The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1907-05-23

few days since, ndd an lnleFndlIoHdl
reputation as. a swindler. He has
lived here for weeks without betray-
ing his identity. He was known here
as Sidney Asquith, y, and search OF
his personal effects alone disclosed
the story of his life.
Lascelles was born on the estates
Of the Duke of Devonshire, in Eng
land, where his father was game
keeper and his mother, prior to her
marriage, a beautiful girl. Before
he was seventeen years old he had
ridden to the hounds as an attendant,
acquired an acquaintanceship with
the manners of nobility, and had tax
en- some $85, 200 from the strong box
giers, where requisition papers re-
ceive no recognition. He posed as
the son of the house of Beresford
and claimed the right to call both
Lord Charles and Lord Marcus of
that name uncle"
One day helmet Miss Maud Lilien-
thai, an American heIess to 81 ,000,-
900, who came from Y Yonkers, n. Y.
Although "a mere youngster he was
an adept ati winning his way into
the graces of the opposite sex, and
one day the. American colony was
surprised to learn that Miss Lillien-
thai had el6ped to Cairo with him.
Lascelles opened negotiations with
<E1 D,,lta 10 fo,t- ho 10
turn of the amount 0f& his stealings
and the dropping of1all prosecution.
AS he needed the money the duke
agreed and Lord Beresfofd, a free
man under the law, with his wife,
sailed for this country. They became
guests at the Fifth Avenue Hotel of
New York, and were honized.
One morning among the prisoners
before the rail in the Jefferson Mar
ket police court was the gay lord,
who had ben captured in raid. He
was fined ten dollars. His wife, hear
ing of his escapade, left him and
secured a divorce.
Lascel1es made his advent into
Georgia in 1891, and the base of his
operations for a time was at Rome.
He posed as the representative of an
English syndicate looking for iron
A wealthy family there
arrested, but released on a techni-
caIity. He was arrested, however, on
a charge of forging checks and was
sent to the Georgia State prison for
five years. He implored his divorced
wife to help him, and through her
wealth and influence he was pardon
ed by Gov. Atkinson.
Shortly after the man got out of
prison he met a Miss Petty of Prov
idence, r. l., worth 100000, and
was married to her. They went to
live at Fitzgerald, Ga, where Las
ceiles starter a wholesale grocery and
commission house, and apparently
In less than a year he
was a fugitive from justice, charged
with swindling the well-known Ham
ilton family of Rome, Ga. (l
He went to the City of Mexico and
was known as Lord Courtenay." At
the American Club, by unfair card |
playing and by the sale of bogus |
stock in the British Thomas Houston |
Company, he is alleged to have de-
frauded the American citizens of the |
Mexican capital out of 100000, and
fed back to the States
Again he was brought back to the |
State of Georgia, but this time ac-
by his wife, who spent I
money lavishly in his behalf. He was
however, and sent to
convict camp.
Escaping from the camp he was
heard of next at Americus, Ga, but |
lere his second wife secured a di-
vorce from him. Soon after he Sc
.ured the franchise for an electric
lighting plant and waterworks sys-
em at Fitzgerald, from the promo
ers of the town-G. A. r. men of
Indiana. He married the daughter of
/ wealthy man at Fitzgerald and dis
Living as James A. Lascelles at
Hot Springs he turned to gambling,
Ind, it is said, won heavily at first,
out went broke one day, and it is
.harged that he then cashed the ST.
100 check which turned out to be
worthless.
Lascelles has been known under
many aliases besides Lord Beresford,
lmong them being Sir Henry Vane,
/. N, and Lord Courtenay, Claude
;. Lascelle and Jas. A. Lascelles.
The second wife of the noted swim
ller soon after her marriage came to
,egard her husband as a man of mys-
ery In referring to an experience