The Sun.
London, England, 1852-07-29 00:00:00

MIDLAND ClRCUlT—Warwick, July 28.
(Before Mr. Ihron ALDERSON and a Special Jury.)
THE CASE OF THE LATE. SO-CALLED BARONESS VON
BECK.—DERRA DE MA.RODA. V. DANisoN AND OTHERS.
Tnis was an acion brought by the plaintiff, private
secretary to the late so-called Baroness Vora Beck,
against G-orge DawJen, lcturer; 11. W. Tyniall, soli-
citor; Arthur Ryland, soliciv,r; and Richar Peyton,
for false and malicious inaprigennient. In consequence of
the interest attached to the case, the court wa, crowded
to excess. Only six of the special jury answered to their
names, upon which a tales was prayed on the part of the

plaintiff.
Mr. Sergeant Miller and Mr. Field appeared as coun-
sel for the plaintiff; and Mr. Maesulay, Q.C., Mr.
Miller, Q.O eand.Mr. Hayes, for the defendants.
Mr. Sergeant o.iILLER, in opening the case, said the
plaintiff asked compensation for one of the grosteat out-
rages which could be offered to the feelings of a gentle-
man. He would promed, in the first instance, to give a
bistory of the plaintiff; and, in the second, his connexion
with a lady, now in her grave, but whose name was
mixed up with these proceedings. The plaintiff W 39
a native of Hungary, and the sea„eas a gentleman
of a noble family and of distinguished position •
in
Society. He was now about 31 years of age,. and
educated for the military service, but in c3nsequence of
illness took no part in the war of independence. The
father and family of the plaintiff bore to him the greatest
affection, and had supplied him. with money dor his B,lP-
port while in this country; Se mentioned this to relate
1, he
the calumny that he had bees deserted
byBsi his fa
left
inily,
The plaintiff then travelled. . In Mails
Brussels, and on his arrival in Londoa, made the ac-
quaintance of the late Baroness, who had then just
finished a work under the title of " Personal Adven-
tures of a Lady during the late War of Independence in
Hungary." She was teen about to publish another work,
and by an introduction from Mr. Bentley, the publisher,
he had an interview with her at her residence, in the
neighbourhood of Soho-square, to sol;eit her autograph
who had requested him to obtain
second time, the Baroness policieed
fi ot.r a
On
ndsye
seeing
g.F rhaenrc ea,
him to accompany her to Mr. Lawrence, the American
Minister, for the purpote of soliciting the appointment
of a friend (Dr. Cluck) as physician to the American
embassy. lie accompanied her, but there being
no such situation a
,r s physician to the embassy, the ap-
plication. failed. he Baroness was then in a state of
great destitution, and De Maroda having then received a
remittance from his family, by whom, it was stated, he
had been deserted, he lent her the small sum of 51. The
plaintiff subsequently accompanied
r.
Garvey
veßyartohneetsrsantso
Ramsgate, in order to press upon M.
laden of her new work; and finding
instance, she had not proceededf in- the, best way to secure
that, in the first
to publish theor
an adequate remuneration
Tile publication was undertaken was determinedher first publication, it
andspec
thetabl e publisherßaroness
h having
n gertakensechoyndurb.yGsauphiasc,rtihpetionre:
Gilpin to various respectable'
shopsgate-street. Tee plaintiff
they left London fat that townp,eno
received introductions from Mr
Dawson and Mr. Tyndall, two oftndheefyevisiteddan tsßirmingham,
, and
thewheren s
the
former gentlemanpaidsubscription of
a
245. for her new work, and to the plaintiff De Ma-
reda 24g. The Baroness and the plaintiff at that
time stayed at the Clarendon
Hotel, but in consequence
of the Baroness's alar • ming illness, and the pressing invi-
tation of Mr. and Mrs. Tyndall, they.removed
to the re-
sidence of the latter gentleman at Eigbaston. The
plaintiff was fond of music, and while at Mr. Tyndall's
house was accustomed to play on the pianoforte for the
amusement of the family and their friends. On the 29th
of August, Mr. Tyndall had a soirée at his house, and
while partaking the defendant's hospitality, he was
called by Mr. Tindall eut of the drawing-room, and
delivered into the custody of two police officers. One
of the officers, named Tandy, not a very gentlemanly
character, dragged him along the hall, without his hat,
and, in answer to inquiries from the plaintiff, declared
" that he was worse than a thief, he was an impostor."
