The Portland daily press., 1864-12-09
n..l :. ~. mar than Fiction.

"a
A case before the English courts, recently
reported turned upon the following facts,
which we fnd properly summed up in the
Rostoa Adpertiser. A Mr.. Gedney of Cand-
,esby Hall, in Lincolnshire, was married in
1881 to Miss Smith. The marriage was not
happy one. and up to February, 1854, there
vas no living issue. In that month Mrs. Ged-
neyswent to London for medical advice, and
shortly after her arrival wrote to her husband
that she had given birth to a daughter. Mr..
Gedney fastened to London, where he found
his wife in lodgings, attended by DR., Goss
who bore no good character, and whom he
exchanged at once for physician of stand
ing. Nothing occurred to excite his suspi-
cions and the child was christened and has
been brought ny thus far as Miss Gedney, the
heiress Of property Of some amount. Mrs.
Gedney died seven years ago, and three
friends now testify that before her death she
told them that her supposed daughter was a
changeling. The nurse who attended her in
her sickness, testifies that she was satisfied at
the time that the child was not then newly
born; the landlady of her lodgings testiaes
that DIR. Goss and bis wife were alone present
at the alleged birth, and that doubts were
raised in her mind by some circumstances;
while woman who in February, 1854, gave
birth in a hospital to daughter, "a little fair,
blue-eyed girl" testiHes that she then sold her
child to DR.. Goss, on his assurance that it
would be adopted by lady. The jury, upon
hearing all the evidence, gave their verdict,
with. no great hesitation, that the little girl
known so far in Lincolnshire as Miss Gedney,
is the child of Lucy Fletcher, person in oh
scure poverty, if not a pauper.
- : = 81 = q 50 Al
Hard on its friends Slightly Inconsistent,
| Afew weeks prior to the Presidential cleo
ton, the Richmond Enquirer, the acknowl-
edged organ Of the rebel government, publish
ed an editorial from which the following is an
extracts: 5setia hga hsnsglss LEV II ssap 8sod
A million of dollars would Law the, proudest
city of the enemy in ashes. The men to en-
| ecute the s0ork are already there. There
| would be no difficulty In finding there, here,
or in Canada, suitable persons to take charge
| OF the enterprise and arrange the details =
l,Twenty men with plans preconcerted, and
| means provided, selecting some dry, windy
| night, might fire New York, Philadelphia, or
Boston, in a hundred places, and wrap it In
flames from center to suburb. ggtF ug
Owingto the vigilant preparation Of the Gov
eminent, and the preesnce of Gen Butler in
New York, no attempt wasmade in that city,
at the time fthe election, to carry out this In
fam us suggestion. as was feared might be the
case; but when the smoke of the great civil
battle had passed away and our people were
resting in imagined security, the attempt was
made on large scale tolreduce the Empire
city to ashes. A dozen hotels, theatres and
other public places were selected, and the
match was adroitly applied, and it is owing 10
40 intent Of the rebel emisaries that New
York is not now. a heap of smouldeling ruins.
| But how does the Rlchmoud paper etand
! by its friends? Does it, with satanic magnan-
unity, uphold those who acted upon its sug
| geslion, and commend them for their acts?
The following, which is the concluding SEN
tence Of an editorial in the Enquirer on the
attempted incendiarism, shows its spirit TO-
towards those whom it had melted to crime !:
@We are very glad to see that all our South
era refugees are required to register their
natnes.. Ii General Dix will harg them he will
do service to our cause. A set of cotvardlu
sneaks, who deserted their country, are not
dboue burning hotels. We hope general Dix
will hang every mothers son OF them"