New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-04
HEIR TO CONEY ISLAND
But 1t Is the One in Tough Neagh
Which Will Come TO Lord
N0rthIand.

The announcement of the engagement Of
lord Northland TO Hilda. daughter and
heiress Of the late Sir Daniel Cooper, who
vas one Of the pillars of the English turf
and one OF the great ground landlords OF
sydney Australia bears out what | stated
in these letters more than three years ngo
namely, that 1t would be impossible for
rim TO wed Mrs. Stirling, with whom his
name had been coupled in the divorce suit
brought by the Scotch laird, John Alex
ander Stirling. Mrs. Stirling. It will be re-
Numbered, was before her marriage Miss
clara Elizabeth Taylor. pretty American.
Lord NCrthland is a Scotchman. His
father. the Earl of Ranfurly. head Of the
house which furnished John Knox to Scot
ism history as a leader OF the Reforma-
ton in the northern kingdom. and having
also in MS veins the Quaker blood Of Will
IAN Penn is Scotch peer and land owner.
Lord Northand is his son and heir.
Now the Scotch divorce laws are very
neculiar. They do not forbid divorced
people TO marry again. The guilty party
may marry Immediately after the decree is
pronounced anybody except the correspond
ent in the case. This rule, which is most
strict and imperative dates in its present
form in Scotland from the year 1000. and
has always been vigorously enforced. It
can be tracked back TO much greater an
tiouity. having been insisted upon by the
Roman Catholic Church in early times.
Pope Innocent III a. Z. 1196-1216) re-
Taxed il to the extent Of decree that on
the death Of the innocent spouse the guilty
PARTIES might be married. The Scottish
Reformed Church, however. revived the rule
IN all its severity. and although several at
tempts have been made TO bring about It's
repeal--on the last occasion in 1S60-lt still
remains in force, so that the unwritten law
which makes il incumbent upon core
sponGent 70 wed the respondent in d.
vorce suit as soon as he Is permitted by
law 10 do so cannot very well be applied
10 the case Of Lord Northland.
And I am not aware that the lady In the
case had any expectations Of the kind, for
she Indignantly denied the allegations IN the
cross suit brought against her, declaring
them 10 be a tissue Of remarkable 1alse-
hoods, only fabricated because her husband
knew that she was going to sue him. Be-
sides all this, Lord Northland, being the
heir 10 a Scotch peerage. and being at
tached to the soil, as it were, would find II
difficult 10 divest himself Of his Scottish
nationality and adopt some foreign !rgal
sonicile that would enable him 10 marry
Mrs. Stirling.
Lord Northland is a man OF about forty
years OF age. He has seen a great deal OF
the world, having, among other things,
acted as aide-de-camp 10 his father when
the latter was Governor General Of New Yea
land, where he achieved so much popularity
that when he completed his term Of office
the colonials petitioned the crown TO ap-
point him for six years more. Lord Ran
furry could not very well resist this fiat
tering appeal. and remained for a year
longer. when Inconsistencies took possession
% him and he returned 70 Ireland. But
he still has considerable property IN the
Antipodes. notably in Australia, where he
is interested in an immense fruit canning
establishment in Victoria. He owes his &C
cession 10 the peerage 10 the fact that his
elder brother was killed while out on an
elephant hunting expedition on the east
coast Of Africa.
IN the course Of his explorations Lord
Ranru-ly collected and dispatched to the
South Kensington Museum many hun
dreds OF specimens Of antipodean birds,
and has the honor OF having & new species
Of CORNER ant which he discovered named
in his honor "Phalacrocorax ranfurlh."
He is married to q daughter OF old Lord
CharlenUnt. who for many years was so
familiar z figure at Dublin Castle as usher
OF the Black Rod 70 the Order Of St Pat
REX and as Controller Of the viceregal
Household.
Heiress TO Coney Island,
AS Lady Ranfurly IS the only child Of
Lord Charemont, she will inherit at his
death no less a place than Coney Island.
do not mean the Coney Island en- the
ocean trent OF New York City. however,
but the Coney Island in County Armagh.
sacred to the memory Of St. Coney. II is
tiricult for those who have visited New
Yorks Coney Island at the height Of the
season 10 realize that II owes its name TO
a saint who was also a reciuse. She is
called q saint, though as matter Of fact
she mas had 10 reIr ain content with beatiri-
cation and is still awaiting canonization.
Her island is situated in Tough Neagh and
was a favorite retreat Of ST Patrick.
According TO tradition, 81. Coney was a
pious woman who lived in lonely cave
in the woods Of Tyrone. She practised the
art OF healing with so much success as to
win the respect and love Of the natives
Put when in the fourteenth century the
C'Neills advanced from the Derry side TO
displace the O'Connors, who held posses
sion OF the southern coast OF Tough Neagh,
their chief. Dermot, fell seriously i'll and
he was carried 10 the cell Of ST Coney.
However his complaint deied her skill and
he died shortly sfterward His followers
accused the saint of being tool of their
enemies and swore vengeance. But the
O'Connors came 10 her assistance and car
RED her off 10 the island which bears her
name TO this day. There she continued TO
practise medicine" for many years, and
when she died the O'Connors erected to
her memory tower, the ruins Of which
have been converted into msusoleum by
the Charemont family.