The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-02-05
ASSUMED NOBILITY.
Bogus Titles Plentiful in All Parts
OF Europe.
Advertised by the Society Columns or the
Papers They Flourish After a FASH
ton. But Arc Unknown ut tho
Queens Court.

In mentioning the soi-disant duke of
Mantua IN these columns recently, saws
the marquis dc Fontenay in the New
YORK Recorder. | should have added
few words on the facility and audacity
with which nobiliarY titles abroad are
assumed by persons who have not the
remotest right thereto. There is ap-
parently no law either in England or ON
the continent dealing with this species
OF fraud. which can only be reached by
justice when the postiche aristocrats
have made use of their borrowed plumes
Tor tho purpose of swindling tradcsmcn.
Both London and Paris, and in fact
every continental city, are crowded
with people of this kind, who by dint
OF sheer audacity and persistcncy end
by being taken, not ut their real value,
but at the one at which they have ut.
tributed TO themselves. All that man
such as either the duke of Mantua" or
the marquis de Leuville" has to do in
order to get his rank recognized, if not
by society. at any rate by the public, is
to keep the society columns of the daily,
and above all the weekly, press well
supplied with paragraphs concerning
his movements and entertainments. Of
course 1t is Indispensable that each para
graph should be accompanied by n ten
or twelve shilling bit, which the paper
accepts as matter of ordinary bust
ness, und then forthwith publishes the
item without taking any trouble to in
vestigate the rights of the persons
mentioned therein to the titles which
they have assumed. The newspapers
In Europe have neither the time nor yet
the inclination to usurp the functions
which in older days were exercised
with great severity by that still mag
nificent creature, gartcr-ting-a t-arms.
The public, seeing the names of these
pseudo nobcmcn appearing day after
day In the society columns Of the most
respectable and widely circulated pa
pers. and being in ignorance of the
monetary consideration paid for the
mention end by believing the titles to
he valid. Up to the time of the bank
ruptcy of the marquis de Leuville" the
other day scarcely number of the
Court Jour,,hl appeared which did not
contain some paragraph about the CHI
tcrtainments which he had either given
or attended. and many of the readers,
seeing the royal coat of arms which
fills almost the entire first page of
the Journal. became convinced that
the title Of the marquis" enjoyed the
recognition Of the British court The
only English court. however, which at
any time opened its doors to the mar
Quis" Is The bankruptcy court
Curiounly enough, it is tho most rad
ical of ar,stocrats, namely. Mr.. Labou-
chere, the editor and proprietor of Lon
don Truth, who is primarily RESPONSE
BILE for the existence of many of these
unwarranted titles of nobility While
in the diplomatic service us attachc and
secretary Of legation it was his duty to
attend TO the issue of British passports
Having already in those days n cynical
contempt for titles and nobiliary dis
tinction hc readily inscribed on the
passports whatever names and titles
the applicants requested without qucs-
tioning in any way their identity or
their rights TO the title. 1T gave them
pleasure" he explained. land it hurt
no one" The consequence is that there
are now quite IL large number Of pseudo
nobility titles whose owners or founders
boldly point to the passports issued by
Mr.. Labouchre, and claim on documen-
tary evidence to possess the queen of
England's recognition thereof.