The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-03-19 00:00:00

THE YELVERTON MARRIAGE CASE.

The following letter by the Hon. Mrs. Yelverton,
when she discovered the second marriage with Mrs.
Forbes, is published in yesterday's Freeman's
Journal.

" Wednesday, 26th June, 1855.
"My dear Sir,—When I visited you in London I
was then in total ignorance of the appalling fate
which has since overtaken me. When 1 wrote to
you from here I had heard reports of my husband's
infidelity. Some hours after your letter was posted,
a friend informed me that the very morning follow-
ing my arrival here my husband was privately
married to a widow of property, and they were
gone off together. I will not here enter into
the horror or almost the deathblow this was to me,
but give you as clearly as I am able a simple nar-
rative of the facts, believing from the kindly in-
terest you have taken in me that you are entitled to
know them. The certificate I enclosed to you is a
faithful copy of the one vent Inc by the priest. I
have also the letter accompanying it. I telegraphed
for my brother-in-law, Mr. Bellamy, of Abergavenny
Castle. He proceeded to Ireland, found the priest,
who, shacking to relate, refused to recollect, or give
any information. But upon being told that a second
marriage had taken place, he immediately changed
his tone, admitted that my husband had been to him
a day or two previously, and told him that I had no
friends in England (I am the neiee of the Countess
le Strange), that I had accepted a compromise for
money, that he was all powerful (the very words),
in fact frightened the pnett into secrecy, I believe.
However, be cannot get over the fact of the register
and the letter beiug both signed by him. I pre-
sums this truth we can force him to speak, but
there is another which is of vital importance.
According to the law of Ireland, a marnage by a
priest between two catholica is valid ; but between a
protestant and catholic is not. My husband, I fear,
has no religion whatever, but he led the prieta to
suppose he was a catholic, and the legality of my
marriage now depends whether or no the priest will
consent to recollect this fact, for we have no writing
i,o prove it. Should he on the other hand declare
that he married a protestant and a catholic together,
b, lays himself open to prosecution. My husband's
conduct splicers insane, union he was aware of
erne flaw in our Irish marriage. I know
that he was overwhelmed with debts and
that his affairs had come to a crisis. On the evening
of my arrival, he was with me using alternately
threats and entreaties to induce me to leave the
country. I had risen from a sick bed, where he
supposed me dying. He wished to take me to
Glasgow, to put me on board a vessel bound for New
Zealand, where I had a brother. Ho told me that
he wiu a ruined man, and that I must leave him to
his fate. Allerwards my husband's brother came to
me, and endeavoured to persuade nie to save my
husband by leaving the country; he also wrote to
tne several times to this effect- There is only one
opinion here about the matter, viz., that it is a most
infamous plot against me. I should like to know
your idea upon the subject if you have leisure to
consider the case. It is throughout so inexplicable
to reason and common sense that, were it not for the
marriage certificate, my friends would imagine that
I was gone wad on the point.—Believc me, dear sir,
yours sincerely obliged, "T. YILVERTON.
"John Taylor, Fey.,
54, Chancery-lane, London.
"Please address, under cover, to Mrs. ?bewail,
5, Albany-street, Edingurgh."
Among the many rnmours afloat in regard to
Major Yelverton, the Cork Herald gives currency to
the following : "We are informed that Major Yel-
verton was transacting business yesterday in this
city. It is rumoured that both he and Mrs.
(Forbes) Yelverton laded from Queenstown yester-
day for America."