Star.
London, England, 1808-09-07 00:00:00

perEitEel- lAL.;
• •**
On Monday se'nnight aV.of a Singular.oatare
was tried at Cork Assizes, beforOliaron Owed& and
a. Special Jary. Itavas an RCtielt brought by "he
Crown, at the instance of the Rev! Mr. histunsen, to
try an,issee, whether Mrs. Creagh, daughter. of
Widenham, of Ca 11.! Widenham, Castledown Roche,
was of a sound disposing mind, at the period of her.
'marriage with Mr. Maunseti I
M,Mation stated the case for the prosecu-
.tion at consideraklelerigth.
It appearedialitat the young lady inotestion is the;
Only child of C. Widenham, Esq, and is possessed of
• some property and fortune. She married, some time,
in the year lOW, John B. Creagh, late of this county.,
a'his gentleman dying in October, 18044 left his
svidow a jointure of '2OOl. per annum, and 13001. as-
sets, independent of an annuity deriving from her
father. The death of her husband had such as el.
feet on the feeling and sensibility of Mrs. Creagh is
isArtised a mental derangement, which the prosecutor
Imaintained seas but of a
.teslaporary nature, whilst the
IDefendant asserted, it continued to neasiy the present
time, without any intermission. Mr. Maunsell being
the nephew of Mr. W'idenham, and of course man)
opportunities of being in company with this lady, and
did accompany her and Mr. Widenham's family to
-Castle Connell, where the latter gentleman was ad-
vised. to convey his daughter, which by causing a
j chaste of scene, may administer to her benefit and
recreation. After remaining here for some time, Mr.
Widenham tamped home, and left her to the care
and protection of his nephew. This gentleman alai
the lady, however, shortly after proceeded to Fecia-
mote, where ...a private marriage took place on the
30th of April, and a public one on the 2d of ..lay,
1805. - The point at issue was the state of this ladm's
r intellect at this period,and whether she possessed sef,
ficient sanity and ctecriminaziou to dispose of herself
on that del • , • • -
It was proved on the part of the prosecutor, by va-
rious witnesses, who had seen Mrs. Creagh at this
time, and who were intimate in the family, that sho
exhibited ne.siges of insanity, hut, on the contrary,
diiplayt.d a sound and discriminating mind : that it
had shown hi-various instances, her conver-
! sation, which manifested acuteness and cultivation, in
her general conduct, and Vie perfect pt•eprioty
her behaviour in all instances, whilst in the 19;ittse and
i at the table of Mr. Maunsell. It appeared in
that in- thodanuary 'precectiez the marriage. wit
.
considered' so lane, as to execute a lease toa
.stead, which her father signed and delivered to this
~Cntlentiu, as a fair and legal instrument ; smirk
also appeared she had taken out administration for
the 'fleet, of her late husband, and had given orders
Ito, her father, through the medium of a Mr, klunt,
respecting- the sale of some cattle at Kildorry Fair, to
which her fatherassented, and performed accordingly.
Her strict propriety and appropriate conduct were
also proved. by a physician and other gentlemen, who
dined and were la company with her on several oc-
Ca0:1011116 -•• • • •_

1 A Mrs. Franks, sistet to the prosecutor, deposed,
that Nit.. Widenham, receiving intimation of the pri-
i vats: marriage of his daughter, did apply to her on
the subject, and, according to this evidencei.sha not
i only admitted the fact, but entreated his forgivmess, ,
:Adhich be declined giving, until, as he said, a public
i marriage took place, observing, that it &ay be effec-
ted at Castle Connell, on which the lady herself urged
the propriety of its being performed at Fedamore, as
the -Braziers,- the relatives of her former husband,
whom she did not wish to meet, lived there ; and also
' as it was. in the diocese of Killaloe, which would, of
• course, create some delay and difficulty, as they were
I not resid&r.ts of that parish. The above circa:il-
-1 stances and conversations were proved by Mrs.,
(Franks, Mr. Franks, Mr. Hunt, Major Bowles, Dr.
O'Callaghan, and the Rev. Mr. Bennet, who offici-
ated A the marriage, and which it appeared had been
soletimized," Mader the authority of a licence procured
from. Limerick. These facts were, however, opposed
by an equal bodi of evidence .n the opposite side,
who deposed that' this lady, ever since the death of her
former husband; and up to nearly the present period,
' was of an unsound mind, and incapable of judging
or deciding for herself. Many acts olinsanity, and
many circumstances which manifested the unsound
and disordered state of her intellects, were attested by
several respectable witnesses.
' Kilner Brazier, Esq. father to her former husband,
proved. the general derangement of the. I.ady'smind,
ever since the period of . her husband's death, which
was manifested 'in various- instances, such as -riding '
! oft the baroache seat Giber min carriage. at the races
of Mallow, and threatening or attempting to precipi-
tate herself from a highzock at Bognas, where, if
she fell, inevitable Meath would have been the conse-
quence. - Mr. Stilwell proved also the general state
of derangement under which she laboured. of which
he was a witness, and which was displayed in several
ways ; on the occasion of her husband's death, she
required a small hole to be made in the ,lid of the
! coffin, as she said to adm:t him to breathe,-and at the
Alm of his funeral she was seen on the top of Castle
Wicienharn, in a wild and distracted manner. Dr.
klallortin proved his attendance on her for two days,
at the period of her husband's death, and that she
displayed evident signs of insanity. Dr. Barry, of
Castletown, proved his visiting her at two different
_periods. and that lie believed she could not have had-
-a lucid interval, and that it was he who advised her
father to remove her to Castle Connell.
It was also ssi•orn, by her waiting woman, that she
'was lit 111 periods insane, since tt?e death of Mr.
Craig*. Ind also at the period of her marriage 'pith
Mr. M. that it was discernable, from various circum-
stances, by biting her fingers, by tearing her 4othes,
and by striking her attendants, &c. -It was also at-
tested by Counsellor O'Daiscom., that, in Miblin,
where this lady was carried by her parentsia Novem.:
bee, 1805, she sheaved signs of a disordered under-
standing, in the squalidness of her dress, her hair
being cut short, her breasts bare, and preserving a
4-melancholy demeanour. .But the most important
fact, and which seemed to have a considerable effect
in deeiding-the verdict, was the testimony of R. Del-
llacour, Esq. who proved that an inquisition was held
in httallow, some time in 1807, before four Magis-
trates of the County, and -a -respectable Jury, - for the
purpose of ascertaining the real state-of this lady's
aninii,..who decided ulson her insanity, and that she
was evidently deranged.