The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-10-05
FREAKS WITH TITLES.
Members of English Nobility
Who Are Not Apollos.
The PEERS DEMONSTRATING.
Dukes Whose Bodies Are 8fisshspen--
a Repulsivs Lord-Younger Sons
Who Are Criminals.
New York Worid's London Letter.

New York Worlds London Letter.
10 the nobility Of England deterioratingf
The question NAV well be asked in view Of
the startling fact that no less than fifteen
peers. entitled by birth to sit in the house
OF lords - legislators for the kingdom, are
today inmates Of private lunatic asylums
IN the vicinity of London. How many are
hidden from their friends in varisus re-
treats on the continent of Europe it is diff
cult to tell; but it is significant, that of
about 500 peers never more than 100 gather
in the upper legislative chamber, and the
average attendance il not over forty.
The mobility nsed to be noted for
fine specimens of manly physique.
1t - not the case today. 1t
might be fnvidious TO mention too many
instances Of misshapen humanity in that
class. One Of the most noted is that Of the
Duke Of Newcastle. who. II he were . poor
man. instead of the recipient of wealthy
revenues, could obtain living as mon
strosity in dime Museum. The house Of
Newcastle is one of the proudest and most
ancient in England, and it was one of the
ancestors Of the present duke. who claimed
the credit Of striking down the king Of
Scotland on the fatal field Of Flodden, when
King James and his nobility persisted
almost to man in the most desperate OF
English border battles.
The father Of the present duke was man
Of good appearance and average physique,
but naughty and overbeafing to marked
degree.
Owning valuable collieries, he occasionly
gave them his personal attention. At that
time child labor was permitted in the Eng
lish coal pits, and boys and girls who
should have been at school were to bs seen
coming forth from the pits at evening,
grimy and black a. imps Of satan.
Petitions to the duke to alleviate the con-
dition Of these little serfs were unavaiIing,
and he also presented . strong opposition
to the legislation which ultimately came to
the relief of the miners and redeemed En-
gland from the disgrace Of infant slavery.
1t was during discussion Of the subject in
the house of lords that the Zeal of VIM
chelsea held up before the eyes of his col
leagues picture of enc of the little unfor-
Inmates, hunch-backed and biackened,
staggering under q load Of coal. The
Duke of Newcastle affected to laugh ct II.
Its but too true however. that his son.
afterwards born, was and is much more
nisshapen than that poor little slave In the
picture.
THE CROSS OF cADoaAH.
Speaking OF marks, have you ever heard
for 1t Is . secret kept with jealous care,
and, outside OF . few old inhabitants,
known hardly to any except members'of
that illustriOus family. The old inhab-
itants in question are TO be found at Bury
St. Edmunds, the seat Of the Cadogan fam
lily, and it was while on visit there I
heard the tradition. The Cadogans, like
nobility, were greatly enriched by tho con-
fiscation of church property under Henry
Viii. and portion of the abbey lands at
Bury st. Edmunds fell to their share. The
monks, driven forth on the world to beg,
left the familiar walls with bitter curses
on their prosecutors, as they regarded the
king and the mobiles that shared in the
as Brother Wilfred, but whose real
name is said to have been Will
liam Locke, was arrested on the charge of
treason in some expression to which he
gave utterance, and burned at the stake.
the then ancestor Of the present Earl of
Cadogan having been particularly active III
the arrest and persecution. As the flames
from the fagot shot up around him, the
monk raised crucifix in his right hand,
and extending it towards Cad0gan, ex.
claimed, BE this your curse.
It is said in tradition that the first child
born to Cadogan after the execution of the
unhappy monk bore the mark of q cross
on the palm OF his right hand. The child
died six months after its birth; since that
time several children have been born to
the several generations of the House of
Cadogan, bearing this mark, and all have
died in early infancy, while others without
the mark have usually survived. Such ID
the story as told at Bury ST. Edmunds.
OF course no confirmation or refutation of
it can be obtained from the Cadogans
themselves. The present earl is high in
the confidence of Queen Victoria, q MEM
Der of her privy council, and he left Gull
ford Hall September to act as minister in
attendance upon the queen at BalmoraL
ASSORTED EYES.
There are, however, other interesting in.
cidents connected with the physique of the
English nobility, outside of the trademarks
connected with gloomy tradition. Every
one who has met Lord Ducie has noticed
that his eyes are of distinctly different
color, one black and piercing. the other
bright and blue. 1t is physical peculiarly
in his lordship's family. handed down from
the remotest generation. When his lord
ship wishes to have joke with new ac-
quaintance he holds his monOcle in such q
way that only one eye is seen upon intro
duction. At the next glance which the
new friend ventures Lord Ducie turns on
him the other eye. The effect may be I'M
agined, and it is sometimes as funny to his
lordship as it is confusing to the other
party who begins to wonder whether his
own sight is not affected.
Lord Wemyss, of Scotland, is said to
have in reality the power pretended by
some clowns of moving his ears at will.
and Lord Norton is noted for the exercise
~ <t~,Iz ,.nl oh srv&
given by the Prince of Wales a few weeks
ago Lord Norton ventured to use his fac
uity on his royal highness in q way that
proved more successful than satisfac-
tory. The prince was c0nversing
with Lady Henry Bruce, surrounded
by brilliant group, when suddenly he
heard, as from one OF his noblemen near
him, Your Royal Highness!" The prince
looked up. surprised at the interruption.
He saw equal surprise on the faces of the
party. Then he resumed conversation only
again to be interrupted by the same voice.
Things began to seem eerie, and Lady
Bruce turned pale. Suddenly one of the
noblemen present, Lord Colville of Gull
ross, who happened to know something of
Lord Norton's gift, saw Norton standing .
few steps away, apparently intent on con
versation with Colonel Henry Byng. Hea
once taxed Norton with using his ventrilo-
quail powers on the prince, and the latter
acknowledged the lmputation, at the same
time moving towards the prince with an
apology Albert Edward, however, was
on his dignity and refused to be pacifed.
He met Norton with cold stare. and the
latter soon after found it conven-
lent to go yachting. 1t is of
interest in this connection that q
grandfather of the present Lord Norton.
who also possessed ventriloquial powers,
got into disfavor with George w., when
the latter was the first gentleman of