AN EXTRAORDINARY CAREER

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1760, 7 February 1888, Page 3

AN EXTRAORDINARY CAREER

The discovery that Dr Grant, the bigamist who died last April In the House of Correction m East Cambridge, was none othor than Dr Lewis Ooritrl, a natural son of Viotor Enunuel, Klog of Italy, has aroused a sensation. From the time of Grant's arrest at Clayton, New Jersey, early m Maroh for swindling Ml«t Lnoy Torrey, <t Cambridge, oat of £4000, until he breathed his last hts lips remained sealed us to who and what he was before he figured In the orlmtntl records of the State: his last words were, "The world shall never know me as I wa«." Now, however, the curtain, #hfoh separated the doable personality rolls bsok. revealing an astonishing career. Dr Oontri w&s born m Austria, hot wan th« natural offspring of Viotor Emanuel, K*ng of Italy, and Arobduobess Ad^lhlrd, of Aastria, He *»» born m 1832, two months before Viotor Enrannel and tbo Arohdncha«s were united m marriage. This unfortur<ate circumstance rendered him a natural child only, V.ctor Emanual was at that time King cf Sardinia, and did not succed to the throne of Italy anMI 1861. The aspiration of the young Prince to the throne of Sardinia, led to his being exiled by his fatber, the King. After a soj >urn of some yean m Path, Dr Oontri, otherwise Dr Grant, oame to A merlon, and In New York city he met and married the irst of his many wlves^— a German girl named Louise Boden Miller. In 1861 he enlisted In » New York regiment, and made a good reonrd as a sold<er. It appears that while engaged m the battle Dr Oontri be* oame separated from hta command. Before be knew it he found himself oomfortably installed m Richmond, &nd while there beoame acquainted with Miss Virginia launders, a niece of J ff Davit, Their acquaintance soon ripened Into love, at least on the part of the young woman They were thrown very muoh together, daring the siege, and the young man took every oooasion tfiorded to endear himself to tha objaot of bis affestlons. The yoang German girl was for the time forgotten by him m his desire to captivate ■he young Southern bnauty. She did not | forget him, however, for when she found she had been deserted she made an ap< plication for a divoroa, and procured it on the gronud of neglect and desertion Hardly had peace been declared before Or Ocntrl married Miss launders and fl d with her to Canada. They resided m Montreal hnt a few months wben his brfdo died* He returned to the Statin, arriving io Boston m the spring of 1886, when Feuianlsm was at Uo height. He esponted the " unusjs," end wae among the first to enrol himself m the tank and (i!e then preparing for a raid upon Canada. When tho Fenians left Boston he filed ttip position of colonel. After several other women had been deluded by the adventurer, and he had served a two years' term In S'rtv? Sirg, the S*ate prison of New York, for bigunjy. he quietly left the oouotry, returning to Kuropo for the purpose, as he expressed it of dttpoilng of some p -operty whioh he h#ld Inert m his own rtpht. Daring his residence with Dr. M'Sheehy's folks at Eiut Boston, he w*s ih constant c^mmanioft'lon vith nesrlp all the countries of Eurppj. What his 'otters ootitaloed his wife never knew, One thing was certain, be bore do great love for hi« brother Humbert, tb© log&t saeceeaor to the throno of Italy. He repeatedly said it was his right, and that if anyone had bis due he should be the next King of Italy, boing, aa he claimed, born under a promise of marriage, and since that marriage was shortly after con summatcd, he, not Humbert, was the lflgal heir to their father* rights. King Viotor Emarmol died m 1878, and was suooended on the throve by his son Pilnoe Humbert, Dr. Coutri was at that t'raa abient I i Europe, but as to the nature of his doioga there no one appears to know. The next beard of him was In London, where, under the name of Dr. Grant, he advi'rtieed as. % specialist, and lectured extensively on mlt.d oarlpg. Becoming >. once more ia trouble with th« opposite sex, he returnod to tho United States, where he learned that Mrs Jane Delancy, of Boston, the only woman he acknowledged as bis real wlfw, had secured a divorce from him soon after he abandoned her. It was while out upon a leoture tour, that ha first met and married the woman who Is known as Kate Ray, his alleged »lntflr. Together they conspired to "do op " the large watering planes of the country. In the summer of 1884 Or Oootrl and his "sister" were at Old Orchard Beaoh, Mo., under the name of Dr Perry. He claimed to be an extremely wealthy Englishman with untold possessions m j Australia. The womtn he passed off as his sister who also possessed "great wetlth " Among thn visitors to the Bo&oh was a Miss ftmtna K^nos, of ISt Thomas, O*nkd», whom na»rrl<>d m ''short order " Be secured £4000 from her, and then lefc bet to mourn over her mistrust m man. Ho proposed to a number of other ladies, And In short oaran so near carrying a Mrs Wiliiami, a rich widow of KtrniQbunk, Memphis, as to be engaged to htr. The timely Interfereope of friends forluaMe'y saved her. At Kevero Beac'i he laid siege to the heart of Miss P.iddlo, if M^nohester, New UamDnh're, nrr.poa d to her and was rejeo'ed. F ota 1885 to 1837 the doctor's uiatrim"ulal veutures were almost too nuraoroua to mention. la August 188), he married Miss Laoy Torrey, of Uambrld^e, And a month la'er deserted her, taking with him her whole fortune Tnis vonture provod alono to be worth £4000 to the Italian Prince, a som whlohhesoon disposed of Alt-r that nft'air Dr Grant weut Into hiding m OlujtoD, New Jersey, where some tirao previoaeiy he bad purchased a comfortable little farm. Having had a rosldenco at Cambridge once, it is very probable he knew all about MJsa Torrey. Datectiye Duoey.'of Oimbridge, got upon his trapk, and after somo y^y •kilfoldetoptlv« work, arrested him at Clayton, New Jersey, early m M»roh. fie wan taken baok to Cambridge »nd ormm,ittod to tho Hot;so of Oorrcclon to, await his trial. On the 26th of April be died, and as he supposed, I also the secret of his past lift). That Dr Oontri and Dr Grant wore one and the s»tne person has been established beyond a doubt by partios who knew the dogtor nnd his former pharipter only too well, His many widows ian*t be pleased to know th.ftt they have been, married to an Italian Piiooe