Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1910-02-01
LADY HESTER STANHoPE.
Pitfs Eccentric Niece, Who Lived q
Strange Life In Syria.

Among the eccentric personages
Of history Lady Stanhope, who was
born in London in 1866, is remark
able She was the daughter Of the
Earl of Stanhope and niece Of the
great William Pitt.
The death of her mother when
she was an infant deprived her Of
the care a young girl should have,
and even her education was sadly
neglected. When she was about
twenty she went to act as a sort of
secretary for her uncle, who was
then prime minister. She remained
with him till his death in 1906.
In the next few years she dis
played such singular qualities of
bad temper, sel6shness and lack of
feeling that all her friends we're
estranged, and the English govern
ment withdrew a pension she had
been drawing. In 1910 she shook
the dust of England from her feet
and started for the east.
She arrived in Syria in 1912 and
settled on Mount Lebanon, where
she remained the rest of her life,
entirely cut off from the compan-
ionship of friends or countrymen.
Surrounded by native servants,
whom she ruled with capricious inn
pulse, and with Indifferent means at
her disposal, she had a strange ex-
perience.
Occasionally some traveller who
knew her would make a stop and
call upon her. These persons told
curious tales of her household.
When tea was served one day the
servant brought the teapot to the
table holding it by the spout, as the
handle was gone. The ceiling Of
her salon was upheld by beams of
wood, and her bed was a mattress
laid on planks that we're placed on
trestles.
Lady Stanhope was a hard mis-
tress and demanded unheard of
hours of service. At one time all
the free women in her employ left
in body, and her slaves we're con-
stantly running away, A strict dai-
ly account was kept by a secretary
Of how every hour of the day of
each servant and slave was employ
ed, and Lady Hester kept it for
study and reference.
Her time was fully occupied, di-
vided as it was into curious detail.
She remained in bed until about 3
o'clock in the afternoon and retired
at about the same hour the next
morning. She began her daily du-
ties at about 6 p. m.
Her first work was to assign to
all in the household the routine of
their labors for the next day, for
no such eccentric hours were allow
ed servants. This accomplished, she
spent the rest of her time till she
retired in looking for trouble in the
household, scolding and sometimes
swearing, writing letters and talk
ing for hours on any subject upon
which she got started.
For a long time after she had
gone to bed she kept most of the
household awake and busy, her bell
calling them for various services.
1t might be for a lemonade or a
bowl Of broth or a cup of camomile
tea, for which the gardener was
called to gather the herb, or she
had forgotten some detail of an or
der for the next day, and whoever
was to execute it had to be awaken
ed to hear what she had to say.
She kept in good accord with the
pasha, to whom she made presents
and rendered services of various
sorts, and she often sent gifts to
his harem. In this way she had a
certain protection.
She died as she lived in Syria,
with no friend or companion to
comfort her last hours. - Boston
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