Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-05-25
May BE AN EARL.
Possible Scion Of a Noble Family in
the Penitentiary at Toledo,
Ohio.
Identity Revealed by a Letter Ad-
dressed to Him at Grafton, as
Titled.

Toledo, O., May 23.-When John
OGrady, sent to the penitentiary for
one year for larceny in Toledo, was
received at the penitentiary today and
searched, letter was found addressed
to Sir Ralph Vermilye, Grafton, N. D.
At first not very much attention was
given to the letter, but his peculiar ac-
tlons aroused considerable suspicion,
and he was closely questioned. The
penitentiary officials inquired carefully
as to his crime, and found that it con-
sisted of robbing a man when he was
asleep, and besides that, several other
crimes of more or less serious char
acter were laid at his door, although
no effort was made to prove any Of
them. for the reason that it was found
very easy to convict him of the offense
charged against him when the case
came to trial.
The letter which attracted attention
to OGrady as a possible scion of no.
bility was mailed from Vienna, Aus
tria, Sept. 2S, 1899, and was signed
Herbert G. Pervis, II Southampton
street, London, England. 1t referred
to a number of shortcomings by infer
ence and indiscretions in which Sir
Ralph, the letter said, had been impli-
Gated, but expressed hope that his
last serious difficulty could be straight
ened up so he might return to his fam
lily, who had felt very much disgraced,
as we'll as very much exercised over
las future. 1t also referred to draft
for $3.50 previously sent to Sir Ralph,
and also of the collection of number
of rents, evidently coming from his es-
tates, which led the Investigators to
believe that he was an eldest son and
possessed of estates that are being
looked after by solicitpus relatives.
Another statement in the same let
ter is to the effect that the victim of
Sir Ralph's rash act is rapidly recov-
ering and that he (Pervis) thought by
careful strategy he might upon his re-
turn to London secure the mans par
don from the crown, as there had been
some extenuating circumstances which
had not appeared when the crime was
first committed. O'Grady, in burst
OF confidence, had told the sheriff that
he owned a large tract of land by in
heritance in Van Diemen's land and
that in an alteration over some affair
the subject of which he declined to
divulge he had shot an English col
onel and then found it necessary to
get out of the country. He had ac-
cordingly gathered together what
funds he could secure on short notice
and sailed for America. He admitted
it is alleged, that he had kept carefully
under cover in the Dakotas for some
time, but found life too slow and not
to his liking in the wild and woolly
west, so he determined to come east
He went to Chicago, where, it is init
mated, he got into some trouble and
concluded he had better come farther
east.
The man at times shuts up like a
clam and refuses to discuss himself or
his condition or antecedents, and again
when approached by some one who
goes at him in manner that intimates
he is being treated as an equal and
not as criminal he is inclined to be
somewhat communicative. He says
he has squandered over 10000 since
he came to America in the worst sort
of riotous living, and intimates that
he does not expect to have reformed
very much after his year in the Ohio
penitentiary. There is no question
apparently that he is of noble blood,
but the taint of heredity or some other
cause has created in him an irrepres-
sible desire to commit crime. If he
runs short of money he resorts to al
most anything to secure it and appears
0bllvlous to consequences.