The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-15
Succession Cannot Be Long De.
layed. as Father Is Ninety
One Years Old.
bY LA MAnouIsE die i.nNrENnn

merry OF IN" tplUStrcam Guards.
~ and man OF siNty-tWo now be-
comes next heir TO the Duk edom
of Grafton through the recent death
Of his childless elder brother. the Earl
of Euston, to whose courtesy It'll: he
has already succeed cd
Ills succession - the dukedom can
not ne long delayed. his father. the
duke being ninety -one years old and
in poor health.
The late Lord Euston was we'll
known in this country, having visited
II on several occasions. to represent
Edward VII. at great Masonic gather
ings. the late King up TO thu time of
his accession having been Grand Mas
ter OF the FreeInasons OF the United
Kingdom. Colonel Alfred f'i,zroy is
married TO the daughter of Eric Car
r!ngton Smith and has several children.
being far more fortunate in his choice
of a wife than was his elder brother.
whose whole IF was marred bv
foolish and misguided act when he was
a mere boy. Quite young and incxper-
fenced. ne went through the forms of Il
marriage ceremony with one of the
most notorious observation-disclosures in Lon
don, woman dozen years older than
himself When n. recovered his senses
and realized what M had done. he was
horriiied gave up all his money to
The woman. and left her. going to Aus
ualia, in order 10 get as far away
from her as possible, and begin life
securing employment and acJuitting
himself in q most credltable manner of
his self-.mposed task
Meanwhile his friends at home were
eXerting themselves on his behalf. One
day he was overjoyed at receiving
word from them that they had been
tracing the antecedents Of his wife"
and we're convinced that his maria sc
-
husband living ~ the tine sne. went
through the matrimonial ceremony
with Lord Euston. Fail OF hope, he
mad, haste to return to London. and
Search was made for George Manley
smith," the womans husband. He was
found In New Zealand. and with con-
siderable difficulty and at great eN-
marriage to the woman was proved:
there was no divorce from him.
and the terrible incubus was about
TO be removed from Lord Eus-
ton. But unexpected and at tins very
last moment the case took a new turn.
fact, hitherto unknown by Lady Eus-
ton and her lawyers. that at the time
sh. went through the form of marriage
with George Manley Smith he had n
wife living. whom he had welded three
years previously. and that theref ~ :
there was no impeachment 10 the mar
riaEe Of Kate Walsh-Lady Euston-
10 Lord Euston. So Countess of Eus-
ton she remained. until her death In
1903
For the last ten years Of her life
she was mentally unbalanced and not
responsible for her actions, n state of
affairs which prevented Lord Euston
from obtaining any redress for her ex-
iravaganccs Of conduct. When at last
Lord Euston was free. he had reached
the age of fifty-five. and proba bly,
deemed himself too old 10 form u
second and more worthy alliance. If
he had survived his father and had
taken seat in the House of Lords. ne
would have been one. Of the most i'm
posing members OF that august body.
for he was very tall, standing over six
feet four in his stockinEed feet. OF
course Lord Customs conduct was high
~ censurahle for forming such an un
savory alliance His behavior through
out. however, though foolish. was free
from any faint of dishonor. II, indeed,
the whole truth were known. it might
perhaps be traced TO a sort of mis-
guided chivalry. such as that which
led TO the second marriage of his sis
ter Lady Eleanor The bcstowal of
her hand upon Major Hartford, younger
brother OF Lord Sufield. furnished a
striking demonstration of The folly
which women are, apt to perpetrate
when they allow their compassion TO
get the better OF their common sense.
from motives of profound pity. and
upon men who have shown that they
are unworthy OF such a sacrifice.
II was nearly forty years ago, in the
carly part Of 1915 believe that Major
Walter Hartford, an officer OF the Sew
enth Hussars. was caught in the act OF
cheating at cards at the Cercle de In
Mediterranee, at Nice, and elected by
the servants. after being beaten by the
men whom he had defrauded, and mad
the clothes almost torn from his back
a. nd nf 10
character. and furnished columns Of
sensational comment to the Continental
newspapers.
OF course he was forced to leay, the
army. ana all his London and Paris
clubs II was then that Lady Eleanor
only daughter of the Duke of Grafton
WAS moved by pure compassion TO offer
the outcast her hand i'm marriage \
man with tn smallest atom of honor
or chivalry left in him would Lave de-
clined 10 permit woman TO make sucn
sacrifice for his sake, or il his
scruples were overcome, q deep sonsc
of gratitude would have caused him
TO show the utmost tenderness and
consideration for wife who had done
so much for him. Not so with this
Major iIarbord.
The boycotting to which he was sub
jected by society and all decent people
perverted his mind. and he rev angcd
himself on the last person in the world
he should have raised his hand against
For a long time Lady Eleanor bore
his cruel and humiliatinE conduct not
wishing to revive an old scandal. AT
last his behavior became so outrageous
that she sued for and obtained a di-
vorce, afterwards marrying Major Her
bert Richard Magniac She died In
1905.
The first Duke OF Grafton. as stu.
dents of history are aware was that
son of Barbara Villicrs whom Charles
II. believed to he his own offspring.
and upon whom he conferred the duke
dom and the right to bear the royal
arms. brised of course with n bar sinis-
| ter. Genealogists. however, assert that
the father of this first duke was not
| the Merrie Monarch. but CharlAs Berke-
ley. one of his boon companions. BE
! that as 1t may. the standard "Peerae es''
give the family the benefit OF any
doubt there may he on the subject. and
| credit them with a royal origin
! Tho most famous of the Dukes OF
| Grafton is the third of the line. who
-, al rafa