The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-02
LORD BERESFORD SW|NDLER OF NOTE Most EventfuI Life Ends at
 ASheviIIe HE LED A WILD CAREER Operate Clever swindlng Schemes in All Sections. of the country-once at Rome, Ga.-Romantic
 Wife.
HE LED A WILD CAREER

Asheville (N. O Cor. Chicago Tribune.
 Sidney Lascellas the bogus Lord Wal ter Beresford," who died here yesterday, had an international reputation as a sWindler He had lived here for weeks without betraying his identity. He was known here as Sidney Asquith, and search of his personal effects alone dis closed the story of his life.
 Lascelles was born on the estates of the Duke of Devonshire, in England, where his father was a gamekeeper and his mother, prior to her marriage, beau tiful girl. Before he was r years old he had ridden to the bounds as an at tendant. acquired an aequaintanceship with the manners of nobility, and had taken some ,00O from the strong box of his master. Then he fled to Alglers, where requisition papers receive no recog- milton. 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 he met Miss Maud Lillienthal, an American heiress to s1,0O0.O00, who came from Yonkers, N Y. Although a mere youngster he was an adept at win ming his way into the graces of the oppo- site sex and one day the American colony was surprised to learn that Miss Lilienthal had eloped to Cairo with the Lord"
 Lascelles opened negotiations with the Duke of Devenshire for the return of the amount of his stealings and the drop ping of all prosecution. As he needed the money the duke agreed and Lord Beresford, a free man under the law, with his wife, sailed for this country They became guests at the Fifth Avenue hotel, New York, and were lionlzed.
 One morning among the prisoners be- fore the rail in the Jefferson Market po- lice court was a gay Lord" who had been captured in a raid. He was fined s10. His wife, hearing of his escapade, left him and secured a divorce.
 Lascelles 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 properties. wealthy family there cashed a draft for him and he was arrested but released on a tech nicality.
 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 pardoned by Governor Atkinson.
 Shortly after the man got out of prison he met a Miss Petty of Providence, R. l., worth 10$0000 and was married to her. They went to live at Fitzgerald, Ga, where Lascelles started a wholesale gro cery and commission house and apparent ly prospered. In less than a year he was a fugitive from justice, charged with having swndled the well known Hamilton family of Rome, Ga.
 He went to the City of slexico and was known there as Lord Courtenay At the 9merlean club by unfair card play ing and by the sale of bogus stock in the British Thomas Houston company he is alleged to have defrauded the Ameri- can citizens of the Mexican capital out of $1000O0 and fled back to the states.
 Again he brought back to Georgia, but this time accompanied by his wife, who spent money lavishly In his behalf. He was convicted, however. and sent to a convict camp.
 Escaping from the camp he was heard of next at Amerlcus, Ga, but here his second wife secured a divorce from him. Soon after he secured the franchise for an electric lighting plant and waterworks system at Fitzgerald from the promoters of the town-G A. R. men of Indiana. He married the daughter of wealthy man at Fitzgerald and disappeared
 Living as James A. LasaIles at Hot Springs he turned to gambling, and 1t Is said, won heavily at first, but went "broke" one day, and it is charged he then cashed the $l200 check which turned out to be worthless
 Lascelles has been known under many aliases besides Lord Beresford, among them being Sir Harry Vane, R. N, and Lord Courtenay. Claude B. Lascelle and James A. Lasalles.
 The second wife of the noted swindler soon after her marriage came to regard her husband as a man of mystery. In referring to an experience at Savannah she said:
 ''We were strolling along one fine Sun day afternoon when an astonishing change came over my husband A heavily bull. young man in blue serge suit, WI rather large feet. stood In front of us My husband gripped my arm and forced me into a faster walk. l looked up and hardly knew him.
 All his fine presence was gone. He he run his fingers through his mustache until it looked straggly and unkempt. His Jaw had dropped little and his lips were drawn in as if he had lost his front teeth All his features looked different. Even his clothes seemed changed His hat was at an unbecoming angle. One