The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-26 00:00:00

PRICE 4D. STAMPED, SD.

EX2RAORDINARY MARRIAGE CASE.

The Yelverton marriage case, which attracted so
much attention a short time ago, came before the
Dublin Court of Common Pleas on Thursday, in
the shape of an action brought by Mr. John F.
Thelwall, against the lion. Major Yelverton, " to
recover a sum of £259 17s. 3d. for board and lodg-
ing, and necessaries supplied to the defendant's
wife and her servant."

Sergeant Sullivan, having stated the plaintiff's
case,

Maria Teresa Yelverton, or Longworth, was the
first witness examined. She deposed to the facts
of the first acquaintance and the marriage.
On Friday she was cross examined by Mr.
Brewster.
Mr. Brewster—Upon your oath, is not this your
action P—lt is Mr. Thelwall's. We have an equal
interest in it. Mr. Thelwall is interested in getting
his money, and I am interested in having my cha-
racter vindicated. Odic force is, I think, a kind of
animal magnetism. I believe in animal magne.
tism as a science not yet thoroughly developed. I
have felt its influence. I think it leads us to feel
an attraction towards some people and aversion
towards others at first sight. I met Mr. Yelverton
on my return from Boulogne in the steamer. It
was in the evening ; night had fallen. There were
two ladies and another gentleman with him. The
ladies stayed on deck all night. Nearly all
,tfle..
passengers did so. It was a very warm
My sister gave me an extra shawl. She threw it
on board, and Major Yelverton caught it and
folded it up. Major Yelverton, who sat near me,
put a plaid over his knees and over mine at the
same time. I cannot describe how near we were
to each other. It did not cover our shoulders, but
our knees. I took a great fancy to that plaid sub-
sequently. He described it afterwards as preserving
the magnetic influence which it received that
night, and I was anxious that it should be pre-
served. ' The ladies bid me good bye when we
arrived in London. Major Yelverton got a cab for
me. He did not get into it along with me. I saw
him on the following day. I swear that he did not
come to my house and dross there. The house I
went to was the Marquis of Lavinnier's. I told
him where I was going to stop. He asked might
he come to see me, and I said he might. I cannot
swear that I saw him twice in London, but I
believe I did. The day I saw him on the packet
was the first time I saw him. He told me his
name, and that he was an officer. I don't know
whether I fell hi love with him on that occasion.
I cannot say whether it was or was not on that
occasion I fell in love with him.

Mr. Brewster—You say in one letter that you
always return to your first love. What would a
gentleman think of receiving such a letter from a
lady—what did you mean by it ?
Witness—lt was merely that I wanted to renew
my first impressions. They were not love or
hatred. Major Yelverton had said that he would
come to Naples, and I was afraid I would have
missed him. I should have been glad to see him—
he had expressed a wish to see me, and I said I
would be glad to see him. (Here a printed copy
of • the letters was handed to witness, who was
examined as to the meaning of words used by her.)
Mr. Brewster—How did you begin the next
letter?
Witness—My dearest Charles.
To Mr. Brewster—l had only seen him once or
twice before I wrote that letter. I had been 12
hours in his company travelling from Boulogne.
If you should be in the company of a person travel-
ling for 12 hours you would know him much better
than by a morning call.
A letter was then read from Rome, in which wit-
ness stated that she had been requested by a cardinal
to go into a convent, whereupon witness showed a
pair of pistols as her life preservers.
Witness explained—The cardinal called on me,
and said there was a very nice convent in the neigh-
bourhood, in which were a number of English
ladies, and asked me to go and lodge there. He
said to me I should. I said I would not, and pointed
the pistols at him, which were on the table. He
said, " Oh, don't," and got up to run away. (Loud
laughter.) The pistols were loaded, but not capped.
[Letter of the 19th July, 1854, read.]
])id you ever tell the Rev. Mr. Mooney of Ros-
trevor that Major Yelverton was a Protestant ?
No. . .

