The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1898-10-07


between Sir George Marston and Colo
mel Merridew; there may still be u
venerable lawyer or two who recollect
the celebrated case of Morridew versus
Marston. With these exceptions the
story probably survives only in the two
families interested in the matter and in
the neighborhood where both the gon.
tlemen concerned lived and where their
successors flourish TO this day. The
whole affair." of which the duel was the
first stage and the lawsuit the second.
arose out of the disappearance of the
Indianapolis rubies. Sir George and tho
colonel had both spent many years i'll
India, Sir George occupying various i'm
portant positions in the company's serv-
ice, the colonel seeking fortune on his
own account. Chance had brought them
together at the court of the maharajah
Of Nuggetabad, and they had struck up
"a friendship, tempered by jealousy. The
maharajah favored both We Merridews
maintained that Uncle John was the
first favorite, but the Marstons declared
that Sir George beat him, and ! am
bound to admit that they had plausi.
] bic ground for their contention, since.
when both gentlemen were returning to
England, the maharajah presented to
Sir George the six magnificent stones
which became famous as the mahara-
jah rubies while Uncle John had TO
content himself with a couple of fine
diamonds. The maharaiah could not
have expressed his preference more sig.
niticantly. Both his friends were pas.
sionate lovers of jewels and understood
very well the value of their respective
presents. Uncle John faced the situa.
ton boldly and declared that he had re.
fused the rubies. We, his family, duti-
fully accepted his version and were in
the habit of laying great stress on his
oonscientlousness. The Marstons treated
this tradition of ours with open incre-
dullty. Whatever the truth was, the
maharalah's action produced no imme.
date breach between the colonel and
Sir George. They left the court togeth-
er, arrived together at the port of Cal
cutta and came home together round
the Cape. The trouble began only when
Sir George discovered, at the moment
he was leaving the ship, that he had
lost the rubies By this time Uncle
John, who had disembarked few hours
earlier, was already at home displaying
his diamonds to the relatives who had
assembled to greet him.
Into the midst of this family gathering
there burst the next day the angry form
of Sir George Marston. He had driven
posthaste to his own house, which Law
some ten miles from the colonel's, and !
had now ridden over at gallop, and
there, before the whole company, he |
charged Uncle John with having stolen
the maharajah's rubies. The colonel, he
said, was the only man on board who |
knew that he had the rubies or where |
the rubies were and the only man who |
had enjoyed constant and unrestricted |
access to the cabin in which they were
hidden. Moreover, so Sir George de-
clared, the colonel loved jewels more
than honor, honesty or salvation The
coloneIs answer was a cut with his
riding whip. A challenge followed
from Sir George, The duel was fought,
and Sir George got ball in his arm.
As soon US he was well my uncle, who
'''''a bNNh Niio NAAhllbllSth party III lllb
first encounter, saw his seconds to ar
range another meeting. The cut with
the whip disposed of, the accusation re-
NAMED But Sir George refused to 90
out, declaring that the dock and not the
field Of honor was the proper place for
Colonel Merridew Uncle John, being
denied the remedy of gentleman, car.
rled the case into the courts, although
not into the court which Sir George had
indicated.
An action of Islander was entered and
tried. Uncle John filled town and coun-
try with his complaints. He implored
all and sundry to search him, to search
his house, TO search his park--to search
everything searchable. A number of
gentlemen formed themselves into "a
jury and did as he asked Uncle John
himself superintendent their labors No
trace of the rubies was found. Sir
George was unConvinoed, the action
went on, the jury gave the colonel Co.
600, the colonel gave the money to
charity, and Sir George Marston, mount
ing his horse outside Westminster hall,
loudly:
By -, he stole them all the
samep'
With this the story ended for the
outer world People were puzzled for
awhile and then forgot the whole affair,
but the Marstons did not forget it and
would not be consoled for the loss of
heir rubies. Neither did we, the Mer-
ridews, forget. We were very proud Of
our family honor, and we made point
If being proud of the colonel also in
ipite of certain dubious stories which
lung about his name. The feud persist
ID in all its bitterness, We hurled soorn
Vt one another across the space that di-
'ided us, we were bitter opponents in {
vi public affairs and absolute strangers
when we met on private occasions My q
ather, who succeeded his uncle, the
olonel, was thoroughgoing adherent
# his predecessor. Sir Georges son,
Sir Matthew openly espoused his ia a
hnI Il 81