Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-20
Remains Consigned to DR.. McPher-
son Crichton of This City.
CAREER A SPECTACULAR ONE
Bogus Nobleman. Received by Best
Society in South, Left Brides
in Many Places.

for eight years. The ashes. 1t is said,
will be sent to the first wife. Her
identity is being kept a secret. although
it is believed that she is rlember of
we'll known New York lamily.
The body is consigned to DR.. McPher-
son Crichton of this city, and it is sup
posed that Dr. Crichton has received in
structions in regard to having it Gre
mated. When DR.. Crichton was ques-
toned about the body by a reporter for
The Star early today he denied any
knowledge of the matter. Later. when
DIR. Crichton was notified by the express
company that the body of Sidney Las
celles had arrived and was consigned to
him. he is said to have told the agent of
the company that he would call later for
it.
Every effort is being made by those
most concerned in the disposition of the
body to keep the arrangements quiet. 1t
is said that the sister-in-law of the first
VIE or Sidney LaScelleS, who had the
body shipped to Washington. is Mrs. j. T.
Summerfield of Passaic, n. ]. Mrs Sum-
merf1eld, it is reported. gave as ner rea-
SON for paying the $40 necessary for the
funeral expenses of the bogus lord that
she intended living in Asheville and that
she did not wish to have the body of her
dead brother-in-law left on exhibition at
an undertaker'S establishment in the same
town in which she was making her home.
Died in November, 1902.
The body arrived this morning at
1O:4O o'clock by the Southern railway.
Accompanying it was a death certifi-
cate setting forth that this was the
body Of Sidney Lascelles. that he died
in Asheville, N. c., November 10. 1902,
at the age of fifty-four: that his medi-
cal attendant at the time of his death
was DR.. l. H. Burroughs. The body was
shipped, according to the papers which
accompany it, by Noland, Brown & Co,
undertakerS of Asheville, N. c., to DIR.
Mcpherson CrichtOn, Washington, d. G.
About o'clock the express company
received instructions to turn the body
over to William ]. Lee, undertaken at
332 Pennsylvania avenue. The instruc-
tfons are said to have been given by
a man and woman. Their identity was
not learned. Lee said that they did
not give their names, but gave strict
orders not to have the body exhibited
to any one. 1t is believed that the
consignee must have given the direc-
tions to Mr.. Lee, however.
To Be Cremated Tomorrow.
Mr.. Lee said that the cremation would
take place tomorrow morning at IL
O'Clock.
Early this morning a woman giving her
name as Mrs. Watson called up the un-
dertaking establishment and asked
whether she could have body cremated
today. She was told that Mr.. Lee al
ready had arranged for one cremation
today and that he could not undertake
another
Tomorrow won't 'do," the woman is
reported to have said; and added. I'm
tired of this. anyway. l will move on
to Baltimore"
Whether this conversation had any
thing to do with the arrival of the body
of Sidney Lascelles or whether the
woman was the Sister-in-law of the
first Mrs. LaScelles is not known.
Had Never Been Claimed.
ASHEVILLE. n. c., May 20.-After re-
naming unclaimed for seven years in
embalmed solitude, dressed in full even
ing dress. with silk hat and cane, the
body of Sidney LascelleS, alais Lord
Beresford.' alias Charles J. Asquith,
was taken last night to Washington. D.
c., consigned to DR.. Mcpherson Crichton,
tory at that city
The body was claimed and identified by
a Mrs. j. 7. Summerfield of New Jersey.
who said that she was the sister-in-law
Baltimore. She made affidavit to that
effect, and by her order the body was
to Washington.
The departure of the ''petrified lord
whose body has twice been identified as
that of Sidney Lascelles. noted forger,
swindler and bigamst. writes finis to a
tale Of crime and deception in high life
which opened in Australia shifted to the
ranks of nobility in England and closed
in a cheap lodging house in this city.
He was lioniZed in London after securing
an introduction to the American ambas-
sador under the name of Beresford. pos
ing as a cousin of the powerful English
house of that name In America the
highest circles of society did homage to
the bogus lord. At Rome, Ga: FftZger-
aid. Ga; Norfolk. Va, and other cities,
wherever he went Lascelles formed mat
rimonial alliances with the daughters OF
the rich, only to leave them in the course
of week, poorer in purse, but richer in
experience.
Convicted of Fraud.
AS Lasceles passed through Mexico
and Texas he left a trail Of weeping
brides. and he was apparently rolling in
wealth when justice overlook him. He
was convicted at Rome. Ga, of promot-
ing fraudulent schemes, and sentenced to
six years hard labor He lost appeals
in the supreme court of Georgia and in
the United States circuit court, and served
his term.
He came to Asheville from Norfolk.
Va, eight years ago. suffering with tu-
oerculosis and died in 1907. There be-
ing no claimants for his body. it was
by local undertakers. The
body became almost petrified, losing but
little of its lifelike appearance.