Produced by Suzanne Shell, Linda Cantoni, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net HISTORICAL MYSTERIES BY ANDREW LANG WITH A FRONTISPIECE _SECOND EDITION_ LONDON SMITH, ELDER, & CO., 15 WATERLOO PLACE 1905 [All rights reserved] [Illustration: William Smith 1754 Pinx. Mac Ardell. Mezzo. Elizabeth Canning. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 15 Waterloo Place, S.W.] PREFACE These Essays, which appeared, with two exceptions, in _The Cornhill Magazine_, 1904, have been revised, and some alterations, corrections, and additions have been made in them. 'Queen Oglethorpe,' in which Miss Alice Shield collaborated, doing most of the research, is reprinted by the courteous permission of the editor, from _Blackwood's Magazine_. A note on 'The End of Jeanne de la Motte,' has been added as a sequel to 'The Cardinal's Necklace:' it appeared in _The Morning Post_, the Editor kindly granting leave to republish. The author wishes to acknowledge the able assistance of Miss E.M. Thompson, who made researches for him in the British Museum and at the Record Office. CONTENTS PAGE I. THE CASE OF ELIZABETH CANNING 1 II. THE MURDER OF ESCOVEDO 32 III. THE CAMPDEN MYSTERY 55 IV. THE CASE OF ALLAN BRECK 75 V. THE CARDINAL'S NECKLACE 99 VI. THE MYSTERY OF KASPAR HAUSER: THE CHILD OF EUROPE 118 VII. THE GOWRIE CONSPIRACY 143 VIII. THE STRANGE CASE OF DANIEL DUNGLAS HOME 170 IX. THE CASE OF CAPTAIN GREEN 193 X. QUEEN OGLETHORPE (_in collaboration with Miss Alice Shield_) 214 XI. THE CHEVALIER D'EON 238 XII. SAINT-GERMAIN THE DEATHLESS 256 XIII. THE MYSTERY OF THE KIRKS 277 XIV. THE END OF JEANNE DE LA MOTTE 297 PORTRAIT OF ELIZABETH CANNING. _Frontispiece._ HISTORICAL MYSTERIES I _THE CASE OF ELIZABETH CANNING_ Don't let your poor little Lizzie be blamed! THACKERAY. 'Everyone has heard of the case of Elizabeth Canning,' writes Mr. John Paget; and till recently I agreed with him. But five or six years ago the case of Elizabeth Canning repeated itself in a marvellous way, and then but few persons of my acquaintance had ever heard of that mysterious girl.