The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1911-05-19

HfYrNn case. BY virtue of the
WkEW story teller's MI / s.
EEu cience we are enabled
vaS13saSSS1 to transcribe these
NV ykM notes, weaving there
HEAz$n from the fol ing
terse narrative concern
Ing one of the cleverest attempted inn
postures of recent times. Perhaps it will
help the clarity Of the story if we allow
Callister to be his own narrator, sim
ply promising that while as a gen
eral rule he seldom went out ION
case" himself, yet in matters of mo-
ment or of special emergency he oc-
casionally did so, and usually with
signal SUCCESSION he was one of the
cleverest secret agents of Bullivants
Limited--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, l was sit
ting in our King William street Office.
1t 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 letter in
the box
The envelope was large, square,
and of heavy texture; the flap bore
a coronet, and it 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 Calllster, Esq.-My Dear Sir:
Could you do me the favor to call at II
Kensington Gardens this afternoon about
four, according to your convenience? l
wish to consult you personally on a most
urgent 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 Scarlet, 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 most
guarded manner, since the impending
scandal in high life was not yet com
mon property.
Briefly | ran over the known facts
to freshen my memory before starting
to keep the appointment with his
lordship. Some six years earlier the
title had come to him as the nephew
of the tenth Viscount Ashley, who
had presumably died without issue.
] use the term presumably" for want
of better. The old nobleman once
had son, a ne'er-do-well. who had
disappeared 90 years before and
was long since given up as dead by
all save his mother, the dowager Wis.
countess, now an old woman of seven
ty and over.
But an old woman's fond fancies
could not be allowed to stand in the
way of the heir-atlaw, and when
Lionel Ashley failed to appear, though
his fathers demise was widely her.
aided, the law assumed that he was
dead. the nephew, Gerald, succeeded
was confirmed in the title and estates
by the house of lords, since enjoying
undisturbed possession.
However, about six months before
came into the case on that June after.
noon, claimant" had appeared in
the person of a fellow who asserted
that he was Lionel Ashley and the
rightful heir-as of course he was
If his proofs were good. But al
though the claimant bore a strong
physical resemblance to the missing
heir and was In fact acknowledged as
her organising son by the dowager
and sundry old family retainers; de
spite the fact that he showed a re
markable knowledge of detail con
corning the family history and his
own boyhood; and Notwithstanding
that he told a most specious tale as
to his 20-year wanderings, there were
enough suspicious circumstances about
the man and his tale to cause consid
cradle doubt among those most inter
ested and who were unblinded by
maternal love and unbiased through
fancieG old associations. Among
these. naturally, was the present Wis
count, my correspondent. although
judged him too fair-minded and honor
able TO dispute Just claim properly
presented.
There, then, were the scanty facts
in my possession when l closed my
desk, called a hanson, and directed
the cabby to drive to Kensington Gar
dens. ! was too old a hand to let my
mind be biased by mere newspaper
talk. so was prepared to meet Wis.
count Ashley on neutral ground, If. as
I supposed, his family affair" con.
cerned the claimant"
Nor was I mistaken. was scarce.
ly seated when my client plunged into
the matter nearest his heart-for OF
course the case meant to him every
thing in the world-wealth, position
and political preferment