Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1858-08-28
ION, BASED UPON THE CONSTITUTION.
The Dickens Domestic Affair.

The Dickens Domestic Affair.
! The following letters are in circulation
} among the friends Of Mr.. and Mrs. Dickens
\ TAFisrocK HOUSE,, TAv1srock SduARE, !
|LoSpoN, w E., Tuesday, May rs, 1858. I
Nh Dear Arthur: You have not only my
full permission to show this, but beg yod
Ito show, to any one who wishes to do me
right, or to any one who may have beef
lmisled into doing me wrong.
! Faithfully, &C.;
i C. D.
| To Arthur Smith, Esd. .... ss,
H. TAv1srocK HOUSE, TAv1sTook SoDiRE, !
ILoNDoN, w. E., Tuesday, May Is, 1858, /
Mrs. Dickens and I have lived anhappily
together for nanJ years. Hardly any one
lwho has known Us intimately can fail to
lhaye known that we are, in al RESPECTS o.
character and temperament, wonderfully
|unsuited to each other. suppose that no
1.-TWO people, not vicious in themselves; ever
were joined together who had greater DIFF
l6culty in understanding one another; or
who had less in common. An attached
woman servant (more friend to both Of us
than servant) who lived with US sixteen
years. and is now married, and who was,
and still is, in Mrs. Dickens confidence and
in mine, who had the Closest familiar Ell
pet!ence Of this unhsppiness, in London, in
the country, in France, in Italy, wherever
we have been, year after year; rtontk after
month, week after week, day after day,
will bear testimony to this. se saga
Nothing has, on many occasions, stood
between us and a separation but Mrs. Dick
ems sister, Georgine Hogarth. From the
age Of fifteen, she has devoted herself to our
house and our children. She has been their
play mate, nurse, instructress, friend, pro-
tectress, adviser and companion. In the
manly tJnsideration toward Mrs. Dickens
which I owe to my wife, 7 will merely re-
mark Of her that the PECULIARLY of her
character has thrown all the children on
Bohis Bile clse. / do not know cannot by
any stretch Of fancy immagine-what would
have become of them but for this aunt, who
has grown up with them, to whom they are
devoted and #kd has sacrificed the best part
| Of her youth and life to them.
She has demonstrated, reasohed, Suffered
and toiled, and came again to prevent a
separation between Mrs. Dickens and me.
Mrs. Uickehs has often expressed to her
her sense Of her affectionate care aid detd-
|tioii in tie hos'se-never more strongly than
within the last twelve MOUTHS j.
For some years past Mrs Dickehs has
been in the habit Of representing to HE that
lit would be better for her to 60 away and live
apart; that her always increasing estrange-
ment made mental disorder under which
she sometimes labors-- more; that she felt
herself inft for the life size had to lead as
My wife,, and that she would be better far
away. t have uniformly replied that we
must bear our misfortune, and fight the
fight otit to the end that the children were
the first consideration, and that | feared
they must bind US together Gin appearance"
At length, within these three weeks, it
was suggested to me by Forster, that even
for their sakes, it would surely be better to
reconstruct and rearrange their unhappy
home. employed him to treat with Mrs.
Dickens, as the friend Of both Of us fot one
and twenty years. Mrs. Dickens wished to
add on her part, Mark Lemon, and did so.
On Saturday last Lemon wrote to Forster
that Mrs. Dickens gratefully ard thank
fully accepted" the terms proposed to iier
Of the pectuiaty part Of them, I will only
say, that believe they ate as genefpus as
| if Mrs. Dickens were lady Of distinction
and I a man of fortune. The remaining
parts of them are easily described-my eldest
boy to live With Mrs DickeIs and take care
Of her; my eldest girl to keep MY house
both my girls, and all my children but the
eldest Son, to live With ME; id the continu
ed companionship of their aunt Georgine,
for whom they have all the teiidetest a8ec-
ton that have ever seen among voting
people, ard Who has higher Claim, as I
have often declared for many years, upon
my affection, respect and gratitude than
anybody in this world
! hope that no one who may become ao-
quainted with what write here, can pos
sihI9 be so cruel and Unjust as to put any
misconstruction on out separation. SO far.
My elder children all understand it perfect
lily, and all accept il as inevitable. There
10 not shadow Of doubt or concealment
AMONG us-my eldest son and I are one as
10 it all.
1 Two wicked persons who should have
spoken very differently Of me, in consider
|ation of earned respect and gratitude, Gas
am told, and indeed to my persoHaE know
LEDGE coupled with this separation the
name Of a young lady for whom ! have q
great attachment and regard. will no,
repeat her name-I honor it too much. Up
on my soul aid honor, there is not on this
earth a more vfrtuous and spotless creature
than that young lady. know her to b
. innocent and pure, and as good as my owl
dear daughters. Further, I am quite sur.
. thst Mrs. Dickens, having received this as
surance from ME, must now believe It, il
the respect know her to have for me, ant
in the perfect confidence I know her in he
) lbettet moments to fepose in MP truthful
ness.
: Oh this head, again, there Is not ! skad
i ow Of doubt or concealment between M
/; children and me. All is open and plail
: among us, as though we were brothers an
: sisters. They are perfectly certain that