The Southern herald., 1911-05-05

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NN and interesting entries
than those relating 70
IAN the celebrated Ashley
R<@SH case. By virtue Of the
HR)H story telleSs omnis-
tA cience we are enabled
II to transcribe these
~ notes. weaving there
from the following
A4zzA@ terse narrative concern
ing one Of the eleverest attempted i'm
pOstures Of recent times. PerhaDsitwill
help the clarity Of the story If We allow
CzilistC TO be his own narrator, sim
ply promising that while as a gen
sral rule be seldom went out ION
ease" himself. yet in matters of mo-
ment or of special emergency he oc-
casionally did so. and usually with
signal suceess-for he was one OF the
cleverest secret agents Of Bulliyants
Linited-the leading investigating
agency Of its day and generation. So,
without further preamble, Darrell Cal
lister tells the story.
ON the 18th OF June. 1898, was sit
ting In our King William street Office.
II was near closing time anyway, and
business being dull, was about TO
close my desk and betake myself to
Croydon. wife. and babies. with per
haps a tour Of the links before din
ner. when the postman on his final
round for the day dropped a letter in
the box
The envelope was large, square,
and of heavy texture; the flap bore
a eoronet. and II was addressed to me
personally, care of Bullivants. With.
In was a double sheet of coroneted
paper on which in an exceedingly
clerkly hand were the following lines:
Darrell Callister. Esq.-My Dear Sir:
Could you do me the favor to call at II
Nensington Gardens this afternoon about
four according to your convenience
wish to consult you personally on a most
argent and distressing family AFFAIR.
Yours obediently,
ASHLEY.
! recognized the signature as that
of one Of the best-known names in
the English peerage-Viscount Ashley
Baron Scarlett, and | don't know how
many more titles. belonging to one
Of the half-dozen Oldest earldoms.
Some inkling of the trouble also
had come to me through the Morning
Post though so far in the mos
guarded manner, since the impending
scandal in high life was not yet com
mon property.
Briefly ran over the known facti
90 freshen my memory before starting
20 keep the appointment with hii
lordship. Some six years earlier th'
title had come to him as the nephew
of the tenth Viscount Ashley, whit
lad presumably died without issue
I use the term presumably" for wan
OF a better The old nobleman ono,
had son, ne'er-do-well, who hat
disappeared 20 years before ant
was long since given up as dead b.
all save his mother, the dowager Wis
countess, now an old woman of sever
~ and over.
But an old womans fond fancie
could not be allowed to stand in tn
way of the heir-at-law, and whe
Lionel Ashley failed to appear, thong
his fathers demise was widely hel
aided, the law assumed that he wa
dead. the nephew, Gerald, succeeded
wsaa condemned IN tho 4ftIo opd octoto
by the house of lords, since enjoyin
eandisturbed possession.
However. about six months before
came into the case on that June aftel
noon. claimant" had appeared I
the person of a fellow who asserte
that he was Lionel Ashley and tn
rightful heir-as of course he wa
II his proofs we're good But a
though the claimant bore a stron
physical resemblance to the missin
heir and was in fact acknowledged a
her long-missing son by the dowage
and sundry old family retainers; d.
spite the fact that he showed a r.
markable knowledge of detail col
cerning the family history and hi
own boyhood: and notwithstandin
that he told a most speclous tale a
to his 20-year wanderings, there wer
enough suspicious circumstances abol
the man and his tale to cause consit
cradle doubt among those most inte
ested and who were unbllnded
maternal love and unbiased throug
fancie6 old associations. Anon
these. naturally, was the present vii
count, my correspondent. although
Judged him too fair-minded and honol
able 10 dispute Just claim properl
presented.
These, then, were the scanty fact
N my possession when l closed m
desk, called a hanson, and directe
the cabby to drive TO Kensington Ca
dens. was too old hand to let m
mind be biased by mere newspape
talk. so was prepared to meet VII
count Ashley on neutral ground, If, a
I supposed, his family affair" col
eerned the Claimant"
Nor was | mistaken. was scare,
" seated when my client plunged int
the matter nearest his heart-for {
rourse the case meant to him ever.
Eining in the world--wealth position