The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1910-02-11
A Bit Of
Detective Work
BY an. American Girl Who
Was ENGAGED to an
Enslishman.
By BEATRICE TUCKER.
By TUCKER.
Copyright. 1910. by American Pres
Association.

girls to titled Englishmen was that
some years ago of Miss Emily Kitson
to the young Earl of Hartmore. The
earl came over to claim his bride,
bringing with him his cousin. who
was best man.
Harcourt Berks, the earl, and this
cousin, Stanwood Berks, had been
brought up together from childhood.
Harcourt was an only child, and Stan
wood stood next in line as heir to the
title. The wedding occurred ct the
home of the brides parents In New
York, all the arrangements that per
tanned to tile groom being performed
by his best man. After the ceremony
Stanwood conducted the clergyman to
the library, pointed to a desk on which.
there were pen and ink, and there the
marriage certificate was written. Stan.
wood received it from the clergyman
and took it to the bride.
The earl and his lady sailed imme-
diately for England and after q tour
in Scotland settled down on the fam
lily estate.
A son, Lord William Berks. was
born to the pair, who grew up to be a
fine fellow. He was extremely fond
Of his mother and said that when he
married he would choose an American
wife, claiming that he owed much to
his mothers broad American views.
SO different from those Of English
women of birth, who lived very mar
row lives. Fate brought him and
Dorothy Sands Of Chicago together on
the eve Of his majority. She was a
merry little elf, at times appearing
very stupid, at other times showing
great shrewdness. They met in Ma
pies and became engaged In Rome.
From Italy he went to England to in
form his mother Of his engagement to
one of her own countrymen. He
found her suffering under a blow that
had fallen during his absence.
On Lady Hartmore's arrival in Eng
land after her marriage In New York
she had collected a number of papers
and such other articles that must be
kept, but e not likely to be needed,
and put them in the vault kept for the
storage of valuables. Having occasion
to use an old document, she had gone
to the vault to look for 1t. There; she
saw her marriage certificate. Opening
1t, she was filed with astonishmeht.
There were only the printedsiettefs,
none In writing.
Having informed her husband of
the circumstance, a thorough search
was made through the family papers
In the hope Of finding certificate that
had been filed out and signed by the
officiating clergyman. Lady Hartmore
remembered Stanwood Berks. best
man at the wedding. handing her a
marriage certificate and remembered
looking at it and seeing that 1t had
been duly executed. She also remem-
bered placing it on her arrival In Eng
land in the treasure vault. Neverthe-
less here was a form for a marriage
certificate that had apparently never
been executed. and there was no other
at hand.
Lady Hartmore wrote to a brother
in New York asking him to discover If
the marriage had been recorded and
received a negative reply.
The painful fact that no evidence Of
the marriage between Lord and Lady
Hartmore existed stared the couple In
the face. And how explain the mys-
terry? Stanwood Berks raj appealed to.
and said he could remember nothing
about the matter except giving Lady
Hartmore an executed certificate. He
had since been married and had sew
eral children, his oldest son being a
few years younger than Lord William.
The position was this: At the death Of
Lord Hartmore. since there was no
evidence Of his marriage with his wife,
Stanwood Berks could claim the title
and the property az next Of legitimate
kin.
Lord William on his arrival at home
went at once to find his mother to an
nounce his engagement. He found her
sunken in gloom. To have to tell her
son that so far as his Inheritance was
concerned he was Legitimate was a
painful task. Naturally the blow fell.
upon him with equal severity. He had
proposed to Miss Sands as the rightful
heir to final title and estate and IL
Stanwood Berks or after him his son
chose to claim both they could sub
stantiate their right to inherit and he