"LADY LETTICE LANCASTER
"Amazing Life-Story of an Adventuress.
"The story of a woman adventuress is always interesting, and that of
Lettice Earnshaw, _alias_ Lady Lettice Lancaster, is no exception. She
is a woman of mystery. Born thirty-four years ago in the West of
England, she has lived the greater part of her life more or less by her
wits. Always a woman of mystery, she has used many names and lived in
many districts, generally changing her name and abode when the
attentions of her creditors became too pressing. Many attempts have
been made to trap her, but she has always escaped, until yesterday, when
she was convicted at the Old Bailey of removing furniture in order to
cheat her creditors, and was sent to gaol for nine months.
"The discoveries made by the police reveal a remarkable romance. Her
birth has always been shrouded in mystery, but it is probable that she
was to a certain extent entitled to use the name Lancaster. Her
father, believed to have been a distant relative of a well-known man of
title, married an actress. Needless to say, trouble was occasioned by
the advent of a child. The family naturally attempted to hush up the
marriage, and the little infant was sent to Camborne in Cornwall, where
her mother had a brother who was a policeman. Lettice grew up into a
knowing and pretty child, looking much older than her real age, and in
1890 she met a medical student, who was staying in the neighbourhood.
Although at this time she was only fifteen, she looked some years older,
and on 9th April she was married at Exeter, to the student, whose name
was given as Henry Earnshaw.
"At this youthful age the young bride started her long list of aliases.
According to the marriage register she was nineteen years of age--a jump
of four years--and her name was given as Edith Jane Lucy Haddon, the
surname being that of her nurse's daughter. Her actual life immediately
after marriage is not known, but about a year later she was living at
Manchester, where, according to the prosecuting counsel in the case
heard yesterday, she was obtaining her living by acting in a pantomime.
Her stay in that city was perhaps her longest in any one district, and
she did not obtain notoriety until some years later. In Manchester she
was known as the Hon. Lucy Huntingdon, and also as Lady Ella Earnshaw.
The Hon. Lucy was unmarried, but Lady Ella had entered the bonds of
wedlock.
"With her many aliases and a husband and foster-brother, who
conveniently changed places as the occasion demanded, Lady Lettice
Lancaster, to give her the name by which she is best known, has nearly
always contrived to enjoy life at the expense of others. When the bills
began to arrive, she denied responsibility, the husband or brother to
whom the creditors were referred was not to be found, and yet, when a
suitable opportunity occurred, she herself disappeared, only to bob up
elsewhere, and continue the same game. The story of this amazing
woman's extraordinary life has never been published, but we are now in a
position to give many interesting facts as to her career.
"The name Lady Lettice Lancaster was not used until about six years ago,
when she blossomed out in London, took a flat in Hyde Park Court, and
was frequently seen driving in the West End. She then started a more
clever system of defrauding her creditors.
"Here is a list of some of her abodes, each of which she left somewhat
hurriedly--
"1903.--Tufnell House, Teddington.
1903.--Skelton, York.
1903.--St Catherine's, Guildford.
1904.--Hackthorn, Lincoln.
1904.--Kiltoon, Athlone.
1905.--Saham Toney, Thetford.
1906.--Gloucester Terrace, London.
1907.--St John's, Woking.
1907.--Stuston Hall, Chelmsford.
1908.--Portleven Mansions, Maida Vale.
1908.--Brancaster, Norfolk.
"It was while golfing at Brancaster that Lady Lettice was arrested and
brought to London under the Debtors Act in connection with her stay at
Maida Vale.
"While she had many residences, they were few in comparison to her
different aliases. Here are some of the names by which the
extraordinary woman has been known--
"Lady Lettice Lancaster, Lady Ella Earnshaw, Hon. Lucy Huntingdon, Hon.
Mary Trelawnay, Mrs Emily Dewar, Mrs Gertrude Curtis, Mrs Evans,
Mrs Shaw, Lettice Leyton, Alice Lethbridge, Grace Fane, Grace
Fitzjames.
"Each of these names was used by her, while she had a habit of giving
one of the other names as reference. In the case for which she has now
been convicted, she was using the name of Mrs Gertrude Curtis, and had
given Lady Ella Earnshaw as a reference."
The report then went on to give an example of the clever way in which
this extraordinary woman escaped paying her creditors, which showed what
a remarkable adventuress she was.
"Early last year," the journal continued, "she took a fine furnished
mansion, Stuston Hall, near Chelmsford, in the name of Mrs Gertrude
Curtis, and almost immediately afterwards a man who was known in the
village as Hoare, and was thought to be her groom, arrived on the scene.
About two months later Mrs Curtis came down from town, but by this
time there was a considerable sum of money owing. Certain sums were
paid on account, but before very long the tradespeople were getting
anxious about their money, and a number of county court summonses were
issued. These were allowed to go by default, and after judgment had
been given, the woman and a man, who was known as Ralph Lancaster, and
was said to be her foster-brother, were found to have removed the
furniture and antiques to London, where it was sold. The defence to the
charge was that Hoare was really Earnshaw, the woman's husband, and that
he was responsible for the debts, which were on his account, he having
given the orders.
