The Sun.
London, England, 1870-02-18 00:00:00

tress or mind, and ne thought it slimed some sanity at
least, that she could play the game even moderately well.
He was sure that Dr. *Wood did not found his opinion on
the game of whist ; bul still it was one of the facts that
influenced him. Sir Charles Mordaunt was 33 years of
age, and the lady, who was " superlatively beautiful," was
19 or 20 at the time of the marriage. The marriage was
a suitable one, the settlements he made on her were
liberal in the extreme, and for a time they
lived as happily as possible. Lady Mordaunt was
much admired, and her constitution was, perhaps, afflicted
with hysteria in one form or another, after' a marriage of
some time, during which she had had miscarriages. On
the previous June 1868, Sir Charles determined, in accord-
ance with his usual custom, to go to Norway for fishing.
He was anxious that his wife should go with him. She
did not wish to do so, and he determined that
she should stay at Walton, where she could be
visited by her friends. Sir Charles never dreamt
of wrong or neglect. He went on the 15th June
1868, and was away exactly a calendar month—these dates
would become material. The child was born on the 28th
of the following February prematurely. It was a child
that might have been the child of her own husband as far
as dates are concerned. He would now come to a very
painful part of the inquiry. Immediately on the birth of
the child, and as soon as the child was born, Lady Mor-
daunt repeated a question as to the With of the child, and
under circumstances which he thought would show her
sanity. She was told it was a small one; but said she did not
mean that, but had the child anything the matter with its
eyes. She then asked after a certain person, and in such
a way as to spew that she was afraid that both she and the
child had been affected, and she must have been sane to do
that.

Dr. Deane would ask his lordship if these state-
ments and confessions could be admitted as evidence.
His friend was trying the main question, and not the col-
lateral one, and the jury had to decide.
Lord Penzance thought he could not interfere with the
way in which Serjeant Ballantine was conducting the
case. Dr. Deane had said that if Serjeant Ballantine
went on, it would be very painful ; but that was not a
legal objection, and the only question was whether the
questions were material. He said that on the grounds of
common sense and justice he must admit them, though,
had he discretion in the matter, he would rather have
acceded to Dr. Deane's opposition.
Serjeant Ballantine went on to say that he proposed to
spew certain statements made, and then the truth of these
statements ; from them the sanity of Lady Mordaunt
would be deduced. Ilis friend could call persons who,
although parties to the suit, were competent witnesses.
When Lady Mordaunt made the statements to which he
referred, her husband looked on them as being the result
of the confinement, until facts came to his knowledge. He
would now read a statement made by the respondent.
Lord Penzance said it would be bettor not to mention
names till they were proved.
Serjeaut Ballantine proceeded to read :—" On March 8,
after her confinement, she asked the nurse to say she
wished to speak to me, and when I saw her she burst
into tears and said, ' Oh, Charlie, I have been very
wicked.' I said, ' With whom ? ' and she said, With A.,
8., C., and others, and in the open day.'" He (Serjeant
Ballantine) would sa,y that there was a great deal of difference
between one gentleman and the other three. He would ask
them to remember that the words used in reference to this
person were " Very wrong," and that might not mean
adultery. But certainly Sir Charles had forbidden her to
see this person, and yet there had been interviews and
letters between the parties—the former when Sir Charles
was from home ; but still he hoped that the jury would be
able to find that " very wrong " did not mean adultery.
