A Romantic Story.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3676, 28 February 1899, Page 3

A Romantic Story.

THE CLAIM TO THE HAMILTON DUKEDOM. Fuller information has arrived in London from Johannesburg of the claim of a man passing under the name of Charles Gunn to the Dukedom of Hamilton.- It was as long ago as August, 1897, says the “ Daily Mail,” at Pretoria, that Gunn first put on record his claim to the dukedom—two years after the death of the twelfth duke. The claimj-ywhleh was not then made public, was pn|sJforth in the form of a sworn statement'as follows:—“I, the undersigned, Charles Archibald Hamilton, bom May 18,' 1547, hereby declare that I am the second son of William Alexander Archibald; 11th Duke of Hamilton, and Princess : Mary of Baden, and only brother*of William Alexander Louis Stephen, the late duke. That I left England after fighting a dpie , and that, for various reasons of my own, in 1886 my death was formally announced, and a sham funeral gone through at my request. Acting ■ under instructions from me, my men, Charles Stuart, living in the Hunt house, Cadzow, and Archibald Robertson, of Bothwell Haugh, filled up the coffin to represent the proper weight.- A similar testimony to this was placed in thq coffin, which, was sent down to Hamilton palace and placed in the family mausoleum. The coffin can be opened and examined! at any time in proof of .-this statement. I make .this declaration in case of death, or any* accident occurring to me previous to my reaching England, to enable my son to claim the title;*! I was married under the name of Gunn, of Gunn, to Rosie Theresa Fuchs, widow of the late Rathfelder, andphavo two children by the marriage living—orio daughter and one son. Marriage and baptismal certificate attached, (Signed), Carl Hamilton, otherwise Gunn, of Gunn. As witness, H. Glaeser Sworn before me, Aug. 19, 1897, at Pretoria, by the above-named Gunn, of Gunn, Edward Cohen.” There is nothing in this statement inconsistent with the facts to be found in Burke’s Peerage. Sir James Harris, the British Consul at Nice,, assured a correspondent there that Lord Charles Hamilton died at Nice in. 1886, after arriving in the last stages of consumption. Mr E.f Prat, the local undertaker, stated that the corpse of Lord Charles was put in the coffin, which was screwed down in his. presence. The death; certificate at Somerset house confirms this date and place of death; but this certificate is witnessed not by\a doctor at‘all, ■' but only by the aforesaid E. Prat, and it bears no statement of the,cause of death. Meantime, the claimant to the dukedom is under remand at Johannesburg, -the charge of fraud, which is preferred against him arising out - of.this 1 Very c'aimy in a curious '.maner. - It appears that one Charles Kirkpatrick was -counting Mrs Gunn’s daughter, and he lent Mrs Gunn various sums. Later on ho met .Mr Gunn, who said he was going Home to claim his estate as 13th Duke of Hamilton. Then it was that Gunn gave Kirkpatrick the document which had been sworn at Pretoria; as set forth above.; Gunn said. he wanted mopey to go Home to prosecute his claim,' and Kirkpatrick advanced him some, , without, as he stales, ever trying to find out whether Gunn’s claim was genuine oc bogus. Gunn did not sail, and did not explain to Kirkpatrick why he did not, beyond stating that he had lost (presumably in speculation) £l2O dr £l3O of the amount advanced. Kirkpatrick thereupon had Gunn arrested on a charge of fraud, and that charge is still pending.'