The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-15
>MirJie N2Mgies



1t would be interesting to know If, when
the Earl of Airlie was killed in South
Africa recently, the 'Airlie music" was
heard at his family seat of Cortachv
Castle When any misfortune is about
to happen to the head of the house of
Og1lvy the sound of music, played by
unseen hands. is heard before Cortachv
Castle. For centuries the ghostly mu-
s1cians have given their warning of dis
aster to the family At the time Of the
death of the lato earl's father, all the
people In the castle testified to hearing
the music. 1t was a dreary evening in
September; the family was absent The
| housekeeper, who was of practical turn
of mind, and not in the least magma
tive, heard what she took to be a Ger
| man band playing before the front en-
trance, and. turning to a maid-who also
heard the sounds-bade her go to the
kitchen and prepare some cocoa for the
players. While she herself, taking a shil-
| ling in her hand, went to the door in
tending to pay them for their tunes and
send them round to the back for refresh
ment.
But the gravel sweep before the door
was tenantless. Had those German
bandsmen gone around TO the kitchen
! of their own accord? They were nowhere
to be seen down the long approach, nor
to the right or left. The housekeeper
stepped off to the back. The men We're
not there. The girl had poured out the
steaming cocoa, when suddenly the old
tradition rushed upon the Women's minds.
Was it THE Airlie Music?" The cocoa
remained unqualified; the shilling was still
in the housekeeper's hand. A sort of hor-
ror fell upon the whole households hor-
ror which was deepened when they heard
that their master, the eighth earl of
Airlie, had died that September 25 1881.
The story of the "Airlie Music" is this,
| according to the New York Press:
In olden days drummer used to play
for the Bonnie House O. Airlie. For
| some reason or other he incurred the an
ger of his master, and he was punished
| after the savage fashion of those far-off
barbarous days. He was tied up in his
| drum and flung from the high tower. AS
| he appealed in vain for mercy, he threat
ened that IL he were killed his ghost
would haunt the family forever, and that
| after he had sounded the last post there
| would always come a death in the fam
lily.
Story after story Is told to prove that
| the dead drummer has kept his word.
| In 1845, it is said that one of the women
| guests at the castle, while she was dress
( ing for dinner, heard the tattoo beaten
| below her window She listened in sur
| prise for she did not believe that there
| were any, bandsmen at the castle and
| when she came down stadrs-ignorant of
| the family legend-she mentioned her ex-
| perience. who is It," she asked, who
| plays the drum so skillfully outside the
! castle?" Lord Airlie grew pale, and
| every Ogilvy at the table showed similar
| signs of horror.
| Not many years later a young English
| man who was shooting with Lord Og1lvy,
the eldest son of the house, lost his way,
| and wandered over the dark moor for
| hours. Suddenly he heard coming across
| the loneliness and silence the long roll Of
| a drum When he finally reached the
| shooting box he told Lord Ogilvy of what
| he had heard. His lordship was much
| disturbed. Within week his father, the
| earl was dead.
The story of the family of the Earl of
| Airlie reads more like romance than real
! ity The title and lands of the family
date back to the twelfth century, If not
| earlier. For successive generations the
| head Of the family followed the fortunes
of the house Of Stuart to death, exile,
confisca ton, and then, finally, doing
| military service on almost every battle
| field of the continent One of the Ogilvys
| was taken prisoner in the Civil war, and
escaped by the aid of his devoted sister,
| who exchanged clothes with him. An
| OgilYy raised a regiment for Charles l.,
! and, 100 years later, another Ogflvy per-
formed the same service for Bonnie
| Prince Charlie. After Culloden, Lord
Ogilvy was declared guilty of treason;
| he fed to Norway, and then to Sweden,
| and finally reached the court of King
Louis, there to swell the number Of gal
| liant chieftains-Irish and Scotch-Who
had lost all in fighting for the Stuarts.
| In time he was pardoned and returned
home 1t is curious that Napoleon, when
he came to power, offered to pay the ar
| rears of salary due to the gallant fellow
| from the days of the monarchy; but the
| offer was refused. ~
A well known Scottish ballad, breathing
| defiance. courage and pride, is called the
Bonnie House of Airlie." Lord Airlie.
| dark in hair, dark in complexion, was a
fitting representative of the gallant race
| of the Oglivies and 1t was becoming that
| he should die leading cavalry charge
| aft the head of his men. He was only
As years old, in the very prime of life.
His brother, Lyulph Ogilvy, is farmer
| ont West in America. The two eldest sis
| ters, now Lady Blanche Hozier and LAZY
Clementina Milford. married convention
| ally enough, but Lady Maude Whyte mas
| roughed It considerably in Colorado with
| her husband, and Lady Griselda Chea2e
| did not marry until she had spent several
years as a hospital nurse, shrinking from
| nothing in the way of duty.
| The Earl of Airlie began his military
! career in the Tenth HuSsars. the Prince
| of Wales regiment, and had his first ex-
| perience of active service as a hussar
officer in the Afghan war. He was ad-
| jutant of the regiment when it was sent
! to Egypt under Wolseley. In the Gordon