St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-05
A TITLED VAGABOND.
The Drunken Bet OF an Embryo
English Earl and What Came OF

The Drunken Bet OF an Embryo
English Earl and What Came OF
1t.
Once i'm while a real live lord, with
his pedigree spread out in Debrett, Is
allowed to run through Chicago without
being noticed, but not often. 1t came
pretty near happening yesterday, but
the Inter Ocean hates to see the record
broken too often, and so gives his Lud-
ship paragraph, says the Chicago Inter,
Ocean.
When the train due from st. Paul at r
in the morning arrived yesterday, an
hour and u half late. Il tall, gentlemanly-'
looking man emerged from one of the
sleeping ears. A reporter for the Inter,
Ocean, happening to be in the depot at
the time, recognized him as notorious
English nObleman, well known to the
police authorities at Scotland Yard,
having only recently been discharged
from prison after serving nine months
sentence for Swindling tradeSmen.
Upon being accOSted by his name,
Lord Hinton, his face betrayed him,
though he at first attempted to deny his.
identity and gave the name of William
Thomas, most unfortunate admission
on his part, as his Christian names are.
known to be William Turnour Thomas.
The reporter at this point was obliged
to leave him to attend to the business
that had called him to the station, and
afterwards his efforts to trace him were
unsuccessful.
The account of this young nobleman'S
life forms quite an interesting history,
even his birth creating a domestic
scene unusual at such proceeding. The
Earl OF Poulett in the year 1919 was
lieutenant in the Twenty-secOnd regi-
ment, stationed at Portsmouth, and one
night, taking little more than was
good for him at mess, he made bet of
81 600 that he would marry the first
woman he met. Upon leaving the bar
racks the first woman he encountered
was a we'll known character about the
streets known as Betty Newman, though
Debrett gives the name as Miss Eliza
beth Lavinia Newman, daughter of
James Newman, pilot, POrtsea. George
POulett (he had not then come into the
title) could not afford to lose 81 900.
SO he married the lady on June %,
1859, and the gentleman who hOnOred
Chicago with his presence yesterday
was born Dec. Is of the same year.
George POulett by no means experienced
those feelings that are supposed to ami
mate the paternal heart on the birth of
son and heir, but, on the contrary,
separated from his wife and refused to
have anything whatever to do either
with mother or son. At the death of his
POulett, and this son of his wife was
legally Viscount Hinton, and upon ar
irving at an age of understanding he
was not slow to take that title upon him
self. He was educated at Church House
college, Merton, Surrey. At eighteen
he was by no means model boy, and
for a time lived the life of tramp,
finally obtaining position as clown at
the Surrey theater under the name of
COSman.
In 1869 he married ballet dancer by
the name of Lydia Shippy. and they
have one son living, Hon. William
George. For several years Lord Hinton
kept up the business of clown, but in
1879 he enlisted as a private soldier in
the Seventeenth regiment, and was in
the course of a few months drafted out
to India. Here he let it be known who
he was, and had he behaved himself he
might very soon have obtained COM
mission. but after "a number of very
sharp deals with people III Calcutta and
with some of the officers of his regiment,
he deserted, and upon being captured
suffered six months Imprisonment and
UlSmlSSdl IfOUl Tie service. LII 1905 liz
turned up at Port Said, Egypt, and was
locked up three days for attempting one
of his sharp practices upon the proprie-
tors of the EldOrado, a famous gambling
resort in the place, but he managed to
escape and obtained a passage to Eng
land. Here it is claimed he pursued
the same tactics, visiting jewelers., gum
smiths and others, getting them to send
articles to various places, forgetting to
pay for them, and Immediately diSpOS4
ing of the things for whatever he could
get for them.
He was eventually brought to book,
and for securing some guns suffered
nine months imprisonment from which
| he must have been released about six
months ago. Bankers, merchants and
others had better be on their guard
against this nobleman, as he is an eX-
ceptionally smooth party and has had a
large experience III the best way of liv-
ing without much work.
William Turnour Thomas, ViScount
Hinton, is man of thirty-nine years,
| but does not look more than thirty-twO,
| dark-cOmpleXiOned with slight mus
tache, large dark eyes and long lashes
when last seen he had on SealSkin
| cap and long dark overcOat lined with
the same material. He carried a gold
| headed umbrella and Russian leather
dressing case. He has not registered at
any of the leading hotels, nor has a long
search succeeded i'll locating him in the
citV at DreSpOt