The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-09-04
GAME FOR BIG STAKE
MARY DALzIEL. WIFE OF A
SCOTTISH PEER,
Gho Was Notorious In Her Day Be
cause of Her Efforts 10 Obtain a Lost
Title = Case Now In the English
Courts. V

Glass viscount is what John Gordon,
an English schoolmaster, is now striv-
ing for in the British House of Lords.
The story he tells dates back to the
early part of the eighteenth century
and is one of great interest.
When the "Old Pretender," the IA
Their Of Bonnie Prince Charlie" made
his futile landing in Scotland in IT'S
among those who Joined the royal
standard Of the Stuarts was the Wis
count Of Kenmure. He was taken, with
many other knights and gentlemen,
and left his head on Tower Hill to
furnish an ornament for Temple Bar.
Now John Gordon, schoolmaster, tells
the following tale in his memorial to
the House of Lords. The Scottish peer
who laid down his life for the exiled.
race left two sons, both Of whom died
unmarried. He also left widow, and
this widow looms large and lurid in
the story. She was born Mary Dalziel,
and was strong, masterful and beau
tiful woman. Soon after her lords
death she married a stalwart footman
Of her retinue. one John Lumsden.
The brother of the headless Wis
count, John Gordon. had succeeded
upon the decapitation Of Mary Dali
ziel's husband. TO the titles and estates
and lived at Kenmure Castle. The
widow tried in various ways to GUST
John from his heritage, and failing to
convince him by argument Of the error
Of his ways, she proceeded to business.
One night, when she was paying
family overnight visit to her loving
brother-in-law, she set fire TO the cas-
tie. John, with his wife and child,
slept that night in the great Ballot
tower of the castle. The fire broke
out in the middle of the night, but,
thanks to the vigilance Of the servants,
which was always a necessary ac-
compartment to one Of her ladyship's
visits, it was extinguished before it
had done much harm. The next
morning a box containing deeds and
other papers, which the viscount care
lessly had neglected to take with him
to the Ballot tower, was missing. Ser
wants reported that they had seen
Mary Dalziel steal the box, but she
swore that it had been burned in the
fire. To be safer, the viscount de-
cided to visit Paris. One night, in a
lonely part Of the city he was attacked
by two masked men. Being a skilled
! swordsman, he killed both of them
They were bravoes, sent by Mary Dali
ziel to murder him. That lively lady.
after sending them, had crossed the
channel and ridden hard night and
day to the French capital with the
hope Of being in time to be present
at her brother-in-law's funeral. Dis
appointed in this, she made charges of
fraud against him. Her wit, her
beauty, her strength of character and
the fact that she was the widow OF a
man who had died for the Stuarts
while John Gordon had not drawn a
sword in defense of the race with
which were the sympathies of France,
gave to her great advantage over
the bedeviled John, and he was cast
into prison. She managed to keep
him there for eleven years. Finally
he was liberated and returned to
Scotland.
A great feast was given at the castle
in honor of his return and there ap-
peared among the guests Mary Dali
ziel. She made elaborate explanations
to her brother-in-law. She had made
that hard ride to Paris to warn him,
not to be in at his death. She had
been ill-advised when she consented to
his being placed in prison, and now
let bygones be bygones and the family
live in amity. She raised a glass of
wine and pledged her brother-in-law
to the new pact. Like a gallant man
he accepted her overtures of peace and
drank with her. Then, with staring
eyes, he looked at her and fell dead
Mary Dalziel had conquered him at
last. His wine had been poisoned by
a bribed servant. Mary Dalziel at
once seized the castle, asserting that
she had bought it of the dead viseount,
and stifed, in the various ways in
which she was so well skilled, all at
tempts to investigate the viscount's
death. John Gordon left two sons,
One, William, concluded to put the
ocean between himself and his loving
aunt, and fled to America, where he
was drowned while boating. The 9TH
er son, James. made some feeble at
tempts to regain his pa5rimony, but
various parts of the estate belonging
to his father were seized upon at his
death by eonnivance OF Mary Dalziel
and the combination proved too strong
for James. So he gave up the fight
and vanished into obscurity.
Meantime the children of Mary Dali
Eiel and the footman Lumsden had
assumed the name of Gordon, and the
eldest boy Of them took to himself the
title of Viscount of Kenmure. He died
in 1910, and was succeeded by his
nephew, Adam Gordon, the last to
Dear the title of Viscount Kenmure.
In 1S47 the plaintiffs grandfather be-
gan to move in the matter of getting
the title and estates. claiming to be
the descendant of the man who was
poisoned by Mary Dalziel and the
nearest male heir to the man who was
beheaded on Tower Hill. At present