Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-03-12
THE LAST HILTON.
BY CHARLES b. W

Inor6 having Deen u great zeal OF gossip
in the town of Wentworth and the country
about In regard to my strange find of mon
ey and the amount thereof, and the news
papers having said much that was true
and untrue in the same connection, / have
determined to write a plain story and set
forth the facts in the case.
In the first place, ! must tell you that
my name is Hilton-George Hilton-and
that I am the last of my race. There is
not In all this world another Hilton-man,
woman Or child-who car claim to be de-
secluded from Sir Hugh Hilton of the
Cedars. You have many times found the
name of that gallant old knight on the
pages Of England's history. and never has
a line been recorded to his shame. He was
a brave warrior and u good citizen, and
peace to his ashes. The Hiltons were not
a long lived race and after the year 1880
there were so many bachelors and spinsters
among them that dust began to ccumu-
late on the name. My grandfather was an
only child, my father the same, and when
l was born into the world there were but
three Hiltons left. Death soon removed
my parents and / was then the last of my
race. l should be proud to speak of my
father and grandfather as history has
spoken of those who came before them,
but candor compels Inc to say that the
quality of the blood had degencrated when
1t reached them. l have been told that
this might have been expected, as the Hill
IONS were u race Of high livcrs and a roy
stering lot, but l feel it II smirch on the
family escutchcon just the same. 70 be
Dpv,act thar ,Nyy uva utlfuthor xuac n t,,rn,,
over his tenants, disliked by the public and
go miserly in his habits that it was said
he did not live out his allotted years for
the want of proper food. When l came to
the age of understanding, they told me
pretty much the same story about my ia
ther, much to my shame and sorrow. 1t
was necessary, however, to tell some sort
of story. At the age of IL I was all orphan
and almost penniless. There was the big
stone house and the 20 acres of land which
had been held by the Hiltons for 300 years,
but there was no money. People figured
up the income and oqtgo of my father and
grandfather and said l ought to be in pos
session Of at least Flo, 900, but not E5 in
good and lawful money was found in the
house when my father died.
The will of my father, by which l was
left all, was brief and concise, but con-
tanned q curious sentence. 1t was to the
effect that on my twenty-firs birthday I
should take possession Of the house, and,
standing at the foot of the cellar stairs,
with my face to the east, should count
one and three and take two" My solicitor
and guardian was an old man and not a
very keen one. He thought this clause
might have reference to money, and he
visited the cellar to see what he could
make out. II he had any hopes, he was
disappointed. The matter might have gone
further, but 1t was a time of great public
excitement, the old maj had troubles on
hand, and SO in II way and another the
will was laid away, and l WAS turned out
into the world to get my living ms l might.
Nobody wanted to live in tho big house,
which was gloomy and i'll arranged, and
the little income was only big enough to
pay the taxes. If 1t could have been legally
arranged for me to sell the grounds, it wa
not done, and after living with Il farmer
for a few months / cut loose and started
out to see the world. l had been fairly
educated in the lower branches, and this
was a help to me in knocking about. For
two years I managed to live y way and
another and then went to sea from the
port Of Liverpool. Returning after six
months, / blacked boots and sold newspa-
pers in the streets Of London, got tempo
rary employment at various inns, turned
f1shmonger and fakir, and at the age Of II
the last of the Hiltons was a lad lot. l
had many vices and few virtues. A years
cruise on q man-of-war did not help my
moral character any, and it Is with shame
! admit that all my associations were evil.
! did have pride enough, rs tho last Of my
race, to change my name and to conceal
the fact that ! was descended from men
who had made history for England, but !
was perfectly willing to drift along with
the world and take the wicked side Of it.
Soon after my eighteenth birthday l at
tended the races in company with several
boon companions. That night we played
cards and drank at a room In a public
house, and a stranger was assaulted and
robbed. 1t was proved on the trial that I
was drunk and asleep at the time, but as
I was one of the party who committed the
offense I was held as an accessory and
given O sentence Of five years in prison.
have been frank to admit my failures, and
1t Is only just that you should believe me
when l say that my sentence was an out
rage. I knew nothing whatever Of the
plan to rob, did not share in the spells and
was exonerated by all my companions. l
had been a cheat and sharper, but had
never resorted to robbery or other serious
crime. Guilty or not guilty, I went to
prison just the same, and I am ready to
admit today that it was the best thing
that could have happened to me. I had to
settle down to work and q steady routine,
and by and by my conscience began to
awaken and my sense Of shame to return.
When ! had had time to come to myself, as
IL were, ! made q solemn resolution to
my courseof life, and 30 exemplary
was my behavior that after about three
years ! received d full pardon and one day
was set at liberty. Until this day came /
had scarcely thought Of the old stone house
down at Wentworth. ! had an undefned
plan that after reaching my majority I
would sell the place for what u would
bring, but I had never been back since
1t, nor had ! heard . word from
the solicitor OF met a resident Of the town.
Under the English law, as 1t whs then, the
warden gave each discharged prisoner
money enough to pay his fare 100 miles.
was just 100 miles away, and
! stage was to start In that direction with
In an hour after my release. These and
other things influenced me to head that
way. After getting fairly started on the
Journey I had longing 10 ~ the old place
again and thus became quite satiaded with
mysstf. Having LETT the town : mere lad,