Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-23
OUR DUCHESS TREATED WE'LL.

MarlbOrOugh's Request to His Second
Wife Regarded as Reimbursement.
Among clubmen and society people
the provisions of the will of the
late Lord Marlborough furnished
Il topic for discussion yesterday,
says the New York World. In probat-
ing the will in the English courts the
dukes estate, valued at 1852, 703, or
$17G3, 515, was disposed of. 1t is said.
however, that the figures given, repre-
sent the nominal value of the dukes
securities and that the amount realized
on their sale will be very much less.
Solicitor Spencer Whitehead, known
to some of New York S leading lawyers,
and Lillian Hamersley, the widowed
duchess, are made executors of the will.
The present duke, the ninth of the
name, besides coming into possession
Of the entailed estates, gets permission
to select 100000 worth of chattels, but
should he Sue he loses all. Besides
this beQueSt and one of 100000 to
Lady Colin Campbell, together with
small requests to servants, the lrnen-
tailed real and personal estate goes to
the American duchess, Lille Hamers.
ley.
This last clause is a verification Of
the expectations of American friends of
Mrs. Hamersley. It has been under
stood by her friends that the duke
would leave a charge on the estate to
reimburse his wife for advances of
money.
''While Marlborough was possessed
of the Churchill streak he was not
bad fellow and the will means that
he is doing the square thing by his
American wife, said an intimate friend
of the late duke yesterday. Continuing
he said: ga remark the duke once
made while we were driving at Tuxedo
impressed me. 1t was: What can
you expect of a man whose life is bur-
dened with debts and a threeacre roof
full of leaks?" Mrs. Hamersley had
to pay out money to fix the roof of
Blenheim palace before it was habit
able
There is no intimation, as far as the
World reporter could learn, that Mrs.
Hamersley- Churchill will return to
America. Her London home is at
Carleton House terrace.
The duke of Marlborough and Mrs.
Lillian Hamersley were married by
Mayor Hewitt June %, 1888, at the
New York city hall, and after a long
search found a minister who would
celebrate the ceremony, the Rev. ID. &.
Potter of the Sixth Street Baptist
church of this city having no scruples
about marrying a divorced man. Mrs.
had then and still has the
income of an estate of S5,000.O0O or
left her by her first hus-
band, Washington Louis Hamersley.
A hitherto unpublished incident in the
life Of the duke Of Marlborough is
brought out by the discussion incident
to the publication Of his will Along in
the sos, when he was mixed up in the
/ aGy Ailesbury scandal, he scored
from Lady Ailesbury a package % the
pr'nce of " ales' love letters addressed
II i,eT. He was asked to be the Gus
tOdian IF the bundle The duke. to in
sure the safe keeping of the package,
so the story goes, put it in the care
of Lord Randolph Churchill, his young
er brother. Lord Churchill, at that time
acting as secretary to his father, then
lord lieutenant of Ireland. guarded the
bundle as best he could. One day he
was surprised to receive a call from a
queens messenger, who demanded the
letters Churchill refused to give them
up On the ground that they were not
his property, but simply inrusted to
him. and he was responsible for their
safety. con your allegiance as sub
icct they are demanded was the ulti-
matum he received. He inquired who
had sent the message. He was told
the prince of Wales ''Wen, when he
is sovereign and sends me such a mes
sage I will respect it" was ChurchilIs