Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-22

tiC tdiO VI NY StCis anu
surrounding William r, Liddsr-
- dale, banker and bridegroom
elect which is just now stirring
the British public and vying in strength
OF interest with the famous bruce case.
Somewhere in the United States. it is
believed, is William Ldderdale. either
working for his own living and that of
the humble wife of his own choice or else
supported in luxury by a wealthy creole
who was infatuated with him and induced
him to marry her. Today the courts are
celebrating whether to declare William
Lidderdale dead. At any time within the
next six months such action may be TAX
en-. But it will not solve the mystery.
The law may be satisfied, but not the
public.
AS readers may already know from
brief cable dispatches, application has
just been made to the high court of JUS
tice in London to presume the death of
Lidderdale. who disappeared nearly six
teen years ago. So many, remarkable and
romantic facts came out in court that the
case has been adjourned. that the word
may be searched for more information.
Briefly the facts are these: Lidderdale,
who was manager of a west Of England
bank, was engaged to be married Janu-
airy II. 1892, to a Miss Chapman. Janu-
airy he came to London on business,
with $1,000 Of his own money. He wrote
to Miss Chapman on arrival, mentioning
meeting a Miss Vining, whom he had
told his fiancee was a wealthy American
woman and infatuated with him. mat
was the last heard directly from the
young banker. Early in February an an
nouncement of his death appeared in the
London Times. 1t was said to have &C.
CURED on Miss Winnings yacht Foresight
as a result of an accident January 8.
Some days later Miss Chapman received
an envelope containing $1,000 in bank
notes, couple of little mementoes and
one of Miss Winnings visiting cards, the
address cut off, and on the back in Lid
derdale's writing the words WAS true
to you.'
Attempts were made to discover more
details of young Undertakes entrance
into the ranks of the legions of the lost.
Money was spent, with but few results.
No yacht named Foresight was registered
at Lloyds in any part of the world. Faint
traces of a Miss Vining and little yacht
of the name, however have come to
hand. and recently it was discovered that
a Julia Vining lived in Undertakes neigh
borhood and that he knew her. She is
the daughter of a laborer, and, although
in such humble circumstances, was a
noted beauty.
There are many theories. One is that
the rich Miss Vining (whom Lidderdale
described as q creoe of New York and
banker and Julia Vining eloped to the
United States and sought a new life there.
Another is that the rich Miss Vining is a
fact. and that she used her destinations
on Lidderdale, married him and lured him
to the United States, and in order to help
him out of the difficulty of his approach
ing marriage to Miss Chapman, inserted
the notice his death" in the Times.
There are other friends. of the family
who now say that for certain reasons
an affiiction is Observation-Disclosures de-
clared it would not be honorable for him
to marry, and that rather than face his
bride-to-b be and the world with the truth
he invented Miss Vining and the wacht
and his death, and inserted the notice
himself, and either betook himself under
another name to begin a new life in
the United States or else committed sui
eide.
William Robertson Lidderdale was the
son of Berkshire physician. For pro-
fession he took UP banking, and through
family influence secured a position as a
junior clerk in Stuckey's Bank, we'll
known financial institution of the west
of England. He proved a good man at
the business and rose rapidly, having
every few years better position in varl-
Gus branches of the bank in the county
of Somerset. In 1880 he was appointed
manager of the branch at minister, a
market town not far from the historic
Glastonbury Abbey His salary was
So, 600 a year, with residence in the
upper floors of the bank building: Lid
derdale was a model man in every way.
Slight of build. he was good-looking, with
blonde hair and mustache. He was popu-
lar and leading man at all banquets and
city affairs. He was also an officer OF
the local volunteer regiment.
When he was twenty-eight, nearly
eighteen years ago, he became engaged to
Miss Elizabeth Chapman. She was a
pretty brunette of twenty-five, niece OF
a very wealthy jute manufacturer named
Shepherd, who employed thousands OF
hands in his factories at minister. II
was in every way most desirable match
for the young banker. The engaged pair
were very much in love with each other
Lidderdale insured his life in two or three
companies and also took out a big acct
dent policy. He had few thousands in
cash of his own deposited at his bank
and some shares in local gas companies
and such things. He made a will leav-
ing everything to his future wife. This
will was made at the time of the en-
gagement.
Nothing cast a shadow on the love az
fair of the two people. Ldderdale told
his fiancee romantic story about IA Miss
Vining He said she was a wealthy
American who owned a yacht. a house
in the city of Bath, carriages and horses
and a nat In the Westminster district OF
London. Lidderdale said he had ro-
mantle meeting with her. While walking