The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-12-05 00:00:00

AN IRISH ROMANCE.

A remarkable trial has been heard in the Irish
Court of Queen's Bench, in the form of an issue di-
rected by the Landed Estates Court, to ascertain the
legitimacy of Mary and Thomas, children of Captain
Charles Hendrick. The story in a romance, as the
following outline will show : --
The Hendricks were an ancient family, residing in the
county of Kildare, and the grand uncle of Thonias was a
gentleman whose Christian name was Edward. He was en-
titled to two estates in the county, Tully and Kerdestowts,
which were of the value of about £2.700 a year, and on his
death, having no son, his estates devolved on his three
daughters as co-partners. Frances died intestate, and
unmarried ; another, Charlotte, made a will, leaving her
third to her e.main, Captain Charles Hendrick, and to Ids
brother, the defendant, Hans, for life, and with remainder
over to their children Mary was the last surviving sister,
who had been for many years blind, and by a settlement
made on the let of F,bruary, 1853, ehe devised her property
in the name way as her sister Charlotte had done—natnely,
to her two cousins, wills a limitation over to her own right
heirs, should they die without issue.
Captain Charles Hendrick was an officer in the Ist Royals,
and had served not only her present Majesty but a prior
'Sovereign with great distinction, and when he eventually
retired from the army he went to live at a place ealled
Bolton Lodge, near Naas. This was about the year ISSO,
and captain Charles Hendrick, was then about Ility.two
years of age, he was fond of sporting and other amusements
of ta similar character, and also kept racehorses at the
Corrects, and lived a bachelor's life.
It would appear that prior to this Eliza Fallon lived with
her father its Naas, lie being a letter-carrier, and this girl
first unarriod a person of the name of Michael Kearney, a
mats in a humble rank of hie. lie kept a nursery and seed
shop its Naas, and there were three sons, the issue of the
; marriage, which had taken place in 1043. Finding his busi-
ness failing and Isis family increasing Kearney determined to
emigrate to America, and, should he be more successful than
,L in his own country, to send for Isis wife and children. Ilis
L hopes were defeated, and he died very shortly afterhis arrival
t at St. Louis. Eliza, his widow, was allowed by a kind land-
L. lord to live for some time in the old house at Naas, but soon
s found that no alternative was left to her but to go and earn

bread for herself and her children.
Lady Anna He Burgh, a lady not more exalted in Faition
than in goodness of heart, became acquainted with, and
interested in, the poor widow, who, three months after the
departure of her husband to America, had given birth to a
daughter, and she recommended her as nurse to one et her
relatives, and subsequently as a housekeeper to Captam
Charles Hendrick. She wasto lon paid £l5 a year, and, being
a person of great intelligence, a portion of the duty devolving
on her was to read for her employer the newspapers and
periodicals, as his sight was somewhat impaired
Disparity of rank constituted no barrier that might net be
levelled, and in about six weeks after she had arrived at
Bolton Lodge Captain Hendrick made propitiate of mar-
riage. Ile was a Protestant, she was a Roman Catholic, and
she declined the offer, stating that she was satisfied
with her present position; that she was no match
for Idol, and would be satisfied to try and save
money for her children The proposal, however, on his
part was renewed alter a short interval of time, and
ultimately yielding assent, on the 27,11 of I ictober, 1852,
aptain Hendrick brought into the parlour at Bolton Lodge
the Rev. Mr. Doyle, the parish priest of that parish, and a
marriage was solemnised between them. She was then his
wife mortally; but there was a law yet unrepealed which
wades marriage solemnised by is Roman Catholic priest null
and void where one of the parties was a Protestant, and ex-
posed the priest himself to very heavy penalties.
Some time after this eerentony had been performed, and
their living together as man and wife, Captain Hendrick
proposed to Mrs. Hendrick that a second menage rite
should be solemnised before the Rev. Mr De Bergh, the
Protestant clergyman, or before the registrar, but she then
declined to secede to this suggestion. She presided in the
house of her husband as his wife, but the household was a
limited ene, and the marriage kept secret, as he was con-
scious, so far as social position was to be regarded, that he
had ormed a raexsaliia nee
About fourteen months after the marriage—namely, In
January, 1054—Mary Hendrick was born. The medical man
who attended woo Mr. Carron, of Naas, a seneral practitioner;
and again, in 1555, Mrs. Hendrick found herself in an in-
teresting position. The attempt which would be made at
the other side would be to show that no child was born after
this period Captain lieedrick lived with MS wife at Bolton
Lodge until 1,57, when they came to Dublin, and took a
small house at Cranmer-place, Haddington-road, near
Beggar's Bush He was not in affluent circumstances, having
sold his commission for £l,oeo, and his broeber flans being in
the collection of the rents; and his principal income was a
present annuity front his cousin of £75. Late in 1857 Mrs.
Hendrick found that she was again M the family way, mil
her husband expostulating with her upon her ruining the
prospects of her chlidreu by not having a legal binding
marriage solenmised, she assented to his wishes, and, on
the 20th of May. 185 s, they went to the office of the
registrar of marriages in Dame-street, and were legally
united.
Mrs. Hendrick, after this, when finding her confinement
approaching, sent for her sister to be present, and on the
Otis of July, 1858, the plaintiff Thomas was born. After the
birth of the boy he sees sent down to hie grandmother,
Bridget Fallon, at Naas, for change of air, and subsequently
brought back, when Captain Hendrick removed to Mount
Tallant Cottage, lisiundtown, in Meech, 1862. Ile then
made his will, and 'mowing that the real estetes were settled
upon the boy Thomas by the deed of his COUSiII, lie did not
name him in the will, but left £5OO, the proceeds of a policy
of ineuranoe, to his daughter, and any further personal pro-
perty to his "dearly beloved wile" On the 24th of March
1062, he died, and Mr. Haus Hendrick, the defendant, w-ho
had never crossed the threshold of his brother's door for
years, then first Introduced himself to the widow. The
defendant was in the house on more than one occasion im-
mediately after the death, and on a second visit was
accompanied by hie solicitor, Mr. Townsend; and counsel
next adverted to a very peculiar incident in connection
with this singular case. Captain Hendrik, while serving
in India with his regiment, had been presented by Mr.
Rieliardson, a brother officer, with a Bible, the binding of
which being worn out was re-bound about a year prior to his
decease. It lay in the house, and was in the parlour when
Mr. Ilans Hendrick came to the house, and also when his
solicitor was there. Mrs. Itendrick had never looked into
the Bible, perhaps because it was a Protestant version of the
Scriptures, and immediately after her husband's death she
was asked by Mr. Hans Hendrick to give it to him. She
accordingly sealed it up, and also her late husband's Prayer-
book, and laid both on the mantelpiece of her lied-room. She
went to sleep, when about midnight she awoke, dreaming
that her husband stood by the bedside, with the fly-leaf
of the Bible In lIIS hand, and saying, • Eliza, take that leaf
out of the Bible.' She got up, lighted a candle, went down
stairs, and in the parlour cut out this leaf, which she had
never seen before, and it could be produced. The handwriting
on it was that •of the deceased, There wad the entry and the
birth of the girl ii 1054, and after that Thomas Hendrick,
born July, 105—. Was the entry left incomplete, or had
she last figure been 8, and was it obliterated, and by whom
was the leaf tampered with?
The learned counsel expressed his confidence that the jury
would find a verdict, as a former one had done, in favour of
Tholims Hendrick, the plaintiff.