The Lost Million
Page 3
occurred, she herself disappeared, only to bob upelsewhere, and continue the same game. The story of this amazingwoman's extraordinary life has never been published, but we are now in aposition 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, andwas frequently seen driving in the West End. She then started a moreclever system of defrauding her creditors.
"Here is a list of some of her abodes, each of which she left somewhathurriedly--
"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 andbrought to London under the Debtors Act in connection with her stay atMaida Vale.
"While she had many residences, they were few in comparison to herdifferent aliases. Here are some of the names by which theextraordinary 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, GraceFitzjames.
"Each of these names was used by her, while she had a habit of givingone of the other names as reference. In the case for which she has nowbeen convicted, she was using the name of Mrs Gertrude Curtis, and hadgiven Lady Ella Earnshaw as a reference."
The report then went on to give an example of the clever way in whichthis extraordinary woman escaped paying her creditors, which showed whata remarkable adventuress she was.
"Early last year," the journal continued, "she took a fine furnishedmansion, Stuston Hall, near Chelmsford, in the name of Mrs GertrudeCurtis, and almost immediately afterwards a man who was known in thevillage 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 thistime there was a considerable sum of money owing. Certain sums werepaid on account, but before very long the tradespeople were gettinganxious about their money, and a number of county court summonses wereissued. These were allowed to go by default, and after judgment hadbeen given, the woman and a man, who was known as Ralph Lancaster, andwas said to be her foster-brother, were found to have removed thefurniture and antiques to London, where it was sold. The defence to thecharge was that Hoare was really Earnshaw, the woman's husband, and thathe was responsible for the debts, which were on his account, he havinggiven 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 ofCurtis because she was anxious to get away from her husband, who whendrunk 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, along time before her advent there. She claimed to have `a moral right'to use the name Lady Lettice Lancaster, but `for family reasons' refusedto divulge why. If she did, her income would be discontinued. Sheadded that she was receiving five pounds per week from a firm ofsolicitors in London. The defence did not prevail, and both the womanand Ralph Lancaster were sent to gaol for nine months.
"The way the three persons mixed up their relationship is decidedlyinteresting. Earnshaw or Hoare is the son of an officer who held highrank in the Navy, and was known as groom, butler, chauffeur, husband, orfoster-brother, while Ralph Lancaster was referred to as foster-brother,husband, or stepbrother. The real husband was nearly always treated asif he were the groom, and when the three were living in Yorkshire, LadyLettice was summoned for keeping a man-servant without a licence--theman-servant was her husband! This was not the only occasion on whichthe Inland Revenue took action against Lady Lettice. Once when thewoman was prosecuted for keeping a dog without a licence, Lancasterrepresented her at the police-court. He then said he did not knowwhether she was the daughter of a Duke or of an Earl, but she was hiswife.
"While living near Lincoln, the woman came into prominence for anunusual assault on a butcher's salesman, who had been sent to obtainpayment of an account. He found the gate of the house locked, andrattled it to attract attention. Lady Lettice then came out of thehouse with a hunting-crop in her hand, and shouted to her daughter: `Letloose 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 witha hunting-crop, and knocked him over his bicycle. This little amusementcost her two pounds and costs at the subsequent police proceedings.
"Lady Lettice was always interested in horses, and she generally hadsome good animals in her stables. For some years she, in conjunctionwith 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,' andwas very popular locally, until pressing creditors caused her to seekfresh fields and pastures new. When she was at Stuston Hall, she statedthat she had taken the place for the purpose of teaching riding, andreceiving hunting guests. But although she had several horses there,the only persons to use them were Lady Lettice, the two men, and thechildren. The eldest of the children, a girl of sixteen, frequentlyattracted attention by her plucky riding, and she is now earning moneyas a rider.
"While Lady Lettice was living at Stuston Hall, the house was regardedmore or less as a house of mystery, and strange tales are told of howthe woman disregarded the canons of convention during the hot weather.Moreover, the hours kept were hardly regarded as usual by herneighbours. Stuston, being a small village, is generally asleep fairlyearly, but if the statements made to callers are to be accepted ascorrect Lady Lettice frequently retired for the night as early as sixo'clock. Nevertheless, it is stated that she was sometimes seen walkingin the grounds during the night in a garb that can only be described asscanty. Naturally the house was watched by the local tradespeople withsome care, and it was due to this watching that the removal of thefurniture was discovered. The local postman and grocer, to whom sheowed nearly ten pounds, saw the furniture being removed, and followed itto London, where it was sold. The police, in the course of theevidence, also hinted at the probability of other and more seriouscharges of crime being preferred against them on the expiration of theirsentences."
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 andshoulders of a good-looking woman, smartly dressed in tweed country-hatand tailor-made coat--a woman whose type of features was certainlyaristocratic, and would never be adjudged an adventuress.
When I had finished reading the report--which I here reproduce in orderthat you shall be more thoroughly acquainted with every detail of thestrange adventures which befell me--I purchased a copy of the paper, andcarried it back with me to my room at the Hotel Cecil.
Who was that mysterious correspondent of the dead man who had swornvengeance. Who was the friend of Lettice Lancaster? For what reasonhad 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 ithad, at least, placed me in possession of some curious facts which mustotherwise 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. Yettime after time I felt the keenest anxiety as to what could be containedin the dead man's letter of instruction, and in that corroded cylinderof bronze.
At last, however, I followed the mortal remains of my mysterious friendto Highgate Cemetery, the sole mourner, and after I had seen the coffincommitted to the grave I returned to the hotel, where the statue ofOsiris stood upon my table, and there, with impatient fingers, tore
openthe letter.
I read it through.
Then I stood staring at the unevenly scribbled words--staring at themlike a man in a dream.
What I read there held me aghast, amazed, stupefied.
CHAPTER THREE.
WHAT MR ARNOLD LEFT BEHIND.
The letter, written upon the notepaper of R.M.S. _Miltiades_, was datedfour days prior to our arrival in London.
Perhaps I cannot do better than reproduce it in its entirety.
"To Lionel Kemball, Esquire.
"Dear Mr Kemball,--Now, after my death, I desire here to place onrecord my great indebtedness to you for your kindness and sympathy. Youknew nothing of me, yet you took pity upon my lonely and unfortunateself. You have, in addition, made solemn promise to me to act as Idirect. At the outset I desire to be perfectly frank with you and toconfess that I was not what I represented myself to be.