The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-01-24

LONDON, Jan. 23-William Henry,
Earl Poulett, died in this city yesterday
in his seventy second year. It is prob
able that the succession to the title
and estates will be disputed.
The deceased Earl was thrice mar
ried. According to gossip he made a.
wager, when a harum-scarum youth
and travelling about. that he would
marry the first woman he met on land
ing in England. Accordingly, at Port
Sea, in 1S49, he married Miss Elizabeth
Virginia Newman, daughter of a land
port pilot. Within a few months she
gave birth to a. son whose paternity her
husband denied. The couple from that
time lived apart, the wife dying in Au-
gust. 1871. The child, who now calls
himself Viscount Hinton, and claims
the succession, has long been living on
the streets of London as an organ
grinder, and his pretensions were al
ways sternly repudiated by the de-
ceased Earl.
About six weeks after the death of
his first wife, Lord Poulett married
Miss Emma Sophia Johnson, who died
in 1876 without issue surviving in
1879 he married Miss Rosa de Melville
daughter of Alfred Hugh de Melville
and their son is generally recognized as
the rightful heir
The long standing quarrel between
the late Earl Pou1ett and the organ
grinding Viscount has furnished the
material for many a London sensation.
Only month ago the claimant to the
succession issued an appeal to the pub
lie to take philanthropic interest in
the condition of the poor, among whom
he has lived and earned his living. He
prefaced it with a brief Biographical
statement, which is interesting just
now as likely to form the basis of i'm
portant litigation between him and the
son of the late Earl by his third wife.
In the course of the appeal, the noble
organ grinder" as he is known in Lon
don, said:
Il am Viscount Hinton, William Tur-
nour Thomas Poulett, eldest son of Earl
Poulett of Hinton. ST. George, Somer-
set. On the death of the present Earl,
against whom I had no enmity what
ever, expect to inherit Hinton, st.
George, still magnificent domain Of
10000 acres. The estate is worth flo.-
SW per annum, which shall some time
enjoy.
Il am now learning a phase of life
among the London populace which I
believe few members of the nobility
have had a chance to know When I
take my seat ia the House of Lords, I
think | shall come equipped with a bet
ter understanding of it's duties toward
the public than had squandered pat
rimony or idly wasted an inheritance.
As one of the thousand or more organ
grinders in London, I should say that
the proper housing of the poor was
more important just now than the null
tiplication Of warships or the adoption
of new races of men,
The Earl Poulett conscie.ltiously in
vclved himself in debt, sold every fam
lily possession he could sell, and mort
gagged the remainder up to the limit. in
order that ''the noble organ grinder. :,
in the event of ultimate succession to
the title and entailed estates, might
benefit as little as possible. At one
time the courts refused him certificate
of discharge in bankruptcy, on. the
ground of unjustifiable extravaganza
in living. He made no secret of the
reason for his prodigality
The old Earl's hatred for him. whom
he called the imposter,'' was intense,
and his animosity extended to the wife
of the claimant, who has invariably
accompanied him with the piano in the
streets of London. Some years ago the
claimant and his wife were in the habit
of taking the organ each day to a po-
sltion in front of the EarPs town resi-
dence, at 90 Queens Gate, and play
ing airs, which, whether the organ
grinder intended it or not, had a pc
culiarly maddening effect upon the
Earl
Lord Poulett died uncertain as to
what would be the outcome of his life
long efforts to defeat the aspirations
OF Elizabeth Newmans son. The child
was born in wedlock. and the claim
ants legal advisers have all along as
sured him that his claim to succession
cannot be defeated