"In the witness-box, Mrs Curtis admitted that Hoare was her husband,
and that his real name was Earnshaw. She took the house in the name of
Curtis because she was anxious to get away from her husband, who when
drunk was very cruel, and on one occasion broke her arm. He, however,
found her out, and, as a matter of fact, went down to Stuston Hall, a
long time before her advent there. She claimed to have `a moral right'
to use the name Lady Lettice Lancaster, but `for family reasons' refused
to divulge why. If she did, her income would be discontinued. She
added that she was receiving five pounds per week from a firm of
solicitors in London. The defence did not prevail, and both the woman
and Ralph Lancaster were sent to gaol for nine months.
"The way the three persons mixed up their relationship is decidedly
interesting. Earnshaw or Hoare is the son of an officer who held high
rank in the Navy, and was known as groom, butler, chauffeur, husband, or
foster-brother, while Ralph Lancaster was referred to as foster-brother,
husband, or stepbrother. The real husband was nearly always treated as
if he were the groom, and when the three were living in Yorkshire, Lady
Lettice was summoned for keeping a man-servant without a licence--the
man-servant was her husband! This was not the only occasion on which
the Inland Revenue took action against Lady Lettice. Once when the
woman was prosecuted for keeping a dog without a licence, Lancaster
represented her at the police-court. He then said he did not know
whether she was the daughter of a Duke or of an Earl, but she was his
wife.
"While living near Lincoln, the woman came into prominence for an
unusual assault on a butcher's salesman, who had been sent to obtain
payment of an account. He found the gate of the house locked, and
rattled it to attract attention. Lady Lettice then came out of the
house with a hunting-crop in her hand, and shouted to her daughter: `Let
loose the dogs, and they will kill and devour him.' The dogs, however,
neither killed nor devoured him, but the woman hit him on the head with
a hunting-crop, and knocked him over his bicycle. This little amusement
cost her two pounds and costs at the subsequent police proceedings.
"Lady Lettice was always interested in horses, and she generally had
some good animals in her stables. For some years she, in conjunction
with Ralph Lancaster, had been running a riding-school in the West End,
and it is stated that her income from this source was nearly 500 a year.
When at Woking, in 1907, she was known as the `lady horse-dealer,' and
was very popular locally, until pressing creditors caused her to seek
fresh fields and pastures new. When she was at Stuston Hall, she stated
that she had taken the place for the purpose of teaching riding, and
receiving hunting guests. But although she had several horses there,
the only persons to use them were Lady Lettice, the two men, and the
children. The eldest of the children, a girl of sixteen, frequently
attracted attention by her plucky riding, and she is now earning money
as a rider.
"While Lady Lettice was living at Stuston Hall, the house was regarded
more or less as a house of mystery, and strange tales are told of how
the woman disregarded the canons of convention during the hot weather.
Moreover, the hours kept were hardly regarded as usual by her
neighbours. Stuston, being a small village, is generally asleep fairly
early, but if the statements made to callers are to be accepted as
correct Lady Lettice frequently retired for the night as early as six
o'clock. Nevertheless, it is stated that she was sometimes seen walking
in the grounds during the night in a garb that can only be described as
scanty. Naturally the house was watched by the local tradespeople with
some care, and it was due to this watching that the removal of the
furniture was discovered. The local postman and grocer, to whom she
owed nearly ten pounds, saw the furniture being removed, and followed it
to London, where it was sold. The police, in the course of the
evidence, also hinted at the probability of other and more serious
charges of crime being preferred against them on the expiration of their
sentences."
In the centre of the report was given the photograph of "Lady Lettice,"
taken by one of the news agencies, the picture being the head and
shoulders of a good-looking woman, smartly dressed in tweed country-hat
and tailor-made coat--a woman whose type of features was certainly
aristocratic, and would never be adjudged an adventuress.
When I had finished reading the report--which I here reproduce in order
that you shall be more thoroughly acquainted with every detail of the
strange adventures which befell me--I purchased a copy of the paper, and
carried it back with me to my room at the Hotel Cecil.
Who was that mysterious correspondent of the dead man who had sworn
vengeance. Who was the friend of Lettice Lancaster? For what reason
had that letter been written? What connection could the quiet-mannered,
unassuming old gentleman have with such a trio of clever swindlers?
It was fortunate, perhaps, that the letter had not been burned, for it
had, at least, placed me in possession of some curious facts which must
otherwise have been hidden.
During the next three days I was greatly occupied by my own affairs,
which had been neglected by my year's absence at the Antipodes. Yet
time after time I felt the keenest anxiety as to what could be contained
in the dead man's letter of instruction, and in that corroded cylinder
of bronze.
At last, however, I followed the mortal remains of my mysterious friend
to Highgate Cemetery, the sole mourner, and after I had seen the coffin
committed to the grave I returned to the hotel, where the statue of
Osiris stood upon my table, and there, with impatient fingers, tore open
the letter.