The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-13
The AMERICAN ROXBURGHES.
CLAIMANTS HERE TO TIE TITLE
or MISS GOELETS FitNfE.
A,rong Evidence That y New York Boss
Truck man Is the Rlghtful Duke f
ReNburghc- Doesn't Care About II.
T,ough-LOnE Fight DIVER she Dukedom

branch oil the fanny Nfdi'u ny 'H" buno
of Roxburghe in Scotland. He comes
Of line that struggled for years to estab-
Ish it's right TO the duchv, and the Efforts
of hIs father to accomplish its end en-
listed for tour wears the services OF the
late Hamit on Fish WHO WIS a firm believer
in the Just ice Of the ker claim
Mr.. Fish failed o prove his case, and when
the House of Lords declared that he claim
ant had no right TO the title, Andrew ker
father Of Lewis. dest royed in u rage The
documents on which his case was based.
He destroyed al the same time all chance
of regaining the title the castles and the
rent rolls that attach to the Duchy oil
Roxburghe BIT the Hers Of New YORK
don't care.
Atall gray barred man wearing speatac!es
md smoking "A cigar stood the o h'r after
noon in Greene street near Broome. II"
walked back at intervals from III" c'irh 10
it'll. wooden hou-a Lestling against
the side of a big business building. mat
man was Lewis ker, and the building
is the warehouse of Aufmord' 70.
"A firm of whoes2l" importers. WITH when
Mr. ker has been associated Tor years
lust as closely as his trucking ONCE Is al
tached to the stor.ho,r'e, Lewis hrr ai''.
his brother Spence have done the trucking
for three generations OF he Aufmo'dls'
He has prosperei at tn" business, IN
which he has spent forty-ttre' years
His relation TO the dIcll family has long
been known 10 his associates. among "hoh
he is known as the dIki. Slto" Inc
engagement, Of the Duke Of Roxonrghe
and Miss tioeiet has been 80 much di"ctsseh'
lie has been more than ever an OBJECT OF
interest to his friends
"They worry the life out of me, he said
ia a SIN reporter, land | never want to
hear another word on the subject I'm
earning an honest living here and ] want
TO he left out Of all this talk about the Rox-
burghe family
Even IL it were not known that Mr.. her
comes from linz of earls it would be
plain that he comes from a stock of foiba ears
that any man might be proud OF. His
powerful. athletic figure suggests man
twenty years his junior
His home is comfortable Oldfa shloned
house in the Ninth ward, where he has
lived with his family for many years, They
are quite as American as he, and the Rox-
burphe dukedom does not interest them
in the least.
I'VE don't want to hear or see thing
about it ," said the young woman. With
her tall, slender figure and aristocratic
beauty she looks the part Of Dukes
daughter nov with no need OF the House OF
Lords Endorsement We're tired Of all
this Roxburghe business.
But few claimants ever had better case.
in the opinion Of many jurss, than tho
father of Lewis Ker The grandmother
of the present Duke of RoxbSrghe was All
intimate friend of Queen Victoria, and for
that reason, it has been declared, the de-
.ision Of the House of Lords went against
the American claimant.
SO strong was the evidence produced by
Mr.. Fish in favor of Andrew Ker, father
Of Lewis, that it broke down entirely the
Ease Of Sir James Henry Robert lnnes-Ker.
and his efforts to have the dukedom
granted to him failed entirely. The title
then lapsed for fifty years
The claims of the American branch Of
the family date from the year 1850, when
Sir Robert Ker, the first Earl, died without
male issue. Sir Walter k"r, his nephew,
did not succeed. as he should have done,
TO the estates and tiles which went to Lady
Jean Drummonds SOD, who was Sir Roberts
grandson and who was declared the heir-at-
law and was recognized by tho Crown
Sir Walter Immediately began contest,
which was carried on in the strenuous
fashion Of those times. One result was
that he was declared an outlaw.
His sons and grandsons and their de-
scendanis carried on the struggle, declar-
ing that they were really the Kers and that
the Dr,mmond branch. although it had
assumed he name, was NOT entitled TO it.
The third Duke died without issue and
the line of descent was broken, the title GO
ing TO Lord BeIlenden, The fifth Duke was
James Innes NorcliFe. Thus the line Of
descent from the Drummonds vas broken
twice
On the other side Of the family, however,
the male line was preserved intact This
tradition has survived in the American
branch "f the family. and Lewis ker is
tho possessOr of several healthy grand
sons
In III, John Her, the great grandson
ot Sir walter Ker, who had been disin-
h.rjtci in favor of his Drlmmond cousin
was recognizcd by the courts Of Scotland.
The Drimmonds appealed to the English
courts and John ker died before the case
came up for settlement.
His son Andrew, then only l5 was left
nm orphan and with only the est ates, i'm
povcrshed by the long litigation He had
no taste for continuing the long battle,
WHO'S" bad effects he saw eTorv hand
So hi. bori4h IongngI were fixed on
Americo.
one dav John Paul JnE"s appeared of
tho British coast, and when the crew oi
the mysterious ship landed young Andrew
slipped away from his relatives, met the
lnercan sailors and enlisted on tho vess"
~ powder hoy. He fought on TIA" Amer
lean side throughou, TN. Revolution
Ills experience made him regarded ir
tngland ~ y traitor and a pirate, and r
the tngIisl Court Of Chancery Hamilton
rih declared that but for thos" years 81
his li:e ne would have had no difficult
in derca'ing tho English claimants to tbs
title
Aftcv ,hr close Of the Revolution Andrew
Irr settled IN New York and made in tbs
shipping business what was regarded al
u fortune for those times. In 1909 he de
oidcl 10 return to Scotland and make
ngh, for the title he had previously re
xurded 80 lightly.
Inr ease, Ike many others IN Chan"ery