Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-04-19
An Ex-Governor Indicted.

The Grand Jury of ofWashington, in the Dis. |
trct of Columbia, says the New York Repub- !
lican, have found two presen,ments for libel a.
ganst Francis THOMAS, Esq, the Ex-Governor
of Maryland, whose term of service expired in
January last. The alleged libes are contain
cd in pamphlet lately published by Mr.. Tho
mas, in which he lays before the public the do
mestc difficulties which afflicted his married
life. The Elk Governor, il seems, suspected his
wife-a young and very beautiful woman-of
infidelity to his bed; and urged on by 1.-THE
green.eycd monster" either drove her from his
home. or rendered her existence so intolerable
that she found it necessary to return to her
friends. She was the daughter of the present
Governor, Mcdowell, of Virginia, and niece
of the lady of the Hon, Thomas II. Benton, the
well-known Senator from Missouri. She was
therefore certainly of most respectable iami.
ly. Still, with 20 many things concurring to
make the matrimonial union agreeable, the par
ties were not able To live together in harmony,
either on account OF the jealous disposition of
Mr.. Thomas, or the unchaste behaviour of his
consort We have not read the Ex-Governor's
pamphlet, nor seen any counter statement, and
are OF course not prepared to form Judgment
on the merits of this case of domestic discord
so obtrusivey presented before the public. The
following extract which we have met in some
of the papers, from the statement of the hus
band seems TO us to be sufficiently ridiculous,
-, Il
ain the spring of the year 1886, when had
been many years, and had attained to respect
able station in the House of Representatives OF
the United States, boarding in the same house
daughter of Gov Mcdowell, then promising
young girl of only fifteen years of age, was sent
to Washington in order TO be put to boarding
school at Georgetown. The Young lady, in.
stead of going to school, for which purpose she
was sent from home, spent the whole session Of
lS35, which transpfted after her arrival, and
nearly the whole of the session of 1867, in
the mess AT the came boarding house where we
were !; and at very early period of our ac-
qnaln'ance, quote her own words told me
thrt she had set her cap for me- Being then
t!lrty-S.ven years Of aye, without having ever
seriously turned my attention towards marriage,
! answered, perhaps with too much plalnness,
but with perfect sincerity, 1T will be time e.
nouah for you TO think of such things two wears
hence, after you have completed your educa-
ton"
10 h,. tcl ~ b,o obo1o &c
Congress- who was "thrty- seven years of age
and had never seriously turned his attention to.
wards marriage" seems to consider now that
the llght.lIearted remark of young school girl,
that ".he had set her cap for him." is proof po.
Sitive OF a premedltatcd ana malicious consp ra-
cy on her part to begulle him into the mstrl-
monial moose, and make Benedict of him in
spite of his stubborn and loEg continued opposi.
ton to the sovereignty of Hymen. We can
fancy the painful and unprotected predicamcnt
of this simple minded and unsophisticstcd ba-
chelor OF "thir,y-seven years of sge," exposed
to all the wlles and stratasems of an artful and
designing girl of fifteen. II is very clear that
the struggle was unequal, and the result was
that the poor old bachelor had 10 put on the
yoke of ma,rimony, and he insists that he had
also 10 adorn his forehead with a pair of horns.
When the marriage was solemnzed Mr.. Tho.
mas was about forty.one and his lady nineteen
years ofage They remained together but
very brief space Of tme-many rumors of the
cause Of their disagreement spread abroad. but
none were authentica.cd-she returned to her
fathers house, and the two Governors having
met somewhere in Virginia, about year ago,
had short personal scuilie. More than this
we do not know about the case, and suspect
that if we did, il would be neither profitable
nor decorous TO treat about it in this manner.
We submit what we have written merely that
the reader may, if he can, satisfactorily solve
for himself the question whether it is most dan
gerous for an old bachelor to be entrspped by
young gul, or young girl to fall into the hands