The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-26
BY la sIARou1sE DE FoNTENoY.

nj -tAt0l1SE DE lENo1.
THOUGH much capital is made
N In the obituary notices of Sir
~ Edmund Verney OF the fact that
he was a nephew of Miss Flor
enee Nightingale. whose ninetieth
birthday took place on the day of his
death, Yet no mention Is made OF the
fact that for the last twenty years she
had declined to hold any intercourse
with him whatsoever. The reason for
this attitude on her part is apparently
likewise ignored by people nowadays,
for l cannot find any reference made
in the printed descriptions of his ca
May, 1891, he was expelled from the
House OF Commons Expulsions from
Parliament have been rare in its an
nails, and the case therefore attracted
a tremendous sensation at the time.
Sir Edmund Verney's expulsion from
the House of Commons was in connec-
ton with his conviction of crime
which entailed his dismissal from the
of captain. aud his sentence TO couple
of years imprisonment with hard
labor. The oifense was one in which
young girl under age was concerned.
and the comparative leniency of the
sentence was. as the presiding Judge
pointed out at the time, due 10 the fact
that he took into consideration the
disgrace suffered by the prisoner
through MS eSpuISlon from
and his dismissal from the navy, in
which he had served with much dis
tinction. being a veteran of the Crit
mean War and the Indian Mutiny. Sir
Edmund's conviction cost him the re-
wards for these war servires--that is
to say, all his medals and casps-like-
wise, his presidency of the board OF
magistrates for .,nglesey, and last, but
not least. fortune Of several millions
of dollars; for he had been designated
as the future heir of the large property
of his uncle, Frederick Calvert. G. c.,
and member Of Parliament for Ayles..
bury. When, however, Sir Edmund
tered his will. and left the money in
equal shares to the baronets two
younger brothers dying a few weeks
afterwards Frederick calverts sem
timents towards his nephew were
shared by the latter's aunt, Florence
Nightingale, and although until the
time of his disgrace she had been a
| frequent visitor to Clayton House, the
ancestral home OF the Verneys, In
Buckinghamshire. she never consented
to cross it's threshold afterwards.
Most men after Sir Edmund Yerney's
experiences would have sought obliv-
| ion. Far from this being the case. the
| prior to the general election of,l9o5
actually intimated his determination
| to re-enter public life. and to secure
seat in that House OF Commons from
/
| years previously. 1t was only with
| the utmost difficulty that he was dis
suaded tllerefrom, and probably mere
persuasion. would have had no effect
that It was very doubtful whether
even II elected, he would he permitted
/ to take his seat. He contributed to
magazines and the reviews over his
| day, secured election to several fourth
rate London clubs of the kind which
would sooner have a titled man with
criminal record than no title at all
attracted attention by publicly an
nouncing In the press that on humani.
tartan principles he would not permit
the Hunt in Ruckinghamshire. of which
Lord Rothschild is the master, to ride
! over his extensive estates. During thu
i South African War. too. he rendered
/ himself particularly conspicuous bv the
promlnentt part which he took in cham.
1 his own Countrymen.
1 Clayton House, his principal place II
! Buckinghamshire, which has nov
s sarviv SIS son, sir Harry verney, ha,;
been the home OF the Verneys sine,
Z, the beginning OF the thirteenth cen
tury. and one OF It's most not a., own WI,
J. Verney, who was Lord Mayor of Lon
don in '1465, and member Of Parliamen
for the city for several wears after
}, wards. Another Well-knoWn NerneN
4 was Sir Edmund verney, the standard
!. nearer to King Charles I, He fell i
: the battle Of Fdgehill Strange|,
enough, his body was never recovered
despite the search that was made to
. 1t. All that was found was severe'
hand. still grasping. a piece Of tn
h Hagstaff, and which having been iden
! tilted by. Sir Edmnnd's signet ring o.
ono OF the fingers, was reverertly In
Z TERED at C,avdon House There, aG
4 coratng to family tradition, the ghos
j az the old cavalier frequently appears
notably on the night Of October e
4 whlchssissthe sannlyersarx7o OF. the hattl