The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1861-04-02
NObleman and ScOundreI Exposed
and Defeated

A EObleman and ScOundrel Exposed
and Defeated.
Our readers have doubtless seen, notice in
the papers recently, of suit at law in the
Irish Court of Common Pleas, between Mrs.
Yelverton and her alleged husband, Major
Yelyerton, the son of Lord Avonmore, in
which the validity of the marriage was the
question at issue, and have doubtless read
the incidents in the career of the noble de-
fendant which led to, ,the suit. If there should
be those who have not seen either, we may
state briefly that Mrs. Yelverton, while a
young girl at school in France, became
slightly acquainted with Major Yelverton;
and each retaining pleasant recollection of
the other, an accidental meeting some years
afterwards ripened into a correspondence
and betrothal. The parties were soon af-
ter married in Ireland by Catholic priest,
the Major declared himself Catholic in or
der to secure the legal performance of the
ceremony, his wife being a Catholic, and
the priest being forbidden to marry Catho-
lies to those who are not so. The mar
riage was private, at the request of the hus-
band, who objected that his father would be
furious about it, and he wanted it kept Sc
cret till he had an opportunity to put things
in proper shape to acknowledge it, Pre-
viously, however, the parties had married
each other in Scotland by ceremony con-
sidered binding there, that is, by each ta-
king the hand of the other without any
clergyman or officer and pledging them
selves a. man and wife But this did not
satisfy the scruples of the lady, who natu-
rally desired a ceremony eonformabIe to
her feelings and education. This desire
led to the second or Irish marriage allu-
ded to- Thus they were doubly married -
They lived together some time, and had
one child. But getting tired of her, Major
Yelverton left her, somewhere on the con-
tinent of Europe, and never returned. This
was bad enough, but the infamy of it was
doubled by the fact that the seoundrel let
it be understood that the woman was only
his mistress. Recovering she returned
home to find that her husband by two mar
riaPes had actually married a 1oeaIthy lady
Of Edinburgh, and had given out that he
held his first wife always to be no more
than mistress, and that he had the marri-
ages performed only in order to debauch
her. This avowal was enough to ruin an
arch angel, but he made it worse by admit
ting that he only called himself Catholic
to be able to vitiate his marriage when he
pleased, by showing that he was no Catholic
and the marriage had been made under
false pretences. Such a dOuble-dyed and
Infamous scoundrel richly deserved to be
hanged. He was indicted for bigamy, but
acquitted because he had lied as to bis be-
ing Catholic, and that lie had invalidated
the marriage. Then his first wife sued him
/ for the maintenance of herself and child,
and this is the suit in question. In it was
| involved the validity of the marriage in a
! civil point of view, the legitimacy of the
| child, and the legal succession to the Irish
| peerage of AvOnmore, and the Marquisate
! of DrOmore, very important suit in more
! ways than as the only means of vindicating
a true woman's repution, and defeating the
| arts of a most consummate villain. Here is
! the result of the suit as reported in the
! Dublin paper:
At Dublin, on the 9th inst, and the 10th
day of the trial, the Chief Justice of the
Common Pleas delivered his charge to the
jury, who Immediately retired.
After an hours absence the jury returned
to the box the multitude that thronged
the court were hushed into breathless at
tention
The Chief Justice addressing the jury,
said: Well, gentlemen, have you agreed to
your verdict?
The Foreman-We have, my Lord.
The Chief Justice-Was there a Scotch
marriage between these parties?
The Foreman-Yes..
The ChIef JuStce-Wa5 there an irish
marriage?
The FOreman-There was.
The Chief Justice-That is, in other
words, he was a Roman Catholic at the
time of the marriage?
The Foreman-We believe he was, my
/ Lord.
After the verdict had been declared, the
usual fee was handed to the jury.
His Lordship then rose, and in a few min
utes the court was cleared.
When Mrs. Yelverton,s counsel, Mr.
r Whiteside, entered the room where she wa!
! waiting, his countenance and significant
gestures, as well as the cheers which rang
i through the court told her that the verdic
, was in her favor; she sprang forward with.
out saying word clasped him in her arms
pressed him convulsively to her breast, ant
seizing his two hands, kissed them. Over
come by the violence of her emotions, afte
!, such long and terrible tension of the ner
vous system, she sank down exhausted anC
: found relief in food of tears.
. The excitement in the court when the yer
!. dict was announced, was quite unprecedent
ed. The whole audience rose and cheere
unanimously, the ladies waving their hand
kerchiefs, the gentlemen waving their hats