Now, I put it to you, did you ever tell him so
under the seal of confession ? (Great expression of
disapprobation in court.)
Sergeant Sullivan—That is a most extraordinary
question. We said we would produce the Rev. Mr.
Mooney.
The Chief Justice —She may decline to answer
it ; but she is at liberty to auswer it if she pleases.
Witness--I will answer The question if your
lordship wishes.
Chief Justice—l have no wish on the subject.
You can answer it if you please.
Mr. Brewster pressed the question. ,
Sergeant Sullivan—The question is now pressed,
my lord. I will release the seal as far as I can.
Witness—l have no objection to answer the
question ; I never did so, in confession or other-
wise. (Loud and prolonged applause in court.)
Mr. Brewster—Well, my lord, if this is a court
of justice
Mr. Sergeant Sullivan—But when such a ques-

tion is put—
Chief Justice—l confess I have never before heard
such a question put. •
Mr. Brewster—l admit that ; but in a desperate
case—
Chief Justice—lt may be a desperate case, but I
never heard such a question put.
Mr. Brewster—l would not ask such a question
of a clergyman.
Chief Justice—lf a clergyman is asked what was
told him under the seal of confession, the rule is
that he is not pressed if he declines to answer, and
I think the same rule applies to penitents.
The witness, in reply to Mr. Brewster, said—
Mrs. Straubenzie was very much attached to me,
but Ido not think she liked Major Yelverton. I
wrote in one of my letters that she was disappointed
at his "not going to the finale." That means that
I was not married. I was not married because I
did not accept the proposal to get married in the
Greek church at Balaklava.
At this stage of the proceedings the case was
adjourned till the following m orning.
SATURDAY, Feb. 23.
Long before the opening of the court on Saturday
a large crowd had collected, eagerly pressing to get
good places, and, when admission was granted, a
tremendous rush into the galleries and every other
available spot of the court took place. The Lord
Chief Justice sat at a quarter to eleven o'clock.
Lord Avon-more (as he has done since the commence-
ment of the trial) occupied a seat on the bench.
Mrs. Yelverton having taken her seat in the wit-
ness-box, her cross•examination was resumed by
Mr. Brewster—l look at the letter of the 2d of July.
I see the statement that " all the troops are off
from the Crimea." Major Yelverton asked me to
wait for him for three months, and I promised to
wait for him at Belbec. He said he would take
me as his sister to Monastir, where Alcide had a
property.
One letter had this passage--" I think I now
begin to understand your meaning and my own."
That was to consent to a private marriage, and
that she would keep it secret if she promised to do
so. She explained that Mr. Yelverton had one-
half of the plaid and herself the other. This was
like the custom in country places of breaking a six-
pence, one party keeping one half and the other the
other half. When they were married she asked
Yelverton for his half of the plaid, that she might
sew it up. He said he wished to wear it near his
person, and that he had cut a hole in it to throw
over his head. (Laughter.) Mrs. Yelverton read
a letter from Major Yelverton, which was in
Italian, and contained the following passage
" Be the welcome one.—Yours, dearest, CARLO.
At this stage of the proceedin
gs the witness
burst into tears, and leaned over hew itness
nb ess
ex
for some minutes. There was an adjrnmet of
the court for some moments.
The Court, on resuming, proceeded. with the
cross examination of the witness— I belie strict ly
in the doctrine of the Catholic Church, and I attend
to its practices. Marriage is a sacrament in t
ae
Catholic Church. I proposed to Yelverton at
Edinburgh to have the marriage celebrated accord-
ing to the Catholic rites. He declined to have the
marriage so celebrated unless he could do it with
safety. He told me part of his people were Catholic,
and part Protestant. He said his father and mother
were Protestants. I knew he was the son of an
Irish peer. I would have married him just as soon
if he were a Protestant.
If he had acceded to your proposition of being
married by a Catholic clergyman in Edinburgh,
would you have suggested to him the propriety of
goinq to confession ?
Witness—Yes. I remember Major Yelverton
coming on board the steamer when I was leaving
Edinburgh. 'iv came into the Cabin on that occa-