The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-01 00:00:00

A STORY OF REVENGE AND CRIME.

Captain Sladden, who was an East India captain,
28 years ago married a young wife in England, and
came to Canada with a view of bettering his for-
tune, although he was then in receipt of an annuity
of £6OO per annum. This annuity, which came
through his mother, was to cease at the time of his
death, and some portion of it was to revert to his
children from his mother at the time of her death,
and she was then considerably advanced in years.
After reaching Canada the captain settled near
Windsor and there died. His wife had born him
three children, two of whom subsequently died, one
after being married six years and the other in in-
fancy. One girl, Sarah Jane Sladden, grew up to
be ten years of age, but in the meantime her mother
had been married to a man named White, who had
a sister named Hannah, a virago of the first water.
The result of this union was one child, a boy, who
grew up to be three and a half years of age before
the beginning of this chapter of family history, and
a daughter, a year or so older. Hannah White, then
a spinster, was staying at the house of her brother,
and was well treated there, the famil3 having in the
meantime removed to Sandwich. One morning Mrs.
White came to this city to do some marketing,
leaving her sister-in-law in charge of the house.
During her absence Hannah White took the two
children, Sarah Jane Sladden, her niece by marriage,
a girl 10 years of age, and her nephew, Joseph H.
White, a child three and a half years of age, and
left with them for parts unknown. The mother, on
her return, found out her loss, and was for a time
inconsolable over it. She advertised in the principal
newspapers in the country, set detectives to work,
and did everything her means would permit of to
find out the whereabouts of her children, but with-
out success. Time passed on, and the mother gave
up in despair, after travelling throughout the coun-
try for three or four years in search of her lost dar-
lings. In 1860, by some means she learned that
the woman who had stolen her children was in De-
troit, and she took measures to have her arrested.
Her efforts were rewarded with partial success,
and after a tedious law-suit she got back the boy,
but could net get any trace of her daughter, who
had gone with her grandmother under the follow-
ing circumstances :—After abducting the children,
it appeared that Hannah White took them to Ver-
non county, Wis., and there was married to a
man named Allen. This marriage was consum-
mated in Bad Axe, in the above county, and she
lived there some time, keeping the children
with her. Some years ago the daughter Sarah, who
had grown up, learned the whereabouts of her
mother, and addressed a letter to her at London,
C.W. This letter was received, and an answer re-
turned, to the effect that her mother would come
after her and take her home. Mrs. Allen inter-
cepted this letter, and calling on her niece (who
meanwhile, on account of ill-treatment, had left
her aunt and gone to work for a farmer named
Wilson, near Liberty Pole, in the same county),
drew out the letter and pretended to read it.
But instead of giving the contents as they were,
she made up a story to the effect that Sarah's
mother was dead, and desired her daughter to
remain with her (the aunt). Mrs. Allen had,
during the interval, visited her father, who resided
in another part of the State, and induced him to
leave his wife, after settling a certain sum of money
on Mrs. White, her stepmother. Mrs. White got
the children and started to go South with them, but
on the way White, sen., who was the father of tke
second husband of the former Mrs. Sladden (who,
by the way, has since married a third husband, Mr.
Menzis), attacked the woman, and, after a fight,
got the boy. White then came to Detroit with the
boy, and, as related above, he was finally given up
to his mother. The girl went with Mrs. White, it is
supposed, to Cincinnati. White, the grandfather of
the children, came in 1864 to Mrs. White's (nee
Sladden) house, and, after many expressions of con-
trition; was received into the family. While there
he attempted to abduct the boy again, but was un-
successful, and left to return to his own daughter's
house in the city, the woman having taken up
her residence here, and having obtained a promi-
nent position in a leading church, from which she
was afterwards expelled as being as arrant hypo-
crite. Thus far the case was very much mixed
up, owing to the intermarriages, and no mo-
tive could be assigned for the abduction but a spirit
of revenge. But since there has been discovered that
the girl Sarah has a legacy amounting to about
$3,000 in this country, and is sole heir to a consi-
derable amount of property in England. This pro-
perty has been accumulating for a long time, in fact
ev3r since the death of Capt: Sladden, and she has
in law the full right of it. Several gentlemen of the
city have taken the matter in hand, and having re-
cently got a slight clue to the whereabouts of the
long lost girl, have communicated with the police
will ferret out this
Airs. Menzis, who
acounithpolriictaiteesdo f a
fiCaiinre itnontaitlie,
eanndd
.
lost her children, resides at 402, Macuinb-street, in
this city, with her husband and daughter, and has
never until recently, though born in affluent cir-
cumstances, had the means to have the matter
thoroughly investigated.—Detroit Post, Nov. 6,

