The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1858-06-23
The Heroics of Wife Stealing

We take the following upon the subject
of wife stealing from Appleton's New
American Encyclopedia, the first volume
of which, already published, affords rich
promise Of the excellence and value of the
complete work
1.-The abduction of wives is not a prev
alent practice in our times Few Both
wells are to be found now in most in
stances where ladies desert their lords, the
ladies are the persuading, or at least the
consonting party. LII this latter case, the
husband is entitled to damages in proper
ton to the loss sustained. Where person.
| al violence has been used, the crime is Of
graver character, and subjects the per-
petrator to Imprisonment for years, at the
! pleasure of the court. That branch Of the
science of abduction which consists in the
carrying away of unmarried women gen.
orally, and heiresses in particular, is, how
ever decidedly the most distinguished, be-
ing able to boast OF an older pedigree and
of q longer duration than either Of it's sis
ter branches. The abduction of the Sa-
bine virgins by the Roman youths carries
it back to lie most mysterious and misty
period of the early history of Rome, and
from that time it has continued to flourish
down to the present day. Among every
nation of Europe, with the exception Of the
Turks, among whom women are a market
able affair, the practice of this species of
abduction has prevailed and is prevalent.
In the days of knighthoOd, shen ehivalIy
that nurse Of manly sentiment, and so forth
prevailed, abducting exploits h1d at least
the incentive of romantic love; but in our
degenerate days Of calculation and econo-
my, they have chiefly been instgated by
more material motives, fat fortune being
a more powerful talsman than the sweet
est smile In the rural portions of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, it is still not unfrequent, where a
girl is possessed of comparative wealth
in her own right, or likely to inherit It
from her parents, for some neighboring as
pirsnt to arm his relatives, descend upon
the homestead, and carry away the coveted
heiress, holding her in custody until her
parents or guardians submit Some severe
punishment recently inflicted in England,
has, however, had the effect of diminish
ing its frequency there; but in Ireland it
still retains something of its ancient prev.
aence. Scarcely mouth passes in the
southern and western districts of that en-
thusiastic country without the parish being
enlivened by some ebducting feat, in which
often the gentry play leading part, and
in the riot and dangers of which the Irish
: peasant absolutely reveals and rejoices
Oftentimes these abductions give birtA to
great family and faction fights, one party
battling for the recovery, and the other
for the retention of the wearer of the gold
en- fleece recourse is never had to law
that being deemed mean and cowardly ii
the extreme. The chastity of the maidsr
l is in such cases never soiled. She is mere
7 ly held in close durance, until, after pro
r tracted negotiation, in which diplomac,
e worthy Of Nesselrods or Talleyrand is fire
:. quently displayed, an arrangement mutu
. ally and monstarily satisfactory, isrsac he'd
: The negotiations are usually crowned will
0 an abundant banquet of whisky and pOta
toos OF late, however, the entire onu
$ of preserving untarnished the natioua
I prestige has been left to the lower classes
P and the fame of the Irish gentry in thi
It liue would probably have faded away .ha'
i not Mr.. Garden, square from the eel
> ebratsd fighting county of Tippsrary
II stepped forward to relieve his caste ffor
d the imputation of degeneracy. The stor.
= is fresh, and worthy of narrat on as a
e example of the usual routine in such ca
u ses. A Miss Arbuthnot, Il lady Of cor
siderable wealth, was staying on a Wis
y with her sister, who was married to Nj
10 Cough, the son and heir Of Lord Gougi
OF the hero of Sobraon who was Epperar
tn boy. Her fortune was large. and her lo'
ne ers consequently legion. Among the mo-
le ardent of the throng wasa Mr.. John Ca
e. den, an Irish SOU ire of very little brail
rs and a good deal Of land, which he desire
to increase. The lady. however, love
r. wisely, but not too WELL Thus foiled, al
" enuloas of the traditions of his eountI
'ir and his house, this gallant Irishmsn arms