The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-14 00:00:00

THE MYSTERIES OF ROOKWOOD-HOUSE.

Under this head one of the Dublin papers ftlF.
nishes the following sketch of some of the mat)
incidents in the eventful life of the late Salt
Kelly. It may be mentioned here that all kind'
of rumours have been current since yesterday re'
specting the testamentary disposition of the pro"
perty of the ill-fated woman ; but as some of the
stories carried with them an air of almost startling
improbability, there would be no use in making
further reference to them, especially as the roe'
facts must be known before the lapse of n 2301
days:—

" Mrs. Sarah Kelly, a lady of great wealth, residial
on her estates in Galway, went out, to walk in her,
grounds on Tuesday last, accompanied her nephew',
two persons, respectably dressed as females, in bleat
bonnets and veils, walked up to her, desired the nephew ;Cr
move out of the way, and shot her dead through the bead'
The assassins then escaped. Such is all that the world
knows of a murder, dark, hideous, and mysterious as 04
which the chambers of Stamboul, the quays of Venice,
or the midnight streets of Paris could reveal. 1311.t1
strange and mysterious as has been the death of tine
lady, it is only when viewed in connection with her past
life that it is seen in its true light ; that death so awful,
so unparalleled in its circumstance, closed a life of al'
most fabulous incident and change ; it terminated *
career such as no novelist has ever dreamed of pa'
traying. Sarah Kelly was born at Broadstairs, *
watering place on the coast of Kent, where her father
kept an inn. At this inn, about 50 years ago, A*
young Irishman, named Meredyth, the heir of a ha
some estate and a baronetcy, was sojourning. rt
beauty of the innkeeper's (laughter attracted the notice
of young Meredyth, and he devoted himself but too
successfully to the task of her conquest. Miss Birch
—for that was her name, fled with her admirer to the
Land of the West,' where she in due time presented
him with a too convincing token of attachment. Lo!'
has been said to fly at sight of humeri ties ;' ra
this case his light wings spread for sant of them .
Meredyth, the betrayer, abandoned his victim and her
infant, under circumstances of desertion so beardess
as to induce a Dublin jury subsequently to award *I
sum of 3,000/. as damages in an action brought agalde,
him for her seduction. The trial took place about 1814
and elicited the forensic art and eloquence of some of the
most distinguished advocates of the time. Over the nel_:
succeeding chapters of Miss Birch's life we desire to par,
with as little detail as possible ; she led the life of ad'
venture and difficulty, of error and shame, into willo •
her previous misfortune and her beauty had, el
might almost say, driven her. Mr. Edmund Kelp'
gentleman, of Merrion-square, an elderly widower,
land agent, solicitor, miliionnaire, became acqualdr,i•
with her ; she gave up her city life, and became 'id
housekeeper ; subsequently, it appears, his wife, e‘ll..
mistress of Rook wood-house, county of Galway. k`;
Kelly had a daughter by his first wife, but she had do
appeared. He had, however, relations who expected t*,
divide at his decease the enormous wealth, estimated at
300,0001. to 500,0001., of which he was the possessor;
Miss Birch was not as yet known, or, at any rate, de.,
ecognised as Mrs. Kelly. She was, however, moat 001
duous in her attentions to the old man, who every dal,
grew more weak, more eccentric, and, it is said, Izer imbecile. Strange stories were told of his last day`;
how the idea haua led him that he should die of bullet.;
how his watchful mistress, wife, nurse, or gaoler—which
soever she was—had his bedroom hung round with eat'
ables of every description, stories of a deathbed marrisifers
of a deathbed will; but how much of all this was tram
and how much f able can never be satisfactorily &seer.
tained. Mr. Kelly died ; Miss Birch claimed the reel
nition of her position as his widow, and produced a 911,1
entitling her to all the property, real and personalrw:
the late owner of Rookwosd•house. His nearest 01*
tive, an elderly maiden lady named Thewles, denied the
validity of the will ; her means were slight, but her
claim was strong—at least so thought her friends, 9/9s
advanced her the money sufficient to prosecute her
suit at law. The action must be fresh in the I.r
collection of our readers, so we do not ncei to e:t
its curious details. Miss The ales had a vend;
in her favour. Mrs. Kelly appealed from the
es
Court of Delegates, but now offers of money fieel
plentifully upon Miss Thewles ; offers of matriniot
came also ; she accented one that of her confidential sodcttor. lie KAI not as successful for his wife as be
been for his client; the verdict in favour of Miss Thew",
was totally set aside by the late Chancellor Blackball"
in an able judgment upon Miss Kelly's application for le
Court of Review. Mrs. Kelly DON set out to enjoy betwealth ; she resided in Merrion-square. One day a Puv_n•
woman with two little children by the hand pulled tb,
bell, and humbly asked the powdered and gold-laced
footman to bear his mistress a note ; there was no
awes. She called again and often, and as often turned
wearily and dejectedly away. It was the daughter et
a
the late Edmund Kelly, who was begging a morsel tee
all her father's wealr.h. What a history -washers!
had been brought up with the fondest parental care; "-
had been placed at a first-rate boarding-school in Cliftede
in England, where no less than 3001. a-year.was fol*
her. When her father married secindly she we° I";
moved to an inferior school at Bath, and her allowance
gradually reduced. After many trials and vicissitude;
chiefly caused by fa '.e inicrmation as to her fathers
death, she was at length abandoned, with two children;
by a profligate villain, who had married her under a,
pretence of being bar father's agent. She contrived to
eke out a livelihood for herself and children as agoverne
until she again married a Mr. Morton. She had heard
of her father's death, and of his extraordinary will, 011
of Miss Thewles's action, and she came across tl ire;
land, to see if Mrs. Kelly would not help her io sordi
way. Mres Kelly had a confidential solicitor, 13 DTI he
Birch ; she called him her nephew ; others said a
was a nearer relative still. This Mr. George Birch toe t
the applicant that his aunt would do nothing for her, bu
that he would do something; he made vile proposals Is
her—and worse. Her husband, Mr. Morton, brougslid.
9
an action for assault, and obtained damages 2001, and
costs, against Mr. Birch.
"The wealth of Edmund Kelly seemed to rest neve/
as if it were fated to be the prolific source of strife o'l4
contention, a curse and not a blessing. Mrs. 10'14
drove up in great haste one day to a police office in the
city, and applied for a warrant against her nepberil
George Birch, who bad absconded with 200,0001. !
was arrested on board the steamer, leaving England for
the continent, but on being brought back not only ate
his trial, but challenged a prosecution—none was presee_a"
we believe ; matters were settled. The last appeared 7
of Mrs Kelly in the law courts was as defebdant, sue
by the police sergeant who arrested Mr. Birch, for the
reward of 5001. which, it was alleged,. she had offered'
Since then she has resided principally on her estates T
Galway, where she has been thus barbarously assool.
nated. The attempt to divert the public from the ti"
scent, by the idea of the murder being of an agrarls
nature, has been a signal failure. 811, save a few pe,
sons who could not be expected to forego on any posse'
ble occasion a war•howl against the Irish peasantry, re'
cognise in this mysterious murder a finale to this lilt
extraordinary history, connected with and spring.'"
from circumstances in her career and position, far differ'
ent from what the assassins inteade 1 to suggest."