The Baroness was removed to prison in a similar way.
The plaintiff would give them the particulars of what
occurred at the prison. (The Learned Sergeant was
proceeding to enlarge upon the treatment received by the
Baroness Von Beck, when the Judge objected to the suf-
ferings of the Baroness being introduced for the purpose
of increasing the damages sought to be obtained by the
plaintiff.) The Sergeant said, the cases of the two indi-
viduals were so mixed up together that it was impossible
to separate them. There would be two points for the
consideration of the jury: Fine was there any reason-
able cause for the imprisonment of the plaintiff ; se-
condly, was there any malice shown by the defendants?
It was for the purpree of proving the latter that he
' called the attention of the Court to their treatment of
the Baroness Von Beck. The question was, whether
there was any shadow of a charge of false pretence in
receiving the ii. 4s. from Mr. Dawson for the proposed
work, and whether there was not subsequently malice
exhibited by the defendants. The Sergeant next de-
scribed the scene at the Birmingham Police-office when
the Baroness Von Beck died upon the floor of an ante-
room, and when, after her death, an attempt was made
to blacken the character of the plaintiff. It would, no
doubt, be said, that the name of the deceased lady
was not Von Beck, but Racidula, and that she was no-
thing more than a spy in the Hungarian service. He (Ser-
geant M.) would call before them officers of high posi-
tion in Hungary who would prove that she was not an
impostor, but what she represented herself to be, and
that the proceedings against her and the plaintiff were
dictated by malignant feelings. He would put De
Maroda himself in the box, and he would give them the
history of his life.
Baron ALDERSON—The question is, was there a false
pretence made in obtaining 245. from Mr. Dawson?
Whether the deceased woman was Racidula or Von
Beck is nothing to the plaintiff.
Sergeant MILLER—The law had been outraged from
vindictive motives. He trusted the jury would therefore
not measure with niggard hands the amount of damages
they would award the plaintiff. The country had been
disgraced in the eyes of Europe by these outrageous
proceedings, and he hoped the jury would on this occa-
sion vindicate the British character.
Mr. W. H. Gem, magistrate's clerk, produced the in.•
formation upon which the warrant against the plaintiff
and the Baroness was granted, bat he could not prove
the signature of the defendants. He had not the
warrant.
Inspector Tandy, of Birminghem—l • was a police-
ogicer in Birmingham on the 29th August last, but I do
not know the handwriting of any of the defendants. I
was present when the defendant was apprehended, and
assisted in conveyinc, him and the Baroness Vol Beck to
the station-house in"New-atreet, and then to the prison,

in Moor-street.
Tb° magistrates had then left the
By the JUDGE

office. ,
cross.examilia by Mr. LIACAULAY—I searched the
prisoner, and took from him acme letters and a small
I:ocket-hook, which were given back to him the next day.
The JUDGE--W
bat wcis the accusation made against
money on false pretences.
him? Witness—Obtaining
The JUDGE--And you expected, I suppose, to find the
Money in his pocket?—(Laughter.) Witness—lt ,is
?-1-I`eys usual to literals prisoner:.
The Joteee—Thea it ought not to bo usual. If it
was a charge of high treason, I suppose you would ex-
pect to find the high treason in the prisoner's pocket?
Mr, IL I. G.,:iji:,ag,solieitor, proved the signatures of
Mr. Tyndall and Mr- liYlind to the informatica.
Constant Derra de Maroda was tben calhd and exa-
mined—l ern a netive of Peeth, in Hungary. My father
lives upon his own property, and is an hereditary equerry
to the Einlieror of .Austria, as King of klungary. I was
t,lueeted at Potts, !tad truhsequimay at the Military Col-
lege at vienn7,. I entered the Austrian serv;:ce, and was
in the ermy' fin. trn years.
