The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-08-21
KNIGHT IN 1908
is NOW PAUPER
PitifuI Ending, of Career OF Sir
Luke White, Once Member
of Parliament.
BANKRUPT AND A WRECK
Some of His Poor Constituents Lost
Their All by Intrusting 1t to Him
War Makes Financial
Distress Known.

London-From a position of afflu-
ence, popularity and public service
which won him a seat in parliament
and 8 knighthood, Sir Luke White is
ending his days as the inmate OF a
workhousc infrmary in Drlffield. Clev-
er enough to rise from poverty to q
noted career, lnjudicious investments
brought him low, and ut the height OF
his political power he was forced to
confess himself bankrupt. He carried
down with him numerous trusting con
s~tituents, and his liabilities of $l35,-
600 included $4,000 in loans from
poor people who had confided their all
TO him. The shame of having thus
wrecked the savings Of those who be-
lieved In him completely unnerved
him. Now he is dependent on public
charity, his spirit utterly crushed, and
he is one of the most pitiful figures In
the north of England.
Began as Office Boy.
Born in DeightOn. ear York, In
1916. he was an office boy at fifteen
for a solicitor, who paid him about 80
cents a week. After eight years in
that service, of course with increasing
income, he became managing clerk for
another solicitor in Driffield. In an
other six years he was admitted to
the bar as solicitor, and In the same
year he succeeded to the practice of
his employer, who had died.
He speedily became known as a
local preacher and speaker for a large
district, and he was highly popular
and successful. For years he was
chairman of the local board, and then
of the urban district council. Then he
went to the East Riding county coun-
ell. In 1896 he was appointed n OF
the coroners for East Riding. He act
ed as election agent for Sir Angus
Holden. Liberal member Of parlia-
ment for the Buckrose division, and
when Sir Angus died in 1900 White
was chosen as his successor. In 1908
he was knighted.
He continued to divide his time be-
tween his attendance at Westminster
and his business In Yorkshire, but as
he gave more time to his parliament
airy duties than to his private affairs,
his practice suffered. The war brought
out the fact that he was in financial
distress, and last fall he resigned his
seat and filed a petition in bankruptcy.
1t appeared in the bankruptcy pro-
ceedings that some of his poor CON
~stituents had confided their money to
him to put into val loans.
Popular For Years.
Friends provided for him for
awhile in a sanitarium near Scar
borough. When that fund was ex.
hausted he was removed to the work
house infirmary. which almost adjoins
the court in which he formerly prac
tised. His tragic misfortune caused q
great sensation in East Yorkshire
where for years he had been so vel
known and liked that in the town OF
Bridlington particularly his photo
graph hung on the walls of every
other house. He had been eminently 9
poor mans lawyer.
His fate is now brought afresh ts
public notice by an action against
Herbert Brown, a deputy coroner FOL
the East Riding of Yorkshire, who Il
charged, jointly with Sir Luke, will
having appropriated to the persona
use of Sir Luke In 1907 1000 intrust
ed to them by Whitman Hatfield for In
vestment. Sir Luke escapes arraign
ment owing to his physical and ner
YOU collapse.