The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-31
Lord Queensberry, by Recent
Actions. Places Himself in
Equivocal Position.
~ Ia MARauIsE DE FoNTENoY.

during tho past week In New
h"rh' ut public auction, OF his furniture
| ana curios. brought over from England,
SUMO tairly large prices being obtain
ca. Shortly after his arrival here last
iah' proceedings In bankruptcy were in
stituted against him, and, although he
returned to England for few DAYS
ABOUT Christmas time, to see his chill
dren, he docs not seem to have mid
any attention to the summons issued
ny tho Judge OF tho London Bnnkruptcy
Court to appear before him. The Judge.
on learning OF this visit. and on II be-
ing shown that tho marquis has Iiabiii-
Tics TO the tuno of about 100000. and
no assets. also that lie had frequently
peen bankrupted before, Issued an or
aer Tor his attachment. that liz TO gay.
ior MS arrest. in the evont OF his over
again coming within British jurisdic-
| ton.
Under the circumstances. tho salo of
ms fnrniture, brought from England.
very hrst day of the auction, appears,
nt hrst sight Mt any rate. Somewhat
Inceri l may be that the marquis
proceeds of tn, sale OF this furniture
and curios to the benefit of his Enslish
SSrea,tors. But In tina. case why should
which even in the most plausible Light.
y. TO say the least. something OF a
Lord ouccnsberry, when hc f,rst
came over hero In the fall. announced
ms intention OF becoming an Ameri-
ian ian Siti%en without delay. and OF maxi
1nS MS homo from henceforth in tho
United states, taking his chance with
! every one else In earning enough for
inc existence OF his wife and OF his
/ Ind hat
, taken out his FIRST papers, and unless
lie mas very good explanation OF Il
number OF matters to OFFER to those
who at frst wero disposed to sympa-
thiHe with and help him. he is bound
10 forfeit their respect aud cstecm
w SaneI,o 49,, would provo 10 him a severe
! may engage here in America
II must he thoroughly understood
.nat II no were 70 return to England
bankruptcy. the worst that could be
done to him would be tbs refusal OF
n discharge. which would deprive him
c OF civic rights in Great Britain. or
rest from the time of his surrender
70 the Jurisdiction of the court until
MS app aarance before. the Judge, since
against him There would be no i'm
prtsonmcnt afterwards. unless he was
shown to be guilty OF fraud.
Tho court might. however, he in
taking OUT OF the country his furni-
ture, when in an insolvcnt condition.
fraud, and in that event the marquis
Jail.
calling In certain phases the Madame
ltunbcrt fraud and the bogus mil
lions OF the Nonresident Crawfords,
have been dragging their weary length
ar.t. iltt.s
not only enormous expenditure in the
matter OF legal costs, but also the
swindiing Of poor and crcduious peo-
pie who have been constantly putting
UP money to aid the cause OF the plain
TINS. Briefly speaking, 1, seems that
some seventy or eighty years ago peo-
pie OF the name OF Brandt, OF the lit
Ito German town of AscherslcDcn. went
to the late Count Charles Douglas.
VINO, rs the greatest landowner OF the
district. was the mayor, and told him
that they were heirs TO n fortune left
BY an ancestor OF theirs at Amsterdam, [,
and asking him. in his capacity as' bur
getting hold of wha; was due TO them
from ths Dutch authorities. They
placed q lot OF papers in his hands but,
after going over them, he informed
thcin that the affair seemed to him TO |
ne myth IL not n swindla, and warn
ed them not to base any hopes th.rc-
on. He at the same time gave them
back their papers.
Nothing more was heard about the
matter until 1865. when the Brandt;i |
started n suit against Count Louis !
Doug las, AS the eldest son and Drinc!- |
pal heir OF the late Charles Douglas.
and who owns vast estates In sweden |
and In Germany. They insisted ,hai
his father, Count Charles Douglas. had |
not returned the papers. but had re- |
tained possession thereof, including the |
ancestors will, and had made use there
OF TO appropriate to himself, with the |
connlvance of the latA Prince Bismarck |
the Brandt fortune at Amsterdam, |
amounting, as they declared, to 5000 |
600 horins., They stated. however, that
a sum of 100000 Aorins. They argued |
That tn. great wealth OF the Douglases |
was due TO the Brandt money. and on
the strength of these stories, and OF !
the legal proceedings they had insti- |
tuted. were able TO obtain loans right
and r,ft
light the absurdity OF the Glazing, anu
made clear the fact, IN the hrst place, |
by documentary evidence that the late
Charles Douglas had returned the pa
that neither he nor any member o. |
his family had ever benefited one pen
ny piece by any Brandt money; final |
ly. that, thu alleged Brandt fortune at
Amsterdam, like that of the Craw-
fords in tho Humbert case. never ex-
listed, either at Amsterdam or any
so showed that there were no papers
among the records of any department.
of the Netherlands government show
Ing that such thing as n Brandt es-
tate or Brandt fortune had existed. !
The matter has been carried on APP
peal from one court to another un- 4
I'll finally the supreme court OF the |
German empire. sitting mt Leipsic. has |
affirmed the Judgment of all the low
er courts In favor of the Dougluses, by |
adding to the judicial records Of the !
affair affidavits of the most complies,
extensive and emphatic character byi
the Counts of Douglas. to the effect !;
that neither they nor their father had
ever had one penny piece of the myth
sion. This absolutely ends the matter
for all time; and while the Counts .
Douglas may be congratulated on this, |
still there Is a good deal of sympathy !
for them, in having u sen put to so |
much trouble and enormous expense, |
legal and otherwise In order to de- !