The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-03-28
THE NEW AMERICAN DUKE .
MARYLAND CLAIMANT OF THE
DUKEDOM OF NEWCASTLE.
Old Story of Love Stronger Than Rich
Bride Causes Family Disruption.

William AlgernOn Percy of vienna.
Dorchester county, Maryland, claims
to be the rightful heir of the title and
estates of the late Duke of Northum-
berand, who died in England a few
weeks ago and was buried with his
ancestors in the historic tomb of the
Percies in Westminster abbey. William
Algernon Percy claims his great-grand-
father, George Percy eldest son of the
then Duke of Northumberland, came
to America and was married to Miss
Alsquith of Baltimore. American
wives were not so popular in England
then as now, and when he returned to
his home with his bride his family re-
fused to recognize him. But he loved
her more than titles and estates, so he
shook the soil of his ancestral acres
from his shoes and returned to Dor
chester county where he settled upon
a plantation and lived happily after,
leaving two sons, the Oldest of whom
was the grandfather of William AL
gernon Percy, who now claims the
dukedom.
James SmithsOn foL lder of the old
Smithsonian Institution, was a cousin
of the grandfather of Mr. Percy. He
was born out of wedlOck, or otherwise
would have become the Duke of North
CUMBERLAND 1t was the refusal of his
family to recognize him that induced
him to leave his money to the govern
fusion of knowledge. When he was
baby his father sent him across the sea
to silence a scandal and let people for
get his youthful indiscretion.
The late Duke of Northumberland
was one of the highest and richest dig
nitaries in Great Britain and lived like
feudal lord in Alnwick castle, in the
county of northumberland. He owned
1S6,400 acres in that county, Yorkshire
and Surrey. He was a very eccentric
man in many respects, particularly in
his religious views. He believed in the
second coming of Christ. and there was
always a plate and a chair at the ia
BILE reserved for the Savior even at
state banquets and grand dinners, in
case He should suddenly make His APP
pearance. He was also a vegetarian,
and no morsel of flesh passed his lips
for more than thirty years before his
death.
Another of his peculiarities which
caused a great deal of trouble was a
feeling of responsibility for the moral
| character and habits of his future SOW
ereign. For years he had taken the
trouble to warn people against the
| Prince of Wales. both by letter and by
personal interviews. He even went so
far as to obtain an audience with the
queen for the purpose of reporting to
her majesty the immoral conduct OF
her eldest son and heir, and 1t must
| have been a very interesting interview
He denounced the Prince of Wales in
public again and again as lost
soul" "a son of perdition," "as unfit
| to succeed her Christian majesty, his
mother" and seldom appeared in the
house of lords for the last thirty years
without making a speech upon his ia
| Vorite topic.
Nevertheless, the dukes lofty ideas
| of morality did not prevent him from
| cheating the government out of the
! legacy dues which are collected upon
all hereditary estates and requests by
will. The tax is graduated from l per
cent on small amounts to per cent on
properties exceeding $5,000,000. The re-
ceipts of the public treasury amount
annually to nearly $50, 100000 from this
| source, at least half as much as are re-
! ceived from customs, and even more
than the income tax annually amounts
! to- AS the Duke of northumberland
was worth not less than $50, 1000, 900 and
! probably a great deal more, the tax
| upon his estates would have been at
! least 81, 400, 000 and, in order to avoid
! it's payment, some time before his de-
mise he sold his entire property-lands
mines, houses, barns, mortgages, jew
els and everything else-to his eldest
son for an annuity to be paid quarter
ly to his bankers during the rest of his
| life. There is a strong disposition on
the part of the government to fight
the greatest of the feudal families for
refusing to pay death duties, but the
| ministry is now in negotiation with the
heir for a friendly settlement If Will
liam Algernon Percy of Vienna, Dor
chester county, Maryland, should con-
test the estate he might add to the in
| tereSt of the proceedings.