The JunGe_you may prove his position in society.
In order to influence the amount of tiamageJ, but there
is clearly no necessity to give a bistery of the plaintiff's
whole lift. .
Vryltazss continued--I arrived in London on.the let of
April, 1851, and made the acquaintance of the Baroness
Van 13
.ck on tee 27th. I had been requested.by a lady
to cbtein her autogreph. The Baroness than lived at 38.
D4au-street, Soho. She was called - the Baroness Von
2aek• I visited her several times, and in the course of
ins visits I lent her 5/. I learnt from her that sha was
abent publishiog
book. I saw hi another. sad I went with her to
nanisgate td mitt Mr. Garvey, who:translated her first
hi, and he read aloud some portions of
the woad book which she was going to publish. I saw
F 34 of tho translatioe. This was about the end of July
or the lit of .tiugum I saw the Baroness pay to:Mr.
Garvey 101. on aecoent of the tranelation- I-accumPa-
nied her once or twice to Mr..Gilpin'os the publisher, in
Bishopagate-str,e e He recommended her to ge te Bir-
mingham to seheit subecriptione, te the book tle. Gil-
pin afterwards gave letters for her introducion to three
gentlemen in Birmioghana. Mr. Gilpin wes the intended
publisher. The Baroness insisted that I should eccece-
pally her to Birmingham. She eras then very feeble._
She aspeared to be about 54 o: 55.
Tge JuiidE—About 50; egos never go nearer than
noughts.--(Laughter.)
witness-1, went with her to Birmiegliam. I die not
expect nay thing for my troublo, and I paid. my own
Expenaes. We made our abode at the Clarendon Hotel.
We presented our cards of introduction el the three
geetle.men,_ and Mr. Sturge, one of them, paid hit sub-
tcription cf 11. 4s. for the new pubiication.
The printed propossls. for publishing the new work,
entitled " The Story of my Life," by the Baroness Von
Beak, Wl3 then read to the jury. .-
iiit!less—The three gentlemen we were introduced
to pnt down their names. I made tho acquaintance of
,1• Mr. Hill in Birmingham, and he , introduced ma to
ill% Dawson, and the latter gentleman asked mo to
r) nln_F;the Baroness to his -house. We went to Mr.
11'5 the following day, and he subscribed for the
second w(nk rr
I
iiiii,, f • -Lee went out of the room, and brought
Ile tale.' er""n another, wrapped in a piece of paper.
iieeeksi,, : Put is the subscription ft r the new pub-
andi see- in r!ira.!l"laked what be said to the Baroness,
hhu to
ui2iatuilnerthaiiked INlr. Dawson, and requested,
Mr.
seat asked
ui'l,l gettie:; additional subscribers.
reale* seat him a espyeutti,the first bock, and the 83.
sonla a let:tura and " 'awe evening. Mr. Daw-
r 44th.: Bsroness met clergymeni of the New Church.
Dawion't house. The Beree..,Vl4 Mrs. Tyndall at Mr
for the Clarendon at 10 o'clock, very ill, and we left
went out to Mr. Peyton'A tadieem- the Sunday after we
(1114 visited us at the Clarendon Or'l l!e• and Mr 9. Tyne
Broness was very ill, and up): 'vatic-lay moruing..
Dawsor, he recommended me to `andnlte' alt.
Mr.
the surgeon, his brother-in-law, on. Crompton,,r,
following Mr. Peyton Sent his carriage, azdtta ' Baroness
weal conveyed to Mr. Tynd:ill's house at Ed 8 —4l.Quess
visited her every day, but slept at my hot,eaGton. 1
wards, at the '
request of Irs. Tyndall, took u I after-
& woe in their house. I remember the eveningP my real"
28th; Mr. Tyndall of the
was scarcely at home for the two or
three days previously. On the evening of the 29j3. ,
were engaged in playing French theatricals at le
Tyndall e. There . .~
were present Mr. and :ars, Dawson,
leaf, owl Mo. Ryland, hit. d
and Mrs. L'erictu, an other