Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-12
Harry CoIpuS, Employed on North
Broadway, Claims KinShip
with British Royalty
EXPECTS AID OF A PRINCESS
Resident of Los Angeles Asserts
He Communicates with
Persons of Rank

of the late King Edward of Great
Britain and declaring that Prince
John de Guelph, claimant to the Brit
ish throne, has promised to take him
under his protection, Harry Holden
Colpus is now employed as scullion
in a little Mexican restaurant on
North Broadway. Colpus is hard of
hearing, an infirmity which he says
he inherited from his royal father, and
this disability he complains, accounts
for his not being able to find more
congenial employment. In the past he
has been butler, both here and abroad,
in families of political and social
prominence. Among others he was
employed in the family of former
President Cleveland, and he has let
ter of recommendation in CleVeland's
handwriting dated at Princeton, N.
j., January IL, 1908.
C0lpus' own story of his life sounds
like page of most remarkable fiction.
He seems to be fairly well educated,
and it is quite evident that he knows
personally many of the distinguished
persons of whom he talks. on the
dresser in his room at 425 Court
street reposes a morocco leather
frame in which are photographs of
King Edward, Queen Alexandra and
himself wearing a decoration which,
he says, was bestowed upon him by
the then king for having written
book of verses. He does not claim
that the king ever acknowledged him
as his son, even privately.
TELLS OF STRANGE PROPHECY
"My mother" he said last night,
"was a widow at the time the late
king, my father, knew her. Her maiden
name was Eliza Elson, and she was
farmers daughter. Her first husband
was named Holden. After my birth
she married again, and I took my fos-
ter fathers name of Colpus.
Mother Shipton had prophesied that
two sons would be born on the day of
! King Edwards marriage. one in Sur
rey. who, later in life, would lose the
great toe of his left foot. I was born
on that day and lost my toe in Cuba
while serving as a Red Cross nurse
during the Spanish-American war The
other son, she prophesied, would be
born on the same day in Essex and
would die on the day and hour of the
kings death. This prophesy also came
true.
II am in correspondence with Prince
John de Guelph, England's rightful
king, who is now in Brooklyn and who
promises to take me under his protec-
| ton. Prince John is coming to Cali
fornia next month, and 1 hope his wife,
| Princess Anne Elizabeth, will accom-
pany him. At present he is detained
| in Brooklyn on business with pub
fishing firm which is soon to issue
volume of his memoirs.
prince John de Guelph is the eldest
| legitimate son of the late King Ed
ward. His mother was the countess
of Cork, of the Irish nobility, and was
put aside at the time King Edward
married Alexandra. The Princess Anne
Elizabeth has been gracious enough to
say that her husband and myself re .
semble each other closely in face and
| figure. Certainly we might well do so,
since we are half brothers.
EXPECTS AID FROM PRINCESS
"If the princess finds herself able to
come here | shall try to interest one
of the woman's clubs in her behalf.
! She has an address which she is anX-
| ious to deliver before the wOman'S S
| clubs all over the country and which
she entities THE Scarlet Sin of Royal
Courts-the Plague Spot of the Chris
| tian World Mrs. L. l.. Quint of S423s
| Vermont avenue south has Interested
herself in the matter and has prom
ised to bring it before one of the big
| clubs at its next meeting.
"My mother died on the day of King
Edwards death. While she lived and
while the king, my father, lived, kept
silent. / served him well by my si-
| lence, but he made no provision for
me. That is why 1 finally appealed to
Prince John. 1t seems a terrible thing
that a kings son should be washing
| pots and kettles, but that is what
! have come to-"
Following his mothers death Colpus
| decided to forsake the world and go to
the leper colony on Molokai island OF
the Hawaiian group as nurse. With
this idea in view he wrote to President
| Taft, but was told that the executive
had no power to grant his request.
Then he wrote to the territorial au-
thorities and they denied his applica-
! tion. After that he sought admission
| to a Roman Cathlic monastery at
Santa Barbara, hoping in that way to
get to Molokai, but here, he says
Prince John exerted his influence to
have his application rejected.
FORMER BUTLER IN PASADENA
| Colpus went through the San Fran
cisco earthquake and came to Los An
geles as a refugee following that dis
! aster. He secured employment as but
| Ter in a we'll known Pasadena family
and remained there two years. Since
then his deafness has increased and
he has drifted around more or less,
up and down the Pacific coast He
| saws that his service in the Spanish
| American war makes him eligible to
the Soldiers home, but adds that any
work, even if it is only washing pots,
is preferable to that.
Either Colpus has had most re-
markabIe life history, or he is one of
| the most expert romancers of the day.
| Much of his story is true, beyond a
doubt. Perhaps it is all true, or per-
haps a part of it is the outgrowth of
his imagination.