The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-05-22 00:00:00

THE AGAPEINIONE AGAIN.

The
_pr?Wp,eq:cfter Afercary tells a strange story
of doings at the Agapemone, that " Abode of
Love," some time ago exposed to public notice :
" About six years ago, Mr. Lewis Price, a
clergyman and a Welshman, joined the Princites.
Since then he has married one of three Miss
Nottidges, who are said to have taken with them
to the Agapemone £6,000 each, the whole of
which money was secured to the lord. Another
Miss Nottidge was married to an inmate, and a
third died lately under distressing circumstances.
The brother of the deceased 'lady has taken
legal proCeedings against Mr: Prince, the head of
the establishment, for the recovery of the £6,000
his sister possessed, and the 'case will, 'we under.:
stand,' come- before the judges next term.'Ui:
Price appears' at one time to have been'a Zealous
advocate of the creed of his adoption, and was
one of those who attended the noisy meeting held
in Bridgewater to persuade the good folk of this
town that Mr. Prince was a heaven-sent prophet
and redeemer. About three months ago, how:
ever, Mr. Price, having been deprived of his wife
for six weeks or thereahouts, get • ti4:el of 'his
lord's assAptiOns, and left the loving abode,
vainly endeavouring to take his lady with him.
With the late Mr. Waterman, of Castle-house,
Enmore, he resided for a short time, and
has also been staying at the Lamb Inn,
Spaxton, adjoining the Agapemone, devoting
his time and energies to procure the release of his
wife from the tender guardianship of his aforetime
affectionate brethren. Various have been the
plans and contrivances to attain this end ; bid'
they have hitherto proved unavailing. Applica-
tion was made. to the police to remove Mrs. Price
by -force-, her husband alleging that he had reason
to believe that.she was detained against her will.
Of course the constables had no ower to intßik
themselves among the happy aridly and tear
away one of its members;' so ano her plan had to
be. devised: •. It was arranged that when the' lady.
was walking on the terrace in the fear of the dwell-
ing of the Priticeites, Mr. Price should jump'tli,
barrierS dividing the gremds from a 401010'4'
ing field, seize his parluer, and' frVl§t‘ fo'tne pro- '
tection of the Policeman in Waiting- to Pieyent a
Agapenione as.saultiug ' him' - aud rescuivl
breach of the -Peace .fromthe - fth
: . e gentlemen o
.e
her,
This sciletne, feasible as it. looked, turned - Qui to
be difficult 0 'el:egii(s?l. the doughty Welsh-
to display his courage, but whenev
man patiently waited for a favourable opportunity
er his lady
made her appearance in the gardens and on the
terrace she was guarded by a Princeite on
either side, or was accompanied by one only,
with others at hand. Mr. Price
did not consider himself capable of
whether he two Agapemonitesl or he feared ihe
readiness oi: the police ofgcer to give iftrprollipt
succour, has not transpired. ' The gallant libera-
tion was not' attemiited; proceeding no further
than a Prqieet, 'and reegnzse 'a conAeqnently
had to law, hohng perhaps that that • Might
achieve what force had not dared to essay. The
services of Mr. William Brice, of 13ridk,e'l ger,
were retained,..aud tly),t gentleman, in 00pviitly
with Mr. Price, demanded' the lady so much
sought after qt thp gates of the Agappplciw
when their business was known, and access
itself The gates were 10441 ligainsi them
denied to the object of their search. A fortnight
back affidavits were laid before the judges, detail-
ing the circumstances of the case, and declaring that
the lady was detained against her will. Thereupon
a writ of habeas corpus was issued, the return to
which hqd to be }pale lost Friday... Tilecate was
on that day heard -in, iiiii4if'd before a Judgein
Chambers; Sir E.' pade appeafink ' fOr AVr. liNiQe;
and ..Mr: - Benjamiii Lovibond 'on the part of the
founder of the' Agape ono, nr6dncing MT& Price praprid persq44, The lady deposed that she
was not detained in the "Abode of Love " in defi-
ance of her inclination, and that she was desirous
of remaining in the blissful edifice. This reply de-
feated the aim of' the husband, the judge a once
declining to make an order for the restoration of
the lady to her liege lord, Further proceedings are
to be taken, for we hear that there is a question of
money to be contested, beside a question of wife-pos-
session,Mr.Price being shut out from the enjoyment
of any portion of his wife's £6,000, as well as from
the fortune he may have owned himself prior to
tlirowtlig himself into the arms and power of Mr.
Prince. It is stated that all the inmates of the
Agapemone transfer their property to their' chief,
and sign a deed by which they agree toloifeit all
on disdentinuingrto 'reside at the place and sepa-
rating theinselves from the association. By the
same deed provision is made that members absent-
ing themselves three months shall be excluded.
The people of the village of Spaxton allege that
seventeen of eighteen Agapemunites have quittedr
the place within twelve- MoiltliS ; and' they say lb
seven or eight years no children ha've been born
to the many couples riving in' the mysterions
stablishment. '' - ' '