As to the other person, he was a co-respondent to the
other suit, and it was he that Lady Mordaunt alleged
was her child's father ; and he (Serjeant Bal-
lantine) would bring evidence to shew that
they were frequently together. In her diary on
the 3rd of April the words " 281 days from 27th
of June " occured, and it was on the last-named
day that she saw Viscount Cole. The jury would see that
231 days was the ordinary time of gestation. As to the
co-respondent (Sir Frederick Johnston) it was to him that
Lady Mordaunt attributed her child's illness. He would
shew that Lady Mordaunt had frequently enquired of her
husband why Sir Frederick Johnston was not married,
and was told that it might be prejudicial to the lady he
married. It was the next day that the respondent went
to see Dr. Priestly, though she never told ner
husband that she was even ill. They would have
evidence as to the state of the child's eyes. They
would hear that Lady Mordaunt went to an hotel, and
that she and another person supped together, and went to
the theatre together. On that very night in 1867 she
wrote and said, " I felt horribly dull all by myself,
yesterday evening." It would be proved up to the hilt
that she was with a gentleman on that very night. He
should be able to prove that she was not a raving lunatic,
but knew all she was doing- and saying. The learned
counsel then proceeded to refer to the letter of the Bth of
October, and asked if that looked as if Lady Mordaunt
was in the state of insanity alleged. He then went on to dwell
on the fact that diaries were kept, but destroyed by persons
who were in close attendance on the respondent, and the
fact of their destruction was extremely suspicious. Wit-
nesses would be called to prove that she was sane, and a
letter would be read sent by her husband on the 16th of
May—long after the day set down as the date of her
insanity. If Sir Charles Mordaunt thought his wife was
pure, he would hold out his arms to receive her ; but he
could not believe that such was the case.
Elizabeth Hancock, wife of Daniel Hancock, said that
on the night of the 27th of February she was sent to attend
Lady Mordant, who was confined on the following morn-
ing. The baby was very small indeed, and only weighed 33/41b.
Witness believed that it was about an eight months' child.
Sat up with Lady Mordaunt all the night, and the respon-
pondent said, " I want to ask you one question—is the
child diseased ?" Witness said, " I don't see anything the
matter with the child, more than it is a very tiny one."
The respondent (lid not then seem excited. On the fol-
lowing day she was " very comfortable," but in the evening
repeated the question, and said, " Are you quite sure there
is no disease? Did Mrs. Cadogan or Mrs. Canem see
nothing of it ?" Witness said there was nothing
snore to be seen than in " a common child.*
one the
other person the housekeeper. Witness told the respon-
dent that she (Lady Mordaunt) said that it was a seven
months' child ; but she (witness) thought that it looked
more like an eight months' child. Witness gave her rea-
sons for the belief, and the respondent then went to sleep.
Remembered the Tuesday evening Lady Mordaunt began
to speak on the same subject, and witness told her to kep
quiet, as it would make her head bad if she talked so
much. She then said, "If you don't let me talk I shall
go niad, for I have something I must say, and will tell you
to-night." Witness offered to fetch Sir Charles
but the respondent said, " No, not to-night ; I will tell
him some other day. This child is not Sir Charles's at all,
but Lord Cole's." Witness answered " For goodness be
quiet, and say no more." Lady Mordaunt said "It took
place the last week in June. Sir Charles was in Norway,
and Lord Cole visited me the very last week in June."
Witness said it was strange that a young married lady
should know it was the last week in June, and Lady Mor-
daunt said "Oh ! but Ido know ; it is Lord Cole's." On
the following Friday Lady Louisa Moncreiff was present
in tho house, and said that she should like an oculist to
see the child's eyes. Lady Louisa told her daughter
that she was afraid the child would be blind.
Lady Mordaunt said that she should like to have the child
baptised. When speaking of the child's eyes the respon•
(lent said that she knew Sir Frederick was in a fearfully
bad state of health. On the following day Mr. Solomons,
an oculist from Birmingham, came to see the child's eyes.
