow cf the old cr;s4s met tue handsome
Captain, 4 good Old Scotch minister soon
finished The work, and the dan glitter Of tie
Keeper OF the Gro9Yn'' had become the
Captaius wife.
After her marriage she travelled for some
years with her husband lu Spain, Italy and
Southern Europe. Captain Duncan was
quite wealthy, and soon retired. from the
army. x little over fifty years ago, at the
earnest solicitation Of his brothers, who
were Twins, with his mother liz Pittsburgh,
he came to make them a visit. So loath was
mis- mother to part with him that, although
he once cot Us far as New York on his way
back to his; home he turned again and nn-
til his death 81 few wears ago lived III this
city.
The Maid Of the Castle bus now become q
white haired. sweet-faced Old lady OF seven
ty-two years. Her five sons have grown to
manhood about her and she at the present
time lives with one OF them: Nh *. 9. Dun
can, on Franklin street, Williamsburg. Ono
Of her sons, j. II. Duncan, is IL prosperous
business man Of Cincinnati. She has also
one d;lgtter Clara, living. She has stll
many rleulentoes of the past the uniform
shat her father wore and his sE'ordknot
Pleasant as her life has been with her h'1s-
band aud family, she loves dearly to recall
the old days in the castle. Of her father
she speaks With the greatest reverence and
admiration. She describes INN as q nlAE
Of wonderful presence, being oyer six 1eet
in height and MagniHcently proportioned,
He was stern ard cold. as all Scotch par
entS are.
The crown-rocn1 was at the top OF the
castle, and Mrs. Duncan loves TO tell how
one day her father placed the crown: with
it's diamonds and precious stones, which
had rested upon so many royal brows, upon
her head Iiow she did love Edinburgh:
and 10 hear her tell OF the beautiful city
one can almost sec how i'll the spring time
the gray walls OF the castle, and the steep,
rocky cliff brighten in color, and the trees
aud grassy slopes doff their dingy olive
Units for the brightest emerald She tells
how she gazed from the walls down over
the city and the Princess street gardens,
where the children played in the cool
shadow Of the rocks, CT looked from St.
Andrew street and saw the mound across
the valley bearing the white academy
buildings, and the castle lifts its weather
beaten towers and Notifications serenelF
above, and the bright standards waving
from the Half-NIoon Battery. To hear the
stories told by this dear old lady calls UP
all the grand cid historic tales connected
with the Conongate. where the ghosts Of
Kings and Queens walk.
Whence Came the Fish.
California papers report that a farmer OF
Sierra County last July sank an artesian
well, which at the depth Of 800 feet threw
up bot water at the rate of 200 gallons a
Tba win, IL hot ,cr1, tf,