The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-06-04
EXILE SUCCEEDS
TO AN EARLD0M.

Lord Strafford's tragic death. through be-
ing ground TO pieces under the wheels
OF an express train. win have the effect
OF converting into . peer OF the realm a
dignitary Of the church, popularity known
as Poodle" Byng, and who was obliged to
leave England in q great hurry under .
particularly dark cloud In ISIS. when ne
was en- the point OF being elevated TO q
btshopric. He was at the time chaplain to
the speaker. and as such presided over
the daily devotions Of the house OF COM
mons when in session. He was likewise
chaplain to the queen and the principal &C.
cleefastical dignitary OF the Grand lodge
Of Masonry in England
The scandal in which he became involved
related to cards. and was of such char.
acter as to compel him, not only to resign
his chapiaincies to the queen and TO tho
house of commons, his lucrative rectorship
In South Kensington. and his connection
with the craft Of Freemasons. but also to
fly the country. from which he has since
been an exile leaving behind him an en-.
tirely ruined family.
The latter has been provided for since
his flight and ruin mainly by his eldest
daughter. Rachel, a handsome girl. with
fine. dark eyes and q very Intelligent ex.
preston. She started small atelier In
lower Belgrave street, for embroidery and
for the once celebrated, but. until her re.
yival thereof, almost lost art of ribbon
work." Many are the court trains and
ball dresses that have been embroidered
and adorned by Rachel Byng. and. unlike
most of the aristocrats who have taken to
trade for living. she has done so well
that few weeks ago she transferred her
shop to more spacious quarters.
In view of her fathers obligations to his
numerous creditors. It is difficult to say to
what extent her financial position will be
benefited by. his accession to the title and
to the estate, which under ordinary cir.
cumstances yield an income of about $50 900
a year or over. But from what know Of
Lady Rachel Byng, as she must now be
styled. I should imagine that she would
adhere to the business which has brought
to her independence and even affluence.
No one who knew the late earl will be.
lieve for one moment that he really com.
mitted suicide. He has merely succumbed.
His being killed by a train was either due
to temporary insanity. as he was slightly
cratic in his ways. or to the fact that he
was overtaken by dizziness. perhaps in a
fit. In any case 1t constitutes another OF
the long number OF fatalities by which the
noble house OF Byng has been overtaken,
fatalities which. may be regarded as cosifl.
terbalancing, in a measure, the exttaofdl-
nary favors which for the 1att 10 years. Il
has enjoyed at court. One Of It's fi1ef1b&r1
was smothered In the Black Hole at Cal.
cutta; another one Admiral the Honorable
Sir John Byng, was contaminated for
cowardice and shot at Portsmouth. In
more recent times we have the tragic
death Of the two sons Of the late earl with
in a short distance OF each other, the
elder son mysteriously disappearing from
a ship during trip home from the Cape
with his father, the presumption being
that he either threw himself overheard or
else in some way fell into the sea, which
was perfectly calm at the time. In fact
identically the same doubt prevails with
regard to the question as to whether his
death was a case Of suicide or not as ex.
lists in the case Of his father, the late earl,
The American widow Of the earl will be
expected to remain in England for the
next twelve. or, at any rate, nine months
There Is no law to this effect, but the ell.
quette on the subject Is very strict. and
until this period of nine months has
elapsed there can be no bona fide success.
sion Of the Rev. Poodle Byng to the
earldom. True. he may be accorded the
title by courtesy, and while his daughters
WILL IN the same manner, be conceded the
prefix OF LADY" to their Christian names,
none OF them will have any right thereto
until the nine months have elapsed. and 1t
has been definitely shown that the Wild
o"cu cVuilteSS mas gwen plTtn 10 no posi-
humous son TO her dead husband
How strict the rules are In regard 10 this
may be gathered from the fact that the
late Earl OF Derby died without issue, and
full ten months elapsed before his brother
and successor was permitted to sit and
vote in the house Of lords as Earl Of Der
by. Yet the widowed Countess OF Derby.
who ia the stepmother Of Lord Salisbury.
was at the time nearer 50 than 20 years Of
age.