New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-09
STORIES OF ENGLISH LIFE.
Az OLD MANS "REMINISCENCES.

PEco1LEcTIoNs OF OLD CoINTKY * LIFE ion NY
X Fowler C"Rusticus'i. $40, mp ID hohb
mans Green d 90
The genial Englishnnan whose BOOK Echoes "
Old Country Life" was reviewed IN these '''-
unns last year offers to his grateful reaoers an
other volume Of remin,sccnce and anecdo'e' He'e
are plcasant glimpses Of that English rurai HE
,,btc, Americans are so ready 10 envy but 50
10th - initiate Mr. Fowler. as one OF the COM
Portable well-dcscendcd middle class. KNOWS
we'll both dukes and agricultural laborers' anu
no has n ouick wit. alive TO ali that Is anus
inc quaint and valuable In his experience Some
~ HI. stores II must be acknowledged. are
s,rcwh,t ancient: but these surely may b. Tor
owen 10 an old man. and one SO kind ana Jolly.
.ronq his "reminiscences OF his beloved county
Of "Ruck," and It's families Of long pedigree. Is
ono concerning A famous law suit which nearly
donr,vcd the SHORTCOMINGS family OF a great
nronertv A pruper Welsh woman laid claim 10
the estate and had nearly proved her cas-" when
q Glib n-rson was brought forward to forge its
final link by testimony concerning III" oates on
a certain tombstone In churchyafd in Wales
lie had seen the dates on this stone every time
ne went 10 church he declared. ana having read
then, 60 often. they had become impressed on his
memory The opposing lawyers were a'ihof'
ready Z, give IN the case when clever Tafourd
came to the rescue lie had newspaper in his
hand. and giving II 10 the witness and pointing
to certain paragraph. asked MIN N rcah "
aloud The pcrjurer folded and unfoldei the
papcr In dsmay-he could not RAD at all ana
the false testimony turned the scale and gave
the selby-I.pvndcs family the estate which. az
was afterward clearly shown rShi'ully ard
legally belonged 70 them. This suit Is said 10
have suggested TO Warren the id", for his novel,
Ten THOUSAND Year" II was on n part o'
Wheddon Chase. incoscd by a late representa-
tive Of this family that more than loo me gold
coins ~ the time Of observation-disclosures
Cymhelinc-wcre found a few years ago.
ploughman broke Into a great earihen pot with
his plough and scattered tome ~ the coins along
the rurrow He thought they were old buttons
without shanks. and sold number ~ them nj
the village alchouse for siHpence each ny the
time Mr. I.owndes heard ~ the discovery and
claimed his treasuretruve more than soo hah
tcen sold and melted down. and he was obliged 10
be satisfied with the 800 which he managed 10
obtain.
Mr. Fowler has . interesting chapter on the
death Of John Hampton. who was one Of the
glories OF Bucks md the sacrl"gious exhu-
nation Of the patriots body IN 1925. Contradictory
accounts had been glvep concerning the nature
OF his wounds received at Chalgrove Field. and
in that year Lord Nugent. who was writing
lfe Of Hampton resolved 10 look at the body.
II had been supposed that Hampden had been
struck IN the shoulder by two csrbne balls.
which fractured the bone and that he died OF
locktaw at Thamc next day. That soldier Of
his own party accidentally shot him is one OF
the local traditions Mr.. Fowler believes that
the account found in the Earl Of Oxford's pa
pers Is the true one: Two Of the Hanleys and
one OF the Foeys being at supper with Sir Robert
Pye at harrington House. Berks related the ac-
count Of Hampdens death as follows: That al
the action ~ Chalgrove Field his pistol burst
and shattered his hand In fearful manner
He however, rode off and got 10 his quarters
but finding the wound mortal. he sent for Sir
Robert Pye then a colonel In the Parliamentary
army who had married his eldest daughter. and
told him he looked TO him az in some degree
accessory TO his death. the pistols were pres
ent from him. Sir Robert assured him that he
had bought them in Paris Of an eminent maker.
and that he had proved them himself II APP
pcarcd ON examining the other pistol, that It
was loaded 10 the muzzc with several super
numerary charges owing 10 the carecssness Of n
servant who was ordered TO the pistols load
ed every morning which he did without draw
ing the former charge" The exhumation con-
Quoted by Lord Nugent was disgraceful in It's
roughness and indeccncy. The body. which
well preserved, was cruelty mutilated by Nugent
himself in an endeavor to examine the bones Of
the shoulder and was lifted up and supported
on shovel while the learned biographcr looked
baIr "a 4 iaft I,Ir
uncared for, In me parish church all through
the next day, while ncighboring pumpkins came
to safe an idle curiosity One who present
quite discern the expression Of the face. and that
he thought 1t n beautiful dead face The very
dark and long auburn hair was drawn up and
tied at the top OF the head. No fracture OF the
right shoulder was found, but the right arm
had no hand. the small bones of this amputatsd
hand being afterward discovered among the
cerements This certainly goes to prove the
truth OF Lord Oxford's story. The head garden
er of Hampden House In the church, and
aftcrward. during a search among some old
pIctures and lumber In the Hampden attics,
found a portrait in which he recognized the face
and figure OF the man he had seen lifted from
the grave II had not been known that an ar-
then;ic portrait OF Hampden was In existence.
and great was the delight OF ;he Earl Of Buck
inghamshire. the owner OF Hampden House.
when, the picture being examined. the patriots
name was found under I'M Old bit OF canvas,
with a statement that the portrait had been
presented b. one Of the Bedford family.
One OF the famous men whom our gossiper
knew in his youth was George Stephenson. Mr..
Fowler tells an interesting story Of the origin
of a great railwsy Every landowner on the
main line from London to the North, a. orisi-
naIiy planned by Stephenson, was opposed to the