Fashions for December,

(From Le Follet)

As winter costumes make their appearance, short
dresses are seen to be more and more in favour ; in
fact, for walking dress the trained skirts may be said
to be quite out of date, they are reserved for in-doors
or carriage wear. We should be sorry to have to
tell of their total disappearance ; but, so capricious
a mistress is Fashion, that it may yet be our duty,
as her faithful chroniclers, to give even that proof
of her proverbial fickleness. There is still a talk of
short dresses for full dress, but of that we hesitate
to speak as likely to be general.
We must again repeat that black is extremely in
vogue—comparatively one seeslittle else out of doors;
and certainly, worn as it most frequently is, over a
skirt of a lively colour, nothing can be more becom-
ing or lady-like. Even for the long dresses worn
when making ceremonious calls, black velvet, moire,
or satin predominate. The fourreau, alias upper
skirt, with a high or low body, continues very
fashionable. A new style of dress called "La Polo-
nais" is very neat for morning wear, being simply
an underskirt of plain cachmire, or woollen mate-
rial, and upper skirt and casque of the same, in a
deeper shade, merely festooned round.
It is generally supposed that broche silks or satins
will be worn this season. The crinolines being so
much smaller, material that will hang in thick and
graceful folds is more than ever likely to meet with
success. .

There is much questioning as to what make of
body is adopted with the short dresses. The prin-
cipal rule observed by all good artistes is to adopt
the style to the individual figure, that which may
suit one being, perhaps, very unbecoming to another;
but wo may just mention two or three makes in
vogue—the small corset and epaulettes matching the
tunic, with high body and long sleeves like the un-
der-skirt ; also high body forming with the tunic
the style called "Princesse," the long sleeves match-
ing the under-skirt ; and again the veste with sleeves
open and hanging—
thesame material as the tunic,
and underneath, the waistcoat, with long tight
sleeves like the lower skirt.

Though the skirts are not very much trimmed,
we cannot say the same of the bodies. Pasemen-
terie is made in endless variety, and of great ele-
gance ; for instance, the plaques a la hussarde, with
a thick plait or cord,
ending in aiguilettes
Oriental plaques, worked with crescents ; plaques
•
mandarines, with tassels in profusion ; guides formed
of a thick plait, ornamented with jet beads, and
ending off in plaques to match. Also the Chinese
guides, of quite an original style, as their name im-
plies. Another fantasie is the giant button in
mother-of-pearl, for in-door vestes, the diameter of
which is not less than four inches.

Narrow fur trimmings are again worn : and muffs
of cloth or velvet like the dress, with two bands of
fur, are still used, though they cannot be said to
hold the same rank as the muffs entirely of fur.
There is a new galon made, called fur-galon, an
imitation of black or brown Astracan, from about
10 to 14 inches in width, which is used as a trim-
ming for woollen morning dresses. It meets with
success, making a little variation from the bead

trimmings, of which some may begin to be slightly
tired. It is certainly suitable to the season of the
year, harmonising well with velvet or passementerie
buttons, &c. Some bias galons are made with
edgings of white beads, and also plaits of red, bor-
dered with a fringe of long pendants of jet.
For evening toilette we can affirm that lace will
be one of the most admired trimmings ; beads, if
not altogether, will, in a great measure, give place
to flowers.

