The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1915-10-07
CHAPTER !.
A HERITAGE Of Hate.

vt Is June in Virginia, June In the
year of our Lord 1882. The fields
are green, the early blossoming
of the honeysuckle gives fra
grance to the air. At such q time, In
such q scene and such surroundings,
two horsemen meet Both are men OF
striking appearance and proud pres
ence and are in the maturity OF their
middle manhood. They are Stanleys,
cousins In blood. The one on the bay
hunter, Judge Lamar Stanley, Is
smooth Of face, that Is marked with
cruel and heavy lines. His face Is
harsh and set, and the grim lines of
his countenance set the grimmer at the
approach Of his kinsman, Colonel Ar
thur Stanley. The latter rides his
chestnut saddler like soldier. Judge
Stanley's seat Is that Of huntsman.
Even as they ride they differ. Colonel
Stanley's face is kinder. A white mus
tache and imperial add to his soldierly
appearance.
In Richmond during the war Judge
Lamar Stanley had been high in the
councils of the cabinet Of President
Jefferson Davis. In the field his
cousin, Arthur Stanley, followed the
fortunes Of the Confederate arms as a
member Of the staff of General Lee.
Crossing each other in love, crossing
each other in martial, civic and social
ambitions. their mutual hatred grew
with their growing years. There were
deep causes for all this in the thwart-
ed social ambitions Of the Judge. AS
the scion Of the elder branch Of the
American Stanleys, springing from
their common ancestor, Sir Arthur
Stanley, gentleman adventurer, who
came to America in 1915, Colonel Stan
ley held possession Of the precious fam
fly heirloom, the diamond from the
sky.
The family tradition ran that this
great gem had fallen In blazing me-
teor at the feet Of Sir Arthur Stanley
three centuries ago just as he was
about to be burned at the stake by the
Indians, whom he had in some way
afrronted and aroused.
The legend was that the Indians had
deemed the falling meteor an omen
from the Great Spirit that the white
man about to be tortured was under
the favor Of his protection. This leg
end further stated that Sir Arthur
Stanley himself had so accepted the
diamond from the sky as token of
supernatural favor, especially as the
Indians had called 1t "the fallen star"
and as "The Fallen Star" Sir Arthur
Stanley himself had been called after
his banishment from the court of King
James of England for some wild esca-
pade Of gallantry when he was but
turned Of twenty-five.
In the age stained family archives
kept in the strong box ut Stanley hall,
the great mansion home Of Colonel
Stanley, there was the will Of the wild
Sir Arthur, and at its end there was
strange prophetic clause This clause
read that when the noble line Of Stan
heir Of the old Stanley earldom was
sought among the elder sons Of the
American family Of Stanleys in vir-
ginia the diamond from the sky, the
heritage of the elder son of this elder
branch, should be borne and worn back
to England by the American earl when
he came into his English earldom.
At the time we write-that is, in
June, 1SS2-the last Of the earls Of
Stanley was bachelor invalid and
recluse. without hope or desire Of an
heir.
Colonel Stanley had no son to sue
ceed to the earldom in England. He
was married to fair young wife, who
expected shortly to become mother