New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-02
pEDIGREE BLACK SHEEP.
NOTES ON TITLED CONNECTS.
CRIMINALS WHO HAVE D'scRAcEp ANCIENT
FAMILrEs-AN INCREASING NUMBER


OF HANKS.
. l., surnrisng how calloused and Indifferent
.. .r,stocracy of Europe is becoming with regard
.,re In times gone by the conviction of
". hearer Of an ancient and noble name for
-, was considered as a terrible disgrace for
~ house. as a stain upon the family escutcheon
90 one Of those misfortunes which placed
,esr relatives under the obligation to with
-, from society. to hide their diminished heads
:. .hore and grief. But that was in the good
=, aovs when very different standards pre-
I'D not only Of the honor of a gentleman, but
'" ~ common honesty. Things have changed
w.. then Few people retain any longer such
n",xotic IDEAS. Sad to relate, these are not con-
,..ad as up 10 date or in keeping with the spirit
:, our present age. and the result is that. far
- the relatives of the culprit taking his crime
-. conviction to heart. they treat 1t lightly. as
ting Of no great Importance The offender does
~, NOW deem it necessary to blow out his brains
=" .vo,d the gnominy of figuring in the prisoners
LII. nor his family to array themselves in sack
..,b and ashes. The result of this is that one
.,v meets in European society-n circles con-
,sored exclusive and smart-clubmen who nave
-, caught cheating at cards, ladies of whose
,oeaents It cannot even be said that they
-o questionable. and nobemen who have been
duated not with "honors from the Ohi-
.-s,tv but with dishonor from the penitentiary.
u ,s the news contained in the cable dis
..,,,es Of the conviction of young Allan Fergu-
- for arson and his sentence to years I'M
,sonment with hard labor that leads me 10
,nora these remarks The case was OF exceeding
10 aggravated character. and under the circuri-
.,srcss he may congratulate himself on having
,oscaned rather easily. For II was not MS nrs''
hr, his second, attempt to burn down "ieh-
,.r,ond College. Of which he. as seventeen
aro,d youth. was one OF the senior stuue"'''
"a whils the first one resulted In nature '"e
noxt eliminated in the destruction OF more imam
,.v NJ the institution. Yet his father or Ja'i'eS
rsreuson. does not seem to have been IN any wa!
overcome by the sense of disgrace thus pfoush'
unon his ancient name one OF 'he ihos' mus
.;ors In Scotland For. while his son was i!'ne
IN nrison awaiting trial. he himsen was a''e"u-
,h,,. dinners and entertainments in MS
,onor in London. prior to his departure OH
-,oosrra trim 10 Australia for which he saiieo
49,. . uael before his boy was brought up LOT
,o,os And vet one might have expected pe'-
,ar taste 10 say the least. on the part vi %"
,.,,os who is one Of the most eminent ana uls-
,,rguished servants Of the Crown lie Is '''-"'-
49, - the Queens Privy Council Grand cross oi
80, . her orders and has been Postmaster
General Under-Secretary OF state lot rO'''s"
.r,rs for India and for the Home Department.
hasides Governor OF Bombay, OF Ne"-"e"i""d
I'D Western Australia. His baronetcy dates r"Oh
- ,,o reign Of Queen Anne. while his lineage OK
,onas IN an unbroken line TO the commandments
NJ the fifteenth century.
In iau Sir James Ferguson's son VIII ilho an
o,,sr member of his caste serving a sentence Vi
.a,vs vears' penal servitude for similar cii''ie
7, a cousin of Lord Combermere. wno' at 'he
time If his conviction. was captain OF the hoSai
Navy. and on the eve OF attaining the RAM %
ADMIRAL He had a beautiful place called Ae-
neigh Grange. near Southampton, and TWO years
ago Il was ruined by fire, most OF the Iuiiii'
being entirely destroyed. In consequence u inc
statements of the servants OF the es'aonsiiiA'
there was large staff of them-the poh-e ar
rested Mrs Cotton, whereupon her huspa'u' VIM
was staying near Windsor at the ume' cai'.a Up"
49, ,oca, magistrates and made the Following
~ ,..,o, az wish TO screen my wife from
.ha, ne.erring to the fire.. as was an acceS-
" ", :. ros through my instructions that
.,a Are occurred 1 knew it was to be done
,,,a,,or of the premises showed mat the
drauing-rooms had been set allgh' III nan
-. rIac.s while investigation brought TO hght
~. Co.., that the building and its contents had
- loo,.,,v insured Not only was Captain Cot
49, .o,.o,ced ~ the long term Of servitude men
.,o,od hut his wife was condemned to nve years
Incarceration , nd
,no,her naval officer Of the same rank ana
1t, o,oss az CAPTAIN Cotton who has "oih
A.. arh ~ a convict is Sir Edmund Nerhey'
,rho only completed his term short time oeioie
A.. aoo,h ~ his popular old father, Sir fati!
49,, tho hrotber-in-law Of Florence Nightih-
Il. ,,hua q brother Of the late Lord BraDouihe'
&c. ooro,oi,tng almost every crime in the caieh-
ar from, forgery and robbery 10 piracy, hhahy
mo, u,,b h,s death on the gallows at sidney LOT
,hs harharous murder Of a poor WIDOW ne
hsckad off her finger for the purpose OF op'dihis
her uedding-ring. OF Sir Edmund Nerhey
crre I, &c unnecessary to say anything mere save
thu, I, involved not only his dismissal from the
NAVY with the loss OF his war medais anu uo0'
rations but also his expulsion from the HOUSE u
Commons II was an offence OF the same 0''i
acter as that which subsequently leu 10 '"e III
Fiction Of a sentence Of year imp
with hard labor upon the Hon PatricK Nuse"'
younger brother Of Lord Greville. whose "ie 10
such prolific contributor 10 the Ehsis" CO.
Nor should I omit the name OF 'he ia'e "'
Charles Burdett a baronet or ahcie"' ''"'"o
Who died the other day in the peni'eh'ia'S a.
Auckland New-Zealand, while serving WV
months sentence for theft-by no means MS III D.
conviction. 80
On the Continent titled personages ore aS
plentiful in prisons and penitentiaries as pidch
berries upon hedge and every branch Oh '"e
nobility is represented there. from dukes an '"e
way down TO barons and chevahers. a, '"e
present moment there are two ltaiiah uuhe''
Francesca and Pietro de Vilarosa- u ''''o'
who are undergoing a sentence OF imp!iso'''"e''.
for the murder OF a young infantry heu'en'"'
named Leone, who was betrothed 10 'heir 'i'te' :
Catarna The assassination took place a' ia-
lermo In the magnificent Varosa palace winch