Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1932-04-07
HISTORYS |
MYSTERIES |
uasoived Riddles That stiN Puzzle
Authorities Mere and Abroad
Who Was the ChevaIier
St. George?

HeFsUftage-0T tIiIs royal IMPOSE
ton. rs many historians maintain--is
comprised III The annals OF the British
court Just previous TO tile accession
Of William and Mary and in the per.
senal gossip and individual reports Of
number OF persons some years later
for tile sCheyalier st. George i
even more Of a mystery than tile
danphin Of France, The Man in the
Velvet Mask OF .Iames Ord At least.
It Is Il matter of history that these
personages existed, Willie II Is by. no
means certain that the truce Cheyalier
ST. George was ever born
His supposed birth occurred at that
period III English history when the
duke Of York succeeded Charles II
with the title OF James H. and imme
diately made himself extremely un-
popular By espousing the church Of
Rome in spite of The act which for
ever barred Catholics from the throne
of England. 1t was because of this
that James eldest child. Mary. d Pro-
testant. and her husband. William OF
Orange, were invited 10 cross the
channel and rescue the laws and re-
ligions OF England
A few months previous to this, how
ever, 1t was announced that the queen
was about to give birth TO another
child, bur when the hoy was born, or.
nj least. presented To the court, il was
freely stated that the queen had been
Il party to an attempted swindle and
that no child had been recently horn
to her 1T all. This report, as Macuu.
lay declares, gained ground because Of
the fact that "a number Of persons
who were particularly entitled to be
present and whose testimony would
have satisfied al minds accessible to
reason were abseis
But, III spite Of The doubt which ex-
listed as TO tile royal parentase Of the
infant. there could be no doubt, what
ever that d male child WAS chrislened
James Francis Edward Stuart, later to
become known as the Gheyalier ST.
George, and destined In time. TO be
the father OF Bonnie Prince Charlie. "
tile Young Pretender.
But returning to the mystery which
cloaks the origin Of the Cheyalier st.
George, we find that there liked in
England ut the time certain Sir
Theophilus Oslethoipe. who had been
brigadier general and under equerry
To james III, and who had been forced
10 flee To France because lie refused
to serve against his former master
III Sir Theophius' family were two
daughters. Anne and Eleanor. who
during the time tile family spent IN
France, were reared AS Catholics and
befriended the eXiled king Later
when their father was permitted te
return TO England and resume his
sent In parliament after taking ar
oath Of allegiance to King William
| turned, but, because Of their Catholi
| cism, it was necessary That they re
main In hiding. Accordingly they
passed as friends Of Lady Ogle
thorpe instead Of being publicly rec
ognized as her daughters.
Among the young women who came
| 10 the house to do sewing WAS a Ger
| tain Frances Shaftoe who was frank,
! curious as to the true identity Of tht
/ two young friends of the family" ant
finally succeeded not only in dlscov
ering their secret. but in arriving a
what many historians claim Is the trut
account of the identity OF the Cheya
i iier st. George The story which
Frances Shaftoe overheard and which
she later gave To The world with ,
wealth Of corrob0rative detail. wa
that the infant Prince james had die,
few hours after his birth and tina
Lady Oglethorpe had mt the time hur
rled to London with her own son. onl.
a few days old this child being sub
stituted for the dead prince.
The details Of this account wer
made public some five years late
when Anne Oglethorpe was arreste,