The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-23
4 Romance Of. Erin's Peeraee..

Oue OI tne many HOmanceS or Ire
lands peerage has been recalled to
public attention through the fatal fall
from tram car at Dublin of old Rob-
'ert William Frederick Lesson, claim
ant to the dormant earidom of Mill
town and to the viscounty and barony
of Observation-Disclosures -honors, it is
true, since the exceedingly valuable
estates are now in the possession of
the widow of the sixth Lord Midtown,
and at her death they will go to her
nephew, E. s. Chahdos-Pole.
+ The romance may be said to have
begun with the fourth earl of Midtown
who was the original of Lucas Malet's
Sir Richard Calmady." For although
In other respects fine, powerful man
he had merely the rudiments of legs
This did not prevent him from enjoy
ing life, from moving in London and
Dublin sOciety-in an invalid chair
and from leaving a family of three
sons and of twin daughters. He was
very strict with his children and there
fore when his eldest son, Joseph. Lord
Russ Borough, fell inlove with a pretty
girl, daughter OF a farmer on the Russ
borough estate, and wanted to marry
her, the earl drove him from his pres
ence. " 80.
The vfscount fed with the girl to
Scotland, where they lived together as
man and wife under the same name,
this being, according to Scotch law,
sufficient to constitute valid marriage
and boy was born to the union. But
when the child was about two years
old it disappeared mysteriousIy with
its mother during a fortnight's absence
of the father, and he was never able to
obtain any trace of what had become
of them, although firmly convinced
that both mother and child had been
spirited away at the instance of his
parents. In course of time his father
died, in 1866, and he succeeded to the
honQrs and estates as fifth earl of Mill
town. But he never married again. In
fact, he did not feel himself free to do
SO, and six years later he died, and in
the absence of his missing son and heir
his brother Edward became sixth earl.
The latter's marriage to Lady Geral-
dine Stanhope, daughter of Lord Har-
rington, did not result in issue, and at
his death, in 1890. his only surviving
brother, Henry, became seventh earl
Midtown, dying ten months later un-
came dormant, for lack of means, TO
Among the most interesting of the
claimants was man about fifty-six
years of age, who brought good deal
of evidence to show that he was the
missing son of the fifth earl. He said
that his mother had been hurried off
to Australia by the agents of the fourth
earl and that his mother had been
promised provision for herself and for
her, child providing she would remain
in the Antipodes and make no attempt.
to communicate with her common law
husband. His mother received an al
lowance as long as the fourth earl
lived. and then it ceased, and the wo-
man died Suddenly before she could
make any attempt to communicate
with England. Her son, a mere boy
at the time, was cared for by neigh
bors, grew up to engage in the horse
trade, was sent with a shipment of
Australian horses to India, and there
became acquainted with a member of
his fathers family, John Lesson, who
was guard or conductor on one of the
Indian railroads. Through him, the
young fellow became interested in his
own early history, made investigations
In Australia, and acquired the convic-
ton that he was the son of the secret
and common law marriage of the fifth
earl. He was killed in a railroad ac-
cident, however, before he could take
any practical steps to establish his
claim, and thereupon the rights to the
earldom passed to John Lesson, 1.-The
railroad conductor, as a son Of the Sec
ond sdn of the third earl of Midtown.
He, too was prevented by poverty from
making good his pretensions, and died
last year at an advanced age, leaving
two daughters.
Next in line of succession came Rob-
ert William Frederick Lesson, the VIC
tim of the tramcar accident of fort
night ago, whose father was the third
son of the earl Of Midtown. He never
married and now whatever rights there
may be to the earldom would seem. in
default of his nephew. Henry Saunders
w A NJsVEn-clRI. OR WOMAN MON