Sunday morning globe., 1901-08-18
BRITISH PEERS
Block
OTHERS HANGED At TYBURN.
The Recent Trial OF Earl Russell and His Fake
Sentence Has Caused a Retrospective Glance
at Similar Trials Before Tho High and Mighty
House Of Gods OF Lords as These Sinking
EngIlshm5n Call Themselves


Extraordinary interest was taken In
the trial of Earl Russell by his peers,
on a charge of bigamy. This interest
extended to the United States, for it
was in this country that Earl Russell
comitted the act which brought him
before the House Of Lords on a serious
charge. 1t will be remembered that
Earl Russell left his Countess i'm Lon
don and came to this country, obtained
an American divorce, and married a
Western woman The English courts
did not recognize the validity Of the
divorce, and when the Earl returned
with his American wife the Countess
Russell made trouble. IL was given
out that the Earl would make a fight,
and as the proceedings were to be pub
hc, society was all on tender hooks In
anticipation of a sweet mOrsel Of scan
dal. The trial took place in the Royal
Gallery, but the Earl Bappointed the
public by pleading gui Ky and was SEN
fenced to three months imprisonment.
There was a general social desire in
England that Earl Russell should re-
ceive a sentence of the 'nOt-guilty-but-
dO-not-dO-it-again' type. Lord Russell
bears a name which is peculiarly hon
Ored by the British people indeed, oW-
ing to the early and premature death
of his father. a man Of remarkable at
taiuments and unblemished character,
he Is only second holder Of the earl
dom bestowed on the great statesman
who was for so many decades affection
atsly known to his fellOw-cOuntrymen
and countrywomen as Lord john
the prime minister
It is not often i'm these days that a
peer is brought mp for trial. Such
events used to be more common when
attainder for treason was frequent
And there have been many notable
cases of that kind, as well as few OF
q very different character. But of all
the trials of peers by their peers for
an oGense against the laws the closest
parallel to the Russell case is that Of
Elizabeth. Duchess Of Kingston, who
appear ed before the House Of Lords In
l776 To- answer to a charge Of bigamy
As Elizabeth Chudleigh she secretly
married a Mr.. Heryey who left her af-
ter two days. Believing herself di-
vOrced by the Ecclesiastical courts, she
married the Duke Of Kingston, and
was brought TO trial by his relatives,
who desired to intercept her inheri-
tanCe. In the end, every peer, from
the youngest baron to his Royal High
ness the Duke Of Cumberland, gave i'm
q verdict of Guilty, upon my honor
| The Duchess thereupOn pleaded the
benefit of the peerage according to the
81 ttutes. and after a long debate was
dis,Lal eed ON payment of her fees.
In "a trial lilyo that Of Simon Fraser.
Lord LOyat, on a charge of high trea-
son, the House Of Commons intervenes.
| The lower House, having impeaChed
! Fraser sent a message to their Lord
ships to demand his trial. lt lasted
SO zen days, i'm the presence of a crowd
| ed house. Lord Chancellor Hardwicke
acting 6s Lord High Steward Lord
! LOvat was beheaded on April 9, l747.
! Iie was ninth Earl of the name, and
| unless history does him great injustice
| he richly deserved execution many
| years before it came
Lawrence, Earl Ferrers, was not al
! lOAed TCvat's privilege Of being inter
| viewed by the headsman. Ferrers was
| executed by the hangman, like a com
| mon malefaCtOr, for the brutal muir
| der OF his steward Mr.. Johnson, I'm
| 1860 FcIrers tried to make Johnson
| serve his interests at the expense Of
] Lady terrers, and finding him honest
! conceived a Geadly hatred Of the man
| lac had made an obstacle In his own
| path Having lured him to an appoint
| ment I'm a lonely house. Ferrers locked
| the door and shot him down i'm cold
| blood
The last trial I'm the House Of Lords
was that Of Lord Cardigan, in lS4l, for
| shooting brother officer i'm a duel
| Cardigan (WhO I'm after years led the
| charge Of tho Light Brigade at Bala-
! klava) had spent $l5O,OOU to procure
! his Lasty pron Otion I'm the army. He
| considered ne could do what he Rked
with the regiment he had bought, and
| az a public dinner sent an insulting
message to one Of his officers A fatal
! duel was the result, and Cardigan was
| tried for murCer, but acquitted by the
! House Of Peers.
The Lord Loyat referred to i'm the
foregoing had little hope of succeeding
to the Fraser estates. byt he had as
siduously cultivated the good will Of
the Highland elan Of the Frasers, and
| influence with a clan sometimes super
ceded hereditary descent His first ad-
| venture was an effort TO get fOrcible
| possession Of the person of the young
sister OF the late Lord, who had more
legal claim as heiress TO the estate.
Bafled in this, he seized on the widow
Of the late Lord and compelled her TO
| marry him Twice he was compelled
20 fee from the country. But he was
still the darling of his clan, and on the
breaking ont Of the insurrectiOn Of
1915 they sent an ambassador TO
France to bring him over What fol
lows Is remarkable, as showing that
the Highland leaders were led by the
politics Of their chief, not by their own
convictions The holder Of the estates
having Joined the insurrection, Simon
found II his interest to take the Gov
eminent side His clan at once left
the Insurgents; and for that COED serv-
fee he was invested with his estates not
only by vote of the clan but by law.
Ills life for the ensuing 30 years was
active with intrigues. In the insurrec-
ton of l745 he tried TO play a double
a