Icotwithstanding our general remarks have been
unusually long, we have a charming list of model
toilettes for our readers this month, the fir.t being
A black poult-de-soie robe, " Empire" make. The
bottom of the skirt is scalloped, the trimming being
formed of a narrow guipure, with a cut jet bead
placed in the centre of each slallop. Upper skirt
of violet taffetas, with a flounce put on in very deep
plaits. Pardessus of violet velvet, forming a pep-
lum at the sides, the back and front scalloped ; the
whole richly trimmed with medallions, and fringe
of jet.

A dress of Pekin satine, the satin stripe being
orange colour and that of taffetas brown. The
skirt is trained, and has a cord round the bottom.
Up each seam an insertion of guipure and white
beads. High body, with guipure marking all the
seams and round the sleeves, where it is finished off
by epaulettes of beads. The back seams of the
sleeves are ornamented with pearl buttons.
A toilette, the underskirt of green and black
striped taffetas, the upper of plain green. The plain
skirt is looped up with ornaments of black velvet
and jet clous. The striped skirt has trimmings of
velvet and jet up the sides. With similar orna-
ments a kind of basquine is formed at the back,
fastened to the band, which matches. High body,
and plain sleeves with epaulettes, all trimmed en
suite with the skirt.

A dress of black velveteen. Short skirt, bordered
with an elegant passementerie of jet., looped up at
the sides by a patte of passementerie. Corslet and
epaulettes, either trimmed or made entirely with
passementerie. Plain high body and long sleeves.
Underskirt of striped maize and black satin, the
stripes being about one inch wide.

Peplum (with high body), of black faille, or very
thick taffetas, bordered round with a narrow band
of Astracan, which is carried up the seams at the
side. Skirt of sky-blue taffetas, or cashmere. A
plaiting formed of hollow plaits, alternating plain
pieces of the same width, with a row of jet pendants
heading it, is placed round the bottom. Blue sleeves.
Black velvet dress, short skirt, trimmed round
with a passementerie cord. Veste and sleeves—of
the style called moyen-age, or of the middle-ages—
trimmed with passementerie. Underskirt of violet
moire trimmed with two bias pieces of• velvet, worked
with beads. Long tight sleeves of moire, also
trimmed with pattes of velvet and beads.
A short dress of cloth, colour called " Bismarck"
—a very pretty shade of a kind of golden brown.
This robe is composed of a short underskirt, trimmed
with a row of lozenge-shaped ornaments of velvet
of a deeper shade than the dress. Peplum of the
cloth bordered with velvet.

Peplum of black taffetas over a red plaid poplin
skirt. Paletot-sac of mole-drab cloth trimmed with
Astracan. Robe " Princesse," of Mexico-blue
knickerbocker. Short skirt, scalloped round, and
piped with black velvet. Petticoat of the same
material.

Robe of brown poplin, scalloped round, and
trimmed with a galon of cut jet beads. This skirt
is cut en fourreau, the seams piped, and is worn over
a blue cashmere skirt, which is trimmed with a
flounce put on deep plaits. Tight sleeves of blue,
with galon like that on the skirt.
Robe of mouse-coloured poult de soie. Skirt cut
on the bias, and with a train trimmed with a black
velvet ribbon, edged with milk-white beads, which
is placed in festoons near the bottom ; a straight
row of the same being put on below. Similar trim-
ming on the body and sleeves.
A taffetas antique—new shade of green—trimmed
with a very artistic arrangement of jet beads, form.
ing foliage on leaves cut in satin.
Dinner or visiting-dress of black gros-grain. Up
each side of the skirt are three rows of flat bows of
pearl-grey satin, edged with thick piping of black
satin. These bows, which commence at the waist,
form three long trains, enlarging towards the
bottom, and are attached one to the other by plisses
of grey satin piped with black. Very wide sleeves,
lined with grey satin, and caught up with bows.
Quite plain body, trimmed also with bows.