A STRANGE STORY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5397, 15 July 1878, Page 3

A STRANGE STORY.

There is a young baronet at present, in London whoso case deservos -commiseration (says tho Whitehall Ilociew). Sir Chanda's Stanhope Hoskyns Eeado, ninth baronet, is the son of .a Madras officer, and great nephew of the lato Sir .John Chandos Eeado, of Shipton Court, Oxfordshire,- and Oddington Park, Gloucestershire, who in Jus dotage disinherited his heir in favor of his footman, a inau of tho name of Wakefield, who has since assumed the name of Eeado. The story of Sir John Eeade’s life remains yet to bo told. He inherited largo landed estates in Berks, Oxon., and Gloucestershire, was a Harrow and Ch, Oh. man, and married a niece of tho, then Lord Elibank. Tor years, his drunken habits were a bye-word, and when ho served tho office of High Sheriff, at a dinner at the “ Star ’’ at Oxford, his intoxication took the form of dancing on tho table. His wife died of grief-; his only son Compton of tho -vice to which ho was addicted. Lastly, ho was suspected of having got rid of his butler—a man called Sinden—by foul play; and some months, after tho death the butler’s widow inscribed on his tombstone the words—“ It was a mortal hand that did the. deed." This led to' a. coroner's inquest, but tho body on being exhumed was found to bo decomposed, arid told no talc. Eor tho last twenty years of his life he lived at’ Shipton Court in complete-seclusion, his only associate being Wakefield, to whom ho bequeathed his entire possessions, including the pictures of Chief Justice Eeado, temp. Henry VII., and of Sir Compton Eeado, the first baronet of the second creation ; together with valuable records illustrating the past history

of a family .which, besides the Chief Justice, counts among its worthies Mr. JohuEldinnnd Reade, the p »efc, and Mi - . Charles Reade, the novelist and dram 'tUt. bi.* Chaudos Reade is engaged at present in ascertaining whether there are sufficient grounds to enable him to move the law courts iii any especial direction ; and I atn informed that, should the case ho thoroughly ’exploited, sonu very strange and dramatic details will be made public. It should be added that. ; Sir Chandos Reado’s right to the baronetcy has been already decided by a law suit iu his favor, the date of creation being 1660/ ,