The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-29
THE HAMILTON SPECTRE.
The Premier Duke Claims 20 he
King of the Scots.


New York, Dec. H. The unostenta-
tious announcement of the approach
ing marriage of the thirteenth Duke OF
Hamilton, and more titles added than
any other British noble possesses, is
of interest as marking the low ebb to
which the fortunes of one of the great
est old world families has fallen.
OF all the great British mobiles the
present Duke of Hamilton is perhaps
the most unfortunate. In Hamilton
Palace he owns a dwelling fit for the
King himself, but ne is far too poor to
ever dream of residing in 1t. II the
rain can be kept out from dripping In
to destroy the splendid collection of
works of art that still adorn its dark
ened and silent halls, 1t will be all he
can do to uphold the family honor.
And this, strangely enough, while be-
meath the domain of Hamilton Park
and the adjoining Cadgow estate, lie
hundreds of thousands of pounds in
the rich seams of coal that the law of
entail has decreed must remain for
ever untouched by pick or shovel until
three living heirs to the dukedom OF
full age shall conformity give their
consent.
Thus he sits, as 1t were, in taboo,
with a great fortune beneath his feet,
not a penny of which may he touch to
fill an empty pocket
SO much for the legal mesh in which
his affairs are enveloped; but he is al
so trammeled by a claim; that in spite
of its visionary possibilities his pre-
decessors in the title have never relin-
pushed. 1t Is said that when a Duke
of Hamilton takes the oath of ale
glance to the King of England, he does
so only as the Duke OF Brandon in
that country; making a mental reser-
walton for himself as Duke of Hamil-
ton regarding the throne of Scotland;
for that lofty aim Is the one to which
the Dukes of Hamilton lay claims
through a rightful inheritance from the
Regent Arran.
In lieu OF keeping up a semi-royal
state the tenth Duke raised the inn
meT1se pile of Hamilton Palace. erected a
chateau overlooking the park to graf
ify the whm of fair lady. and lived
so far as wealth could command the
life of a prince. But for him even this
display of outward show did not SUI
flee. At the cost OF 100000 he built
a mausoleum in Hamilton Park, and in
silver collins relnterred the remains OF
all the previous Dukes, reserving for
himself sarcophagus from which he
had ungallantly elected the mummy of
a daughter Of one OF the Pharaohs.
The mummy may be seen within a
glass case in the palace. but therein
lies a story.
This tenth Duke had not long been
placed in his usurped casket before
rumor had II that the mausoleum was
haunted. At first. IL seems. IL was not
very clear what was amiss, except that
the massive sarccphasils was nv scmc
inexplicable agency moved. only an
niche or two. It is true, but moved new
ertheless from the exact spot on which
II had been placed. IL was returned TO
the spot on which II had first stood
only to be moved in the same manner
again. The keeper was discharged and
a new one appointed but still the sar-
cOphagus could not be kept on that
particular spot, at least so Il Is as
serted. But another manifestation was
not long In forthcoming. Shortly before
the death Of the eleventh Duke. the.
keeper Of the mausoleum Of that time
entered the building late one afternoon
and beheld a curlously robed female
ngure, bending over the sarcophagus.