The child was examined in the dressing-room, which was
next to Lady Mordaunt's room. Sir Charles went into
Lady Mordaunt, and witness left. Sir Charles soon after
left the room. Witness returned, and the respondent said
she would tell witness what had occurred ; but she did not
just then, as the words seemed to choke her. Lady
Mordaunt pretended to Sir Charles that she suckled
and nursed the child. The respondent told witness not
to let any one see the child, as it was not fit to
be seen, and she was sorry that she had brought such a
horrid little thing into the house." The next day the
respondent told witness that the time was coming when
she must and would tell Sir Charles everything. On the
Monday the respondent, about eight in the evening, got
excited and sent for her husband, and said to him,
" Charles, I have done very wrong with more than one
person." Witness then left the room. On the Tuesday
evening she again told Sir Charles it was not his child,
but he pooh-poohed the idea. On the morning of the
13th witness left the petitioner with the respondent, and
afterwards witness went to the 'room and met Sir Charles
coming out, who said, " Her ladyship tells me just
the same rs before. What am Ito believe ?" Witness
afterwards said, " Supposing Sir Charles makes
inquiry ?" and Lady Mordaunt answered, " Then there
will be row." On the Thursday succeeding that period
witness asked if she should not ask Lady Louisa to stop,
but the respondent said, " No. Let her go by all means.
I can do better without her than with her." She (the re-
spondent) would go abroad as soon as she could get away,
and Charles and her father would settle it between them.
Lady Mordaunt was not excited at that time ; but she
sometimes cried when witness looked at the baby's eyes.
Heard conversations between Lady Louisa Moncreiff and
the respondent. Lady Mordaunt, in the presence of Lady
Louisa Moncreiff, proposed that witness should take the
child to nurse, and bring it up as Lady Mordaunt's ward.
Witness said if she gave up all her time she should require
a good round sum ; but if only as a nurse child
of course she would take less. Witness was to bring
it up as her own, and when the child crew in.,
lb u.a4 b. be told that it was an unfortunate.
Lady Mordaunt said that she could never take charge of
the child herself. On the 26th witness went out with the
respondent for a drive, and she appeared to be very
cheerful. Up to this time had never noticed any syipp-
toms of insanity ; but the respondent put on a hysterical
manner before Sir Charles and the doctor.
By Dr. Deane : Saw the excitement before Sir Charles
but not before herself. Never knew Lady Mordaunt
before the 28th of February. Did not put on the exciting
manner till Lady Louisa had left the house, and Mr.
Solomons came from Birmingham to see the child. The
respondent never did really suckle her child, except before
Mr. Orford and Sir Charles.
This witness was being cross-examined, when the court
nee, and the case was adjourned till to-morrow.

GENEROSITY RECOGNISED.—The Government of
the United States of America has expressed its recogni-
tion of the humane generosity of a British merchant cap-
tain by awarding. him, through its London Ambassador,
a handsome gold watch, accompanied by a testimonial in.
writing. Captain Oxley, late master of the barque Flet-
worth, of Shields, well deserves the praise accorded
to him for his rescue, and subsequent devoted
care of the master and five men who survived on a piece
of the wreck of the Susan Smith, of Boston. The gallant
tar declared, when he received the present at a local
marine board meeting, that he had only done his duty as
a British sailor, and he hoped that every man would do
the same as he had done. This simple but noble senti-
ment should find an echo in the hearts of all who may be
placed in similar circumstances.
A YOUNG SAMARITAN.—Tho teacher of some
" City Arabs," in a school connected with a church in
Glasgow, selected on Sunday the parable of the Good
Samaritan as the subject of his lesson. After telling
the little fellows the story, the teacher, with the view
of turning the lesson to some practical account,
put to the class the following question :—" What
would you do if you saw a man or a woman
lying in a street or road, wounded and bleeding
like the traveller described in the parable?" The subject
appeared to be new to them, and for a minute or so they
looked at each other, and hesitated to reply. The teacher
repeated the question, addressing himself to a boy whose
countenance seemed to indicate that he had hit on the
proper line of action in such a case. "What would you
do, Archie ?" "I would birrell (whistle) for the bobbies,
was the prompt reply.

An arrangement is now proposed by which
through tickets to any part of the United States may ba
sold in the East by agents of the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company, and by which, on the other hand, tickets can
be bought in New York, carrying tho holder through to
Hong Kong, Yokohama, or Hiago direct. Tickets to carry
the trayeller all round the werlg will also bo issued.