Evening star., 1923-11-15
Wilson Only American to Sign
Paris ''Colden Book" for Rulers

Lord Audley. and from him to Rich
ard Boyle, Earl of Cork. and II was
during his ownership that Charles I
found refuge and nights lodging
IN tnere n,, after his defeat by the forces
Newbury. Subsequently Stalbridge
passed to the Earls OF Shaftesbury
and then TO the Lords of Angiesey.
1t was in their days that a tragedy
occurred at Stalbridge Manor which
led to its becoming haunted to such
q degree that, when it was destroyed
by fire nearly a hundred years ago.
II was never rebuilt, the residence
OF the family and OF the owners OF
the Stalbridge Manor estates being
transferred to Motcomb House, near
the hrst Lords of Anglesey became In
iatuated by the beauty of a game
Keepers daughter, of which his wild
owed mother. very mastGful wom-
an. endeavored In vain to cure him.
AFTER turning him out Of the house
on account of the girl--he was still
e minor at the time-his mother ap-
pears to have become thoroughly
reconciled to the match and allowed
the>In arriase to take place. All went
%eH at first and then, one night,
when Lord Anglesey returned home
for the days hunting. he was met by
the news that his young wife had
been accidentally burned to death
during his absence, his mother having
been also shockingly injured, so IL
was said. In her endeavors to ex-
tinkutsh the flames.
The Dowager- Lady Knglesey lin
sered on for several weeks and. final
~. before succumbing to her injuries.
she confessed to her son that her
young daughter-in-Iaw having en-
tered her room Just when she had
completed dressing for dinner, She.
IN a moment OF evaporation and
fury. had pushed the young woman
into the open fireplace her daughter,
in-law being. moment later, ems
veioped in n sheet of flame. But In
pushing her daugh,er-in-law into
the fire the dowager had likewise
set her own draperies alight. :.
FROM that time forth, on each an
niversary of the tragedy, there used
to be an apparition in the form OF
an elderly woman enveloped In flames
ana shfleklng in an agonized tone,
Il have done it. I have done itr'
1t was always seen at the top Of the
marble figures representing the
twelve disciples. the apparition TAX
ing it's place beside the topmost
figure, which happened to be that
OF Judas lscariot. In fact, until the
destruction of Stalbridge House by
fire. any guests who happened to be
staying there were consigned to
their room with locked doors, or
else locked out of doors during the
twilight hours of the anniversary Of
the murder
From the Angleseys the manor and
all the property in connection there
with, including the towns of Shaftes-
bury and Stalbridge, were sold to
the first Lord Stalbridge.
\ x r
On the restoration of peace. name
ly. in 1913, the present Lord Stall
bridge informed his tenants on the
estates that. owing to the enormously
heavy succession duties to which he
had been subjected on his fathers
death. and TO the we'll nigh intoler-
able taxation OF landed property rem
penditures Of the great war, he was
compelled to sell the bulk of his es-
tates, Including the ancient towns Of
Stalbridge and OF shaftesbury, the
latter founded by Alfred the Great
by a Rochdale real estate speculator
and promoter Of the name of James
White. who first achieved eminence
and great wealth by his association
with the flotation of the Dunlop
Tire Company. and who, during the
great war, was mainly responsible
for the weekly boxing entertainment
for American soldiers at the National
Sporting Club in London.
Lord Stalbridge has occasionally
been over here and has travelled ex-
tensively in the west, where the fact
that he was a nephew of the first
Duke OF Westminster led the people
to confuse him with the late duke
himself, and finally to set himr down
as the late dukes only son and heir
to that colossal wealth which, ac-,
cording to the s9calculations. of these
western American papers, meant an
income of SO maay dollars for+every
breath that he drew In the twenty
four hours. At one town where Lord
stalbridge happened to stay he
tipped the hackman who had driven
him to the station with a dollar over
and above the regular fare. The man
gazed at the money for a moment In
a kind Of awed silence, and then, his
features suddenly Illuminated by a
happy thought. he held his hand
with the money close up to Lord
StaIbridge's mouth, exclaiming, with
friendly emphasis. Say, Mister. just
breathe couple OF dollars into that
there, please Needless to say, he got
his extra two dollars, though not In
the manner which he had indicateda