Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1897-10-23
A BRILLIANT ROGUE.
As sKlLLFuL AND SUCCESSFUL A
THIEF AS EVER LIVED.

ton - A fickpoclSet. High Rolling Adj
venturer and Australian Potentatc Two
wen known lives.
George Darlington, whose real name
rns Henry Waldr0n, was the son Of a May,
nooth silyersmith and mantua maker.
When boy, he quarrelei with fellow
scholar nj Dublin graz mar school, and
was whipped. III revenge no stabhed his
opponent and, II possible, won Id have
murdered him. For this affaia he was
logged SO furiously that he determined to
run away from school So he stole zig
and a silver watch from his preseptor and
disappeared in the middle Of u lay night.
AT progheda he met 8 company Of stroll
Ing players ard LODGED rs the Inn where
they were staying. Their manager John
Price, took a fancy 10 Darlington ard en-.
gagged him as an actor lldced 1t was
Price who suggested the changing OF
Henry Waldyon 10 Georgs Darlington, be-
cause It looked better on tho bills.
Price brought him into .ender connection
with memher Of the company who called
herself Miss Ererton and when he had him
cnamored con plo;ely Ct TIE young wom-
an, proposed to Him to si.Sro the manage
mpnt Of the troop.
Darlington complied aid became joint
manager With Price. 1t was not long be.
fore Price found il expetient TO insinuate
harrington thata yo0ag man of his ad-
q. 9 might introduce h.nlsclf easily into
pm, i places. and that &c might find on.
portt.n,tieS of picking pockets nnnotioed
and OF ascaling Undecided, more cspe
cially OF thht particular time when the
fair was being held. Prices scheme
pleased Darlington, aad the next day he
carried Ii into execution with great sue
1 cess. The ACQUISITION amounted 60 about
e190 In Irish our ncy. Ballyshannon
was the next place visited While in this
place Burlington qgarrelled with Price,
with the result that the two adventurers
parted company
Accompanied by Miss Edgcrton, the
young man left Ballyshannon and jour
ncyed southwark. until, in crossing tho
! River Boyne she was drowned After the
funeral be went to limerick and in a few
weeks more TO Cork There Darlington
found Price penniless and his company
/ dispersed They formulated a scheme by
which harrington was Co pass for a gentle
man Of fortune while Prieo was to play
4 servant The plot worked to a charm.
/ They had crcdit enough TO secure horses
/ and M OUTFIT and Barrington's plausible
/ address did the rest. Operating among
! the best class 9f the extrayagant gentry Of
i the time, the two roguss became familiar
ana popular figures in the first society OF
| Ireland and at tho end Of 1T72 had "a capt
/ tai of 81, 100. On this they settled in
/ Cork, where Price was detected in an at.
tempt to rob young squire, arrested and
sentenced to seven years transportation.
/ Darlington escaped to Dublin, where he
lived quietly for a time. Then he obtained
| passage as guest in Sir Alexander
/ Schomherg's yacht to England. Schom.
| berg was very useful TO him, and the ad
venturer also found of great service the
friendship Of fellow passenger ON the
| yacht, the Duke Of Leinster.
more profitable acquaintance to Bar
rington, however, was young captain in
the army. For many months they lived a
! wild life in London. Then Barrington's
/ funds ran low, and he went TO work
again. He picked pockets right and left,
even dipping unsupported into his friends,
the Dnke of Lcinstur firing Of London,
harrington visited Brighton in the sum
mer of 1775, and there met the Duke of
| Ancaster, who received him as a gentle
man of fortune and noble family. This
opened up to him royal array of victims,
! and brought him into contact with the
most fashionable circles. He spent the
day at court on the anniversary of the
queen s birth, when he not only contriycd
to rob the nobility present, but to cut oil
the diamond order of a Dobleman. He got
| it away from the palace without suspicion.
/ AS this was mn article Of too much value
to be disposed Of In England he sold 1t to
Dutch jew.
In 1875 the Russian Prince OrloH paid
| his first visit to England. The Empress
| Catherine had expressed her appreciation
Of his merits by presenting to him gold
| snuffbox set with brilliants This trophy,
/ which was said to be worth G30, 600, was
| fancied by harrington, and he determined
20 get it. One night at Coyent Garden
theater he took IL from the pocket of the
prince, but was caught before he left The
| box in which the nobleman was seated
and for the first time was arrested. In
court he told such pitiful and plausible
story that the judge was deceived, and in
consequence the prince declined to prose-
| cute him His release followed, but he
! left the courtroom ruined man socially.
| Cut by his former intimates he sank rap
| Idly and in year was yirtuallya common
| thief. Finally he was caught fairly and
was sentenced to seven years transporta-
| ton to the Australian penal settlements.
During the voyage TO Port jackson in
! 1891 he rendered great service on the COR
Wet ship by assisting in the quelling of a
mutiny. This reward was a ticket Of leave
as soon as the colony was reached. As a
convict prisoner ovcrseer heproyed SO hon
est and jealous that he received govern
mont grant Of land on the Parametta riv-
err, the stream where Trickctt and other
Australian oarsmen made records years
after he was dead and forgotten. He re-
tanned place as convict oyerscer until his
death in 1911.
His ticket of leave expired, and he found
himself rich and free man, but he de-
clined to return TO England. There be
had been q common malefactor. In Aus
tralia he was potcntate in small way,
so lie remained a potentnte to the end. He
! is remembered today because Of two lines
in the prologue which he wrote for the
opening Of the first theator in Australia:
True patriots VIC, for, be 1t understood,
We left our country for our country's good.
Even those lines arc remembered better
than their author. New York sun.
Gavfuo Thar lives.