AN IMITATOR OF " THE CLAIMANT."

Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 6061, 21 September 1894, Page 4

AN IMITATOR OF " THE CLAIMANT."

The villagers of Maiden B-adiey have recently (bi*>a the Wiltshire Times) beou exilted by Ibe tippearaoce uinongs tuem of a pereon who otaims to be the rightful heir of the twelfth Duko of Somerset, an 4 demands the restitution of bis tit'e and e<ta'e. Too clai i ant describes himself as Lord Edward Percy Sfc Maur, who is supposed to hive been dead some 29 years, At any rafca the following is inscribed on a marble tablet m the interior of Maiden Bradley Church : '' lo> memory of Lord Edward Peroy fctMaut, born 19 hof August, 1841, ditd 20th of December, 1865, aged 24. A young man of great, promite, whose ability, talent*, and literary attainments were the hope and pride of hit family. He served as attaelo totbe British Legation m Vienna 1859 to; 1880, m Madrid 1881, and won the approbation of his superiors. Accidentally wounded by a bear while shooting at Yellapoor, tforth Canara, India, he was out off m the fl>wer of his youth " ihe claimant explains away his death ov denying that it ever ooourrod. Ho admito the encounter with the bear, but st&tsi that he escaped from his claws, and got away with eonio loratohes on his body, whioh he will exhibit wheu tbe time comes. His lengthened absence from the old oountrj is ucoounied for oy the assertion that he was taken prisoner by the Bussians and kept m durance vile far a considerable period. Unfortunately, w« fe;tr, for his obauces of coming into the eatale he appears to have told other paople a second Btory that baldly fits m with tho first, namely, that wheu be was a baby he was kidnapped by gipiiss and sent away to tea, and recently succeeded iv workicg his passage back to England. Possibly be had either forgotten or not heard of the bear episode when he inaugurated bis oampaigm He appears to have paid a couple of visits to the village. On tbe first ocoaiion he presented himself at the audit about a f irtnight ego and had »a interview with Lord Peroy Bt Maur with what result we are unsble to say. He turned up again on Tuesday lest and hns not since been heard of* Among the persons he called on was an old gamekeeper who had oft»a been out shooting with Lord Edward before he went to Indu, but who failed to discevor any likeness to him m the ' fresh arrival,' despite the Ittter'e contention that he had the head aod hands of the Somerset family. The new comer is rather down m the world, and io far as olotheg go his appearanoe is Baid to resemble that of a compulsory tourist. So far, there seems to be no likelihood of tho public being treated to another Tiobborne oate.