The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1897-07-08
The REDWOOD GAZETTE.
BY AIKEN & SCHMAHL.
THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1897.
MAY GET A TITLE.
Rev. John Sinclair Thinks He Has
Good Chance.
From the Pioneer Press.

ne new. JOnn olnclalr, FroSDy-
terian minister of Redwood Falls, is
at the Ryan hotel and with him two
Scotch cousins of his, Mrs. E. G.. Sin
clair and her daughter, Miss Ella Sin
clair, from Scotland. The two ladies
are finishing an eight months trip
around the world and have visited their
cousin at Redwood Falls for two weeks.
In addition to friendly visit, one OBJ
ject they had in view in going there
was to discuss with their relative the
relationship of their immediate family
to the Sinclairs of Caithness, Scotland,
of which the earl of Caithness is head
and to try and induce the minister of
Redwood Falls to go to Scotland to
put in his claim for the earldom of
Caithness, which is now in dispute,
and to which, they are convinced, he
is the rightful heir.
The earldom of Caithness is mean
time held by James Sinclair, who is
large property owner in Red River
valley. He is the fifteenth earl. His
father, George Sinclair, who was q
banker in Aberdeen, Scotland, was
the fourteenth earl, but lived only
three years after succeeding to the
title.
The thirteenth earl died of diabetes
at the age of twenty-five and there be-
ing no near relative to succeed him
he, foreseeing his early death, got the
estates disentailed and willed them to
his former tutor Percy Aeathcote, an
Englishman. Heathcote, on becom-
ing heir to the estates, attached the
family name to his and now lives on
one of the estates and is known as
Heathcote-Sinclair of Barogile castle,
Caithness.
Neither the thirteenth earl nor any
other could will away the title, and he
having no direct issue, there was some
stir among the Sinclairs of Caithness
before it was decided who was the
nearest of kin. At the time when the
thirteenth earl died, ten years ago,
there was several candidates for the
title and after some years of conten-
ton it was given to George Sinclair of
Aberdeen. 1t was only when George
Sinclair was within sight of getting it
that John Sinclair of Edinburgh, at
that time member of parliament for
the Ayrburghs in the British house of
commons, thought of looking up the
f ,mily tree. John Sinclair, member
of parliament and deceased husband
of Mrs. E, G.. Sinclair, now in St. Paul,
was full cousin of Rev. John Sinclair,
Redwood Falls. The member of
parliament, through two of the best
lawyers in Edinburgh, began his claim
for the earldom, and his lawyers we're
SO sure of his right to the title that
they engaged not to charge him cent
if they did not put him in possession
of it within two years. But before
there was time to get through half the
law process necessary, the member of
parliament was stricken by sickness
of which five years ago he died.
Rev. John Sinclair of Redwood
Falls, knew at the time of the death of
his cousin that if his cousin was the
rightful earl he was the next in line,
being the eldest son of the next eldest
brother of the father of the member
of parliament. But the minister OF
Redwood Falls had by that time been
several years in this country and had
imbibed too much of the American
spirit to go hunting after an empty
title when the property had been di-
vorced from it.
A new feature, however, has recent
ly appeared in the case, namely, con-
viction on the part of certain lawyers
in Scotland that the thirteenth earl, in
disentailing the estates, did thing
which, though it seemed legal at the
time, is now found to be illegal, and
new interest is attached to the title.
The estates are said to be worth some
$4,000 a year and the family seat,
Barogile castle, is one of the most
elaborate and finest old baronial cast
les in Scotland. If it be the case that
the property can be again allied with
the earldom it is infinitely more i'm
portant for the man who may ultimate
ly succeed to the title,
A few weeks ago the Rev. John
Sinclair, Presbyterian minister of Ran
mock, Perthshire, Scotland, filed his
claim for the earldom in the belief