The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1855-04-04

undefnable presage of approaching revo-
luton when men. reused from their or
dinnry pursuits. began to cast the horo.
scope of the existing state of things and
to wonder how long a fabric so insecure
might last, a great scandal in the 7ery
highest circles of Partisan life startled
still further the already excited public,
and contributed most powerfully to ac.
ccleraie the then impending catastrophe.
Those who contemplate with attention
the highly excited state of the public
mind at this moment cannot contemplate
without similar emotion the great scan
lie in our abridgment of a late case in
tie 1ri,h court.of chancery.
Stripped of legal tcchnicalitics the
tale runs rs follows: In 1924 Mr. VIII.
liam Handbook an Irish gentleman, pos.
sessed of Ga 900 year. married Miss
Kelly, and by her had three daughters
Josephine, Ann Mary, and IIonoria In
1910 Mr. aud Mrs. Handbook paid Wis.
it to Portumua Castle, ,andin con, cqucnco
Of something that passed there. Mr..
Handbook being led to believe that an
improper intimacy existed between Lord
Canricardc and his wife. separated him.
self from lcr by formal deed. As
Canricarde, though formally c nrgcd
with this intrigue. has not thought fit to
deny it in his affidavit, it would be mere
afi'cctation to doubt that it took place
In due time after the visit to Portumna
Castle Mrs Handbook gave birth to
boy, who was called John De Burgh
that is, by one Of the Christian names
and the surname of Lord Clauricarde,
and never BY the name Of Handbook In
1913, Mr.. Handbook was seized with a
mortal illness at Brompton. and it should
be observed that between Isl | and lS43
Lord Clauricardc and Mrs Handbook
had jointly paid a visit to Paris Daring
Mr.. llandcock's last illness after lie Lad
made will. leaving the guardianship
of his three daughters to his brother.n-
law when the illness was. to say the
least. in its vrry last stage when his
mind was wandering. and his body sink
ing from exhaustion, Lord Clanricardc
and Mrs Handbook seem to have pre-
vailed upon him to put codicil to his
will. appointing in preference to any of
his own most respectable relations, his
unfaitlful wife and the unnatural mother
of his children to be the guardian Of
their person, and Lord Clanricardc pro-
cured himself to be subsequently, arpoin.
ted the guardian Of the fortune dcvol-
wing on them as co heiresscs of their fa-
thcr 1t should be mentioned that Mr.
Handbook was attended in his last ill.
ness Ly a spy. suborned for that purpose
by his wife,
Lord Clnnricarde made to Mrs Hand
cock lberol and proper allowance for
tho maintenance of her daughters, but
this abandoned woman treated them with
every species of cruelty, almost denied
them the ncccssarics Of life. obliged
them to perform menial Offices for their
illrgitimatc brother, and encouraged
him to insult and tyrannize over them.
Under this treatment they all reached
twcnty-one years of age, though, by an
omlnous fatality, none Of them seemed
destined very long to survive that limit
Whether they pcrished from natural
causes, whether they died from the pri-
walton and crucltics to which they were
subjected or whether moro speedy aud
certain means of destruction were re-
sorted to, is a secret over which the
grave has closed, ard which can. there
fore, only be left to dark suspicion and
conjecture. The eldest daughter, jose
phnc, came Of ago in 1876. the second
in lsi7 and Ann Mary, the second died
IN isi9, and Josephine in 1851. In
lsi7, the second daughter, and in ls4o,
the first and third daughters executed
discntailing deedS,to which Lord Clanri.
cardc was party. In 1851, Josephine,
the eldest daughter, executed will
drawn by Lord by Lord Clanricarde
himself, bequcathing fi0000 to her
mother on the marriage of her sister,
and, on the death of her ST. ter without
issue, directing her estates to be sold aud
the proceeds given to her mother.
Durius a considerable period Mrs.
Handbook resided in England on such in
innate terms with Lord Clanricardc that
he let himself in aud out of the house by
Il latchkcy. Mrs. Handbook informed
one witness that her own illegtmate son
was tho offspring of one of her daughters;
and gentleman who seems to have madc
proposals of marriage for another she
repelled by the foulest and falscst calum.
MES of her own child She died in 1858,
probably having accelerated her ond BY
intemperance, leaving to her son BY Lord
Clanricardo 100000, wrung from the
misery and starvation of her daughters,
and most unhappy that she had not seen
the destruction of her last legitimate
child. This evont followed towards the
close of the same year, and it then ap-
peared that the deed executed by Hon.
oria, under the influence Of Lord Clan
ricardo, conveyed the whole property of
the family to John de Burgh, the ils-
climate son, as it was alleged, of her
mother by the same Lord Canricarde
The suit was by the heirs at-law of Mr..
Handbook against John de Burgh, to
set aside the wills and deeds as fraudu-
lent, and procured by undue influence -
The guardians Of John de Burgh, whose
name, it seems. has been changed to
Delacour, were willing to renounco their
claim on the Handbook estates for C20,-
600 Tho offer was accepted. and tho
Lord Chancellor confirmed il, observing
that his own decision would have been