Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1850-10-18
MIS.CE. LLANY.
THE I,iPRIsoN I'D LADY.

THE IMPRISONED LADY.
We derive lie fofresI ns curious passage Of lie
ole hundred years siafe tfonfhe second series If
Mr.. Burkes Antcdo,eF ofths Aristocraey55
Lady Cathcars 81 oneof the four 'dauSh-
ters.of Mr. Malyn+f Southwark and Bat
tersea, in Surrey She married four times,
but never had any tue. Her first husband
was James Fleet, u Of tile city Of London,
Lcrd Of the Maui nj Teving her second,
Captain Sabine. Younger brothersof General
Joseph Sabine, o4Quinohall; her third,
Charles. eighth LORI Cathcart, of the king
dom of Scotland, Commander in; Chief of the
forces in the West frdiesk and her fourth.
Hugh Macgaire, an officer in the Hungarian
service. for whom she bought lieutenant
colanels commission in the British army,
and whom s1e also survived She was not
encouraged, however, by his treatment, to
verify tbe resolution, which she Inscribed as
a pos3 on her weddingrilg
HUG survive,
IwilI haE. five"
Her aYowed motives for these several en-
gagements were, for the first, obedience to
her parents for ths second money for the
third title and fol- the fourth. submission
to the fact that 4 the deyilowed her agrudge,
aud would punish her for her sins In the
last union she. met With, her match The
rHiberian fortune-hunter wanted only her
money Soon after their marriage, she dis
covered lier grlevous mistake, and became
alarmed lest the colonel who was desperate
" in love, not with the widow, but with the
:. widows jointured land, " designed to carry
her off, and to get absolute power over all her
property; to prepare for the worst, her
ladyship plated some Of her jewels in her
hair, and quilted Others in her petticoat -
Meanwhileth the mistress of the colonel so far
insinuated her elf into his wife's confidence
that she learned where her Will was de-
posted and Macgulre getting sight of it,
insisted on an alteration in his favour, under
threat ofinstant death !, Lady Cathearts
apprehensions Of the loss Of her personal
freedom proved to be not without founda-.
ton; one morning. when she and her hus-
band went out from Tewingto take an air
ing she proposed, after time, to return, but
he desired to 90 a little further Theeoach-
man drove ON she demonstrated, .they
should not be back by dinner time Be
not the least uneasy on tRat account re-
ioined Macgnire I we do not dine to day at
Tewing, butat Chester. whittier We are jour
neying Vain were all the lady efforts and
cxpostulations Her sudden disappearance
excited the alarm Of her friends. and an at
tarney was sent in pursuit, with a writ of
ha5cas eorFHS or ne erect tegno He over
took the travellers at an inn7at Chester, and
succeeding in obtaining an interview with
the husband demanded sight of Lady
Cathcart The!colonel, skilledin 6xpedients,
and aware that bis wife's person. was un-
known, assured tue attorney that he should
see her ladyship Immediately. and he would
find that she was going to ireland with her
own free consent Thereupon Macguire
persuaded woman whom he had properly
tutored, I'd personate his wife. The attor
ney asked the supposed captive. if she ac
eompanied Colonel Macguire to ireland of
her own goodwill Perfectly so,n said
thewoman Astohished at Such an answer,
he begged pardon, made low bow, and set
out again for Londop Macgnire thought
that possibly Mr. Attorney might recover
his senses, find how lie had been deceived
and yet stop his progress and in order to
make all safe, he sent two or three. fellows
after him, with dS fons to. plumber him of
all he had, partica.R Fly of his papers They
faithfully executed their commission and
when the colonel had the writ in his posses
sion, he knew that he was safe He then
took my lady over to Ireland and kept her
there, prisoner, locked up In his own house
at Tempo. in Fermanagh, for many years
during which period he was visited by the
| neighboring gentry, and it was his regular
custom at dinner to send his compliments to
! Lady Cathcart, informing her that the COM
pany had the honour to drink her ladyship's
health, and begging TO know whether there
was anything at the table that She would de-
sire to eat d The answer was aiways-"L Lady
Cathcarts com liments, and she has every
thing she wants An instance of honesty
in poor IrishWoman deserves to be recorded
Lady Cathcart bad some remarkably fine.
diamonds, which she had concealed from
| her husband, and which she was anxious to
get out Of the house, lest he should discover
| them She had neither servant nor friend
to whom she could intrnst them, but she had
observed i beggar who used to come TO the
/ house, she spoke to her from the window Of
/ the room in which she was confined the
woman promised t. do what she desired, and
Lady Catbcart aparcel, containing the
/ Jewels, to her {
The poor woman carried them to the per-
| son to whom they we're directed and several
| years afterward, when Lady Catheart re-
covered her liberty, she received her dia-
mondssafely AtlColenel MAcguire's death,
/ which occurred in 1864, her iadyship was
released. When she vas FIRST informed Of
| the fact, she imagined that the news could
not be true, and that it was told only with
an intention of dsceiving her. At the time
/ Of her deliveTance she had scarcely clothes
/ sufficient to cover her she wore red wig,
looked scared, and her understanding seem
ed stupifed she said that she scarcely knew
one human creature from another; her i'm
prisonnent had lasted near twenty years.
The moment she regained her freedom she
fastened to England, to her house at Tew-
ing, but the tenant, Mr.. Joseph Steele, re-
fusing to render up possession, Lady Cath
cart had to bring An action Of tjectment, 1t
tended the assizes in person, and gained the
f.As -