Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1827-05-16

ton now isis the marriage legah They all
said no; and quoted William and Mary upon
me, till I was tired Of their majesties' names
Pray let me know that?-butI write 10 nunkey.
Do not stay, you can do no good. shall go
to England, as soon as possible. Upon this
you may depend. | shall not write again until
l hear from you, for fear Of accidents. Percy
came with the trio, and has witnessed the row.
We start in the morning. Pray write, but say
nothing to any body. l am the person TO
speak. Yours ever, Z. G. w.
| He mentions here the name of Mr.. Percy,
a gentleman Of rank and respectability, who
had some employment under the Secretary for
Foreign Affairs, to whom application had been
made to assist Mr.. Turner to recover his daugh-
ter from France. What, however, he seems to
rely on in this letter is, that, in the commission
of this atrocious crime, he has acquired prop
erty in the young lady, and that he has made
her his lawful wife. am told, indeed, that
there is here a gentleman Of the law from Scot
land, in order to defeat this prose cution, by CIV
ing EVIDENCE of the law of Scotland on this sub
ject. He is to tell you, understand, that by
the law and custom Of Scotland if man gets
possession Of the person of young lady by
means of fraud and forgery, and carries her off,
he has acquired a legal right in her, and that
not even her own parents have any authority
over her. This gentleman will tell you, that
this is the law and custom Of Scotland! They
have caught one man who will depose TO this;
how they have caught him Fknow not. have
not the honour of knowing him; but, if man,
calling himself lawyer, will stand up in the
presence Of this court, and attempt to prove its
truth he never win, venture to predict, he ar
the last of it as long as he lives; especially if
it should appear that he comes here voluntarily
10 prove, that the injured lady is incompetent
TO tell her own affecting story to-day, and that
she must remain the wife of one Of the male
defendants, lest incurable animosties should
arise If there be any truth in the new north
ern light, the crime Of which the defendants
are accused is on English ground felony; but
on the other side of the Tees-the Tweed, I
mean, it is mertorious acton-that is, that
it is the law and custom of Scotland to reward
the thief with the booty, and to consigh the
wretched victim of his stratagem TO eternal
misery, by stopping her mouth forever from sta
ting her complaint in court of Justice. This,
| gentlemen, is to be done to-day, and this is to
be the main defence Of the defendants. They
4 are to object to this young lady becoming a
witness on the trial, because she was married
by dece and fraud to one Of the defendants
If one could find any parallel to the inhumanity,
the atrocity Of such proposition, it would be
found in the practice of the tyrant Of antiquity
who punished the objects Of his vengeance by
tying the living body to dead carcass. 1t
would be TO render the life Of the young lady
miserable, by binding her indissolubly to the
monster who had endeavoured, by treachery
and fraud, me lnness' and dssimuIaton, TO make
her life as well as the lives cf her parents mis-
erable. l cannot, however, permit myself to
believe that the council for the defence will
adopt this course; if they do, am convinced
that the court will scout the attempt to shut
out Miss Turner's evidence, and make it recoil
on the heads of the defendants
Mr. Grimsditch the solicitor, was examined,
and gave history of his pursuit after Miss Tur-
ner, and of his finding her and the Wakefelds
at Quilac's Hotel at Calais. He stated that
he had warrant against them, and also de-
spatch to Granville, the minister at Paris
Wakefield observed that he knew all about the
warrant, and all that they had done in London,
and onquired if they moant to prosecute. He
(Grimsdtch) said that they did, and he then
desired he would surrender the young lady,
Wakefield said, !" But is she to be my wife?"
lie told him he could not enter into that ques-
tion-that he had committed a most atrocious
: act-that he had got possession Of Miss Turner
mere child, and that he deserved to be shot
He had struck a blow at the peace Of the fam.
: lily, which he could never repair. That i,
would be the death of Mrs Turner, if she was
, 1 hot ucou dhCduy. (sdlu tHc WItHeSS)
had daughter; and any man were to take he,
> from me in the same manner, should send q
bullet through his head" T. G.. Wakefield
than asked if the marriage was legall Witness
told him it was not only illegal, but that he
was liable to severe punishment under the act
of Philip and Mary. After conversation o.
: considerable length, he surrendered Miss Tur
F.; ner, he having first Observed" You will .nd
her perfectly passive, and dare say she vii
fly from you to me;' and also declared"
assure you, as man of honour, she is the same
Miss Turner as when took her from school, ,
Mr.. Critchley, who was present with him, sale
he was sure the marriage was illegal. Mis-
Turner was there, and said, "I am not YOU
wife, and will never go with you again-yo,
have deceived me.' Wakefield replied
You must acknowledge that have behaved
: TO you as a gentleman" She said" Yes
you have; but you have deceived me.''
ITO be concluded in our merit
r "BRAUrIFUL SPECIMENS OF GEoGRArHI