THE TIPPERARY BANK.
A notification from the Master in Chancery int
mates that he will proceed on Monday, the 28w
inst., to settle the list of contributories to the Tir
perary Bank. After such lists shall' have been
settled, the Master further intimates that no pet"
son affected thereby will be allowed to-dispute the
same without the leave of the Court of Chance*

THE CONTEST FOR ATHLONE.
At 11 o'clock to-day the Hon. Captain Handcock
was 11 ahead of Mr. Ennis, and two hours later
the Derbyite maintained the first place, although!
his majority was lessened by one vote. At tha:
hour the numbers stood thus :—Handcock 80
Ennis, 70. If the estimate be correct of the tots
available constituency being not more than 160,
there would remain but 10 more votes to decide th•
contest—if, indeed, it be not already decided
.10
,favour of Captain Handcock, who, of 'course, will
be mainly indebted for his return to the support o
the 30 Roman Catholics who seceded from the
Liberal camp. No later account has been receives
up to post hour.

ROYAL GALLERY OF ILLUSTRITION.—The following
persons of rank have recently visited this gallery to wit"
ness Miss P. Horton'e popu:ar entertainment. The Duke
and Duchess of Wellington, the Dake and Duchess 0'
Montrose, Lord Brougham, the Earl of &afield, Lord
Macdonald, 'Lady G. Lennox, Lady Mary and Mills
Saurin, the Earl of Caithness, Lady Dufferin, Sir Jag.
Fergusson Lady Torrene, Lady Craufurd, Lady Mao'
nag hten, Sir John and Lady Campbell, Lady Langdale,
Sir W. Davidson, Sir A. Burton, Sir R. Anstruther, Sir
G. Brooke, Sir Macdonald, the Hon. R. Burke, Sir
C. Fox, Lady Williams, Sir J. Harding, Lady Lopee
Lady Young, the Hon. Mr. Vereker, Sir R. Gunning,
the Hon. Col. Bruce, Sir H. Fairfax, Lady Maxwel/o
Sir D. Kinloch, Lady Lyell, Sir C. Parsley, Mr. &hole'
field, M.P., Sir G. Armyta,ge, &c., &c.
ACCIDENT AT TRH LYCEUM THEATRE.—On Saturday
as some of the workmen, who were engaged at this
theatre preparing for the opera season under Mr. Gye,
were fixing their ladders at the end of their day's work,
the whole of the stone, coping and balustrades fell into
the street with a loud crash. A man named Porter was/
standing at the time on the summit of the ooping to
which be was about to make fast with a rope the upper
part of the ladder. Fortunately he fell backward on the
roof instead of into the street, and his fellow-workmen
seeing one of his legs banging over the parapet, ascended
the ladder, and brought him down happily more fright•
ened than injured. The flag stones of the pavement
below were split by the weight of the fall, but no one
was injured. The stone work which fell' was composed
of Bath stone, which is of a very brittle description.

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