The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-04

comprise Swifte's Heath. ono Of tho
grandcst country seats In tho Emerald
Isle. The great extent OF the posses
that they yield an estimuted revenue
OF some $4,000 to 100000 Il year, and
W were r,o granted by Charles IL. after the
ney sGenerai of the aT paiatimate s' Of ZIP Up
perary, and uncle and guardian Of the
famous Jonathan swift Dean of st.
IN nn ,n euth Sror Of Of Gul! rie,y
College, at Dublin, is still preserved
the original mnnuscript of the witty
deans account of THE Family OF
swift. In which he has much to tell
or the romantic loyalty OF Its mem
bers to the cause OF tho Stuarts, and
one or whom. tho Reverend Thomas
INTO exile. married Il daughter of John
DRYDEN. the poet.
ch mhG Goodwin Swifto, Of tho era Of
Bnrnham SwIfte. who was member of
Parliament. and Afterwards Secretary N
Stn.e IN the reign Of Charles t., who
OF Ccrlingford. Dying unmarried, il
became extinct at his death; In spite
OF Which. several of his descendants
have put forward pretensions to II,
though they have never been admitted
~ the Committee of Privileges of the
House of Lords. or by tho crown. Tho
SUIT which has just been brought to
Il close by 1t decree Of the House or
Lords mas, however, no relation to the
protensions of the present and past
ownGrs of the great swllto estates TO
the Barony OF Carlingford.
ii hrises from the matrimonial
vnsarics Of the late master of Swifte's
lieaili, whose name was Gouwin
Swifie. but who used to style himgeIf
Lord Cariingford lie was tho tather
OF the present owner, and was married
three times. The nrst marriage took
place IN 1888, in kischdorf. in Austria.
ana vas soiemnized By Roman Cath
Ole priest the iady being Muria The
resn Baroness Wetzlur, Roman
Catholic; She died In 1852
In iSi5 Godwln 'Swittc went through
ceremony OF marriage with Jane
Anne Hopkins, daughter OF captain
HOPKINS, OF the Seyenty-sixth Regi
,nent. 1T st. Johns Protestant Church,
LIVERPOOL. Ills marriage with Baron.
ess Wetziar had not been annulled,
but Goodwin Swifte assumed that his
lnarriasc to her had been no marriage
at all. owing TO tho fact that he was a
Protestant, and that the Irish laws
then In force declared that marriages
between Protestnnts and Catholics, cello
bTbtcd by Catholic priests were illegal
This second wife after bearing two
children predeccased Baroness Wctzlar.
and III 1862 GOWN Swifte married
third wife. Miss Jane Clarke, by whom
he had son, Goodwin Butler Meade
Sw!ftc. whom no made his heir. and TO
whom he left his entire property, 1t
being pointed out to the old man be-
fore his death that very grave doubt
existed as TO the legitimacy OF his
TWO elder sons, Longueviile and George
Swiiie. by the second Of his three wives.
AS SO often happens in these suits,
all kinds of charges have been made
on both SIDES. and George Swifte In
Sists that whereas he and his brother
had been extremely well treated by
their stcpmothcr as long as their ia
the, was alive, she behaved abonin-
! ably TO them after HIS death. and cut
herself and her son adrift from them.
Longuevilic. the elder. became q Dub
lin policeman. fell into bad health. and
eventually succumbed TO brain trouble
/ In the Dublin poorhouse.
George Swiftc, the petitioner, has
been saior before tho mast for the
greater part of his life. and insists
: that his s,epmothcr used every effort
when nc Was boy to get him linden
bingham" which foundered with 7GC
coolies on hourd. He subsequently,
served before me mast in the royul
navy. Oh board the frigate Monarch.
and after leaving the service. settled
for a time In Canada, where he does
not seem TO have succeeded very well.
half-nroiher have been carried on. IN
forma pauperis. ~#
lie began by suing Goodwin for the
| possession OF the Swiite estates but
| FOUND himself barred by the STATUTE
! OF limitations. he thcreupon sued Tor
d declaration OF legitimacy, under tho
! Legitimacy declaration act OF 1865,
| praying that the marriage between his
parents. Goodwin Swiftc and Jane Anne
! Hopkins. in 1916 should be declared u
, lawful marriage. or course. II this
! had a right, at any rate, 10 his ia
| theirs cntaiicd property. HIS appiica-
| ton was denied by the IRISH courts.
and carried to the House of Lords. ana
| has row been disposed OF, once and 10!
all time, BY the highest tribunal OF the
! marriage of tire late Goodwin Switte.
! TO Baroness Wet2lar, was perfectly
! legal, since the net rendering voiI
/ any marriage OF Protestant TO y
| Catholic, celebrated by Il Roman Cath
Ollie priest, only applied TO such unions
| when effected In Ireland, and had no
bearing upon mixed marriages abroad.
| AS the lord high chancellor said, the
! act WAS never intended to prescribe
/ what was to be done or not to be
! done. by an Austrian priest In Austria.
and that since the marriage was valid
, in Austria It was, ipso facto. valid ia
England
| Goodwin swiftc has had the good
| sense to refrain from adopting the
| title of Lord Carlinsford, which WAS
last horne, IL may be remembered by
Chichester t'ortescuc. VINO was no re-
lation whatsoever Of the Swifte family,
! but who was Secretary OF Ireland. and
| Il minister of the crown during The
reign of Queen Victoria 1t was she
| who bestowed it upon him, In 1874. OH
rank Of Lord Privy Seal He was the
! husband of the famous Frances.
| Countess of Waldegravc, of Strawber-
| ~ am, and as their union remained
J without issue, the Carlingford peer
| age OF the Victorian creation became
extinct at his death, some eighteen
| years ago.
Goodwin Swifte. the owner of Swifte's
Heath, was born In 1864 few month";
| before the demise Of his father. He n
| a deputy lieutenant and magistrate
Of County Kilkenny, and has served
several terms as high sheriff. He be-
| longs to The kildare street Club, in
i Dublin
Young Count George Festetics, who
! has just been transferred from Paris
to a sccrctaryship of the Austrian en-
| bnssy in London, is the only son anu
| heir of Prince Tassllo Fcststics. the
| head OF the entire Festetcs family
! 1t is 81 peculiarly appropriate nomi-
i I'm Nc LlLiII IL. IL