The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-03-26
DIR. RUFUS W. GRIsWOLD's d.
VORCE.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. IA.

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. IA.
A case about 10 be brought before our
Court Of Common Pleas promises rich de-
velopments interesting to the literary
world. It appears that DR.. Rufus w.
Griswold, editor Of the Poets of America,
DC, DC, married his second wife, South
Carolinian, some ten or twelve years since
and went to reside in Charleston, S. c.,
where her property lay. After six or sew
en- years Of rs much felicity as usually
falls to the lot of married men, he wear
led Of the yoke, aud informed the lady
that he intended having divorce by the
easy laws Of Pennsylvania, and it was his
pleasure she should make no opposition.
Not succeeding in his first application, he
sent to Mrs. Griswold, then at Schooley's
Mountain, N. j., a paper prepared to an
swer his purpose "a statement on her
part that she "wilfully, maliciously, and
without cause" abandoned ard deserted
her husband, and refused TO live with him,
requiring her signature to this document.
The lady refused 10 sign-asserting that
| the statement was unIua!iiiediy false
and she would not be accessory to the dis.
ruption Of her marriage tic on false pro-
tences. 1t shoS.d he mentioned that Mrs.
Gri>wuld bad, since her marriage, under
her charge the youngest daughter of the
Doctor, to whoE she had paid "a, 900 for
his own and child's benefit = and that she
had been constituted tho child's legal
guardian by the Chancellor, without op-
position 10y the father. On hor way to
New York with this little girl. Or. Girls
woll laid ~ wait for her, and as the boat
reached the wharf he seized the child and
ran off with her, followed by his terrified
wife and ono Ct the boatmcn, who tore off
| the skirt Of his, coat in the scufflc. Pla.
cling the child in carriage the Dr.. drove
of, but presented himself the same day at
the house where his wife was staying, Of.
fering to restore the child to her, and give
n paper confirming her perpetual guardi-
anship beyond the powor Of molestation
on condition Of her signing tho important
document which was to secure him di
vorce, and enable him to marry one Of
two. or three ladies whom no said he had
in view. The child, miserabls in the sop
araton from her guardian, and i'll from
the shock aEh terror OF her forcible ab-
duction, wrote imploring letters bessech.
ing her "darling mother" to yield to he,
fathers wishes friends and legal counsel
represented that her forced signature could
avail nothing (; the DR.. walked up and
down tho. stfoet-called every few minutes
to inquire If the paper was 81 gnsd.' threat
ening eternal seps ration from the child il
Ethey were not and in q half distracted
state-with protest against it, falsshood
the weeping lady affixed her signature
to the document, and had the little CIR
immediately rastored,to her; the promis
ed paper securing her guardiansbip ip being
withheld-the DR.. said-till lie should b.
sure Of its efficacy in procuring the d.
vorfe. The promised paper was nexer
givon.
Mrs. Griswold thought proper to eau.
tion the lady TO whom. her. husband was
paying bis addresses-and wrote to in
form her that ho had neither divorce no,
any right to one. After her return &c
Charleston, she was surprised one day to
see an announcement OF the marriage Of
Rev. Rufus w. Girls xold to Miss NJ. Crel
lis, Of Main. Having received no Motif.
cation Ct action for divorce, she directed
her counsel in Philadelphia to investigate
the matter, and il divorce really had
been granted, to enter her appeal against
the decree. Tho. court rnrorda 1axs nc
evidence : all the papers on the subject
having been mystoriouSly abstraetsd, the
Supreme Could could not therefore &C,
on the Appeal. 1t was evident there va,
false play; as the judge Of tho Court o
the Common Pleas before whom the case
had been tried, informed Mrs. Girls xold'a
counsel that the decree had been granted
on the (suppcsed) voluntary statement o.
the lady--and point has been stretched
to oblige her in the matter. The disap
naaranca OF. the records, which tho pro.
thonotary had lent to DIR. GriswoId's coun
sci, Of course destroyed all chance for th,
Appeal, as the Supreme Court could mol
decide on n case, the papers Of which they
had never seen. The lady's counsel, Da.
vid Paul Brown, then procured in the
Court Of Common Pleas, rule to show
cause why the decree OF divorce should
not be rescinded or annulled, on the
ground that il had been obtained by fraud
and imposition on the Court. So stands
the case. Several authors, we understand
have been suhpoanaed and constrained 70
give evidence bearing very hard upon, the
Rev. (D Doctor's especially Tor
truth and veracity. When the testimony
10 made public in full, as we understand
twiH Hbe. strange practices will be brough,
to light. shaming the invention of a French
novelist. The. third, Ms,. GriswoId, 1t ia
said, has retreated ftom the coming storm
to the shelter, of, lasr, ,bsothsrs house, ip
bangor The Doctor. ia, still ASurish;pe
in New York society, frequsutiag literary
so'rees and gxllantiag. ladies hero and
there. who are totally ignorant, ofAhe
game no has been playing, r.wholly re
gardless of their. reputation.-Alds Ege,