Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 August 1889 — A ROMANTIC CAREER. [ARTICLE]

A ROMANTIC CAREER.

How a Son Succeeded to the Estates of His Father. Truth is stranger than fiction. With the advances made by science the ideal •wonders of past ages vanish, and with the bringing to light of buried records the romances of novelists grow tame. A case in point is that of Anglesey versus Anglesey, which was tried in the Dublin Court of Exchequer in 1743, and which occupied fourteen days in its hearing. The claimant was James Annesley, who assumed the title of Earl of Anglesey and claimed the Anglesey estates. The most remarkable evidence ever heard in a court of justice was given in this case. In 1714 Lord, and Lady Altham were residing in Dublin and the latter gave birth to a son. Lord Altham wished to dispose of the boy—his only direct heir —in order to borrow large sums of money on his entailed estates, for my lord was an extravagant peer. He commenced by ill-treating his wife, until she fled for protection to her father, the Duke of Buckingham. He then sent his son away to a country village, and had letters fabricated announcing that unwelcome little fellow’s untimely death. But the boy did not die. His father quit sending money for his maintenance, and his foster-parents abused him so badly that he finally ran away, and after tramping about the country for months found himself in Dublin. He had very shady ideas of his identity, but called himself James Annesley. Once, while running about the streets begging, he fell in with some friends of his uncle, through whom he was introduced to that gentleman. This uncle was heir presumptive to the title and estates of his elder brother and lost no time in getting rid of thfe true heir. H® htd him shipped to this country, as an illegitimate son, and the boy was sold and resold among the rich planters of the South. Erom overwork on one of the plantations he was taken sick and ■was brought to his master’s house to be nursed. Here he fell in love with his employer’s daughter, who accepted and encouraged his intentions. Unfortunately an Iroquois slave also fell jn love witli James, and assaulted his other sweetheart so viciously that her life was in danger. This led to the “young baron” being sold to another master. Further adventures befell him, for he detected his mistress in a scheme of elopement and robbery, reported the discovery to his master, and got nearly killed for his trouble. He ran away to Jamaica, where he secured passage for home on a man-of-war. Arrived at Dublin, his old nurse recognized him, and said if he were the heir lie had a peculiar mark on his left hip. The mark was there, and after other evidence was produced the question of his identity was clearly established. He accepted the estates, but refused the title, and through the bigamy of his dishonest uncle the title was soon afterward declared extinct.