Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-03-21
ENGLISH EXTRACTS.
SCANDAL IN HIGH LIFE-THE DAUGHTER OF THE EARL
OF CLARE ELOPEs WITH LORD CECIL GoRDON-lN-
rvpryrtNc ntvoRCE CASE In LONDON. ~ go I

on a petition by the husband ior dissolution. OF mar
rage on the ground OF the wlies adllIery de also
claimed damages against the eO.respondent The
respondent appeared and traversed the charge; the
correspondent did not appear.
DIR. Swabey and Mr.. HOdgsOn for the petitioner;
DR. Deane q. C., and DIR. Tristan, for the respond
The petitioner, Mr. Francis William Henry Cayen-
dish is q gentleman of good family, and on the 9th
/ of April 1856, he married the respondent, Lady
! Eleanor Sophia Diana Fitzgibbon, who was the
daughter of the Earl and Countess oil Clare. They
cobabted at HYDE Park street, Hyde Park square,
and other places in London and had three children,
the Youngest of whom is about three years of age.
In 1861 the petitioner met with a severe accident,
and he in consequence went abroad with ms family
for some time. He returned III the course oil loo4'
and took up his residence near Silyerlands near ST.
. Ieonarl's The correspondent, Lord Cecil james
[ Gordon manied the half-sster OF Lady Cayendlsh,
and is the father of nine children, the eldest being
I about twenty-five yeaTs OF age. Standing IN the
relationship of brother-in-law TO the petitioner, the
l greatest intimacy existed between the two families.
. in June 1864, he went, accompanied by his daugh-
Ter on visit 10 SilveTands, and while there he fell
i'll He was nursed with every possible Kindness and
/ attention and il was also stated that his circum
stances were such that in other matters likewise he
was under obligations to the petitioner. Shortly al
Ter this visit he came to reside with his family at
Mace called Grays Lodge, quite close to Silverands.
/ The intimacy between the two families became, II
nossibe greater: but the close relationship and the
Z
RESPONDENT he being sixty and she not more than
twenty.seven or twentyeight years OF age precluded
all idea of suspic ion. On the 3Oth January, lobo,
! ord Cecil Gordon dined usual at the petitioners
house and few days aiterward, on the I'd Februa-
~ Lady Eleanor Cavendish left her house for Lon
! don on the pretence of visiting her mother, Lady
| Glare who was then i'll. She was accompanied to
the station by her husband, and was expected to re-
tuln home the next day. On the following day, ac-
cordinrlv the carriage sent twice to the station
=. hnr INIT a
not aroused until day or two subsequently, when
| letter which he had written to her to her mothers
address was returned. 1t was then found that Lord
| Cecil Gordon had also lett his home. Enquiries
were set on foot, and he and Lady Eleanor were
traced to Paris and Nice, where they were found
living rs man and wife, and passing under the name
of Graham In stating the case TO the jury, the
learned counsel (Ar. HOdgsOn) observed tat the mo-
five which must have influenced the correspondent
in the matter was as disgraceful as his conduct In
January 1854 Lord Clare died, and by his will all
of his nropertv after the death of Lady Clare re-
yerted TO his daughter Lady Eleanor Cavendsh.-
The correspondent was man oil pleasure, ana IN
endeayorng to account for his conduct the learned
counsel suggested that he was probably anxious to
live upon the bountfu fortune into the possession oil
which he well knew Lady Eleanor would soon come
Whatever his motive might be, he had deserted his
,vife and children, and had broken up the home of
the man by whom he had Deeh oVeT"hei"ieu WIFI
kindness.
The Earl of Cawdor, Lieutenant-General j. r.
Crawfurd, brothers-in-aw OF the petitioner and Mr..
Frederick John Howard, his f-brother, were called
TO prove the terms on which lie and Lady Eleanor
Cavendish had lived. They stated that he was
most indulgent husband, and that he and his wife
had lived on the most ailectionate terms.
| Similar testimony was given by other witnesses,
who had been servants in the house, ana IL was also
proyed that the respondent and correspondent mad
! lived as man and wife at Nice, where they passed
| under the name of Mr.. and Mrs Graham.
The witnesses were not cross-eXamined, nor were
any observations addressed to the Jury by the re-
/ snondents counsel Her mother, Lady Clare, hav-
inc died about three months since she is now in the
endowment of the property left TO her by her father
| IFS amount was not stated but II was understood
| that it is considerable. 800
His Lordship in charging the jury, said that very
little was to be said on the case. The iacts were
not numerous and the result could hardly he doubt
ed The respondent had been wicked enough, or
! bad enough to leave her husbands house, who had
treated her with kindness and affection, and had
zone TO live with man who was her brOther-ln-
! law From the circumstances under which she lett
! her home there could lie no doubt that they were
carving on an aduterOuS intercourse, ana the only
uuestion therefore, which remained, was as 10 the
damages In assessing those they should look TO all
the circumstances Of the case and say whaL llley
| Thought was reasonable compensation, so lar as
money could be a compensation, for the loss the pc
titioner had suffered. In considering that natler,
n very natural question arose whether the husband
| had been at all 10 blame. They had unlmpeachaDe
on the hest of terms. He was described as Rand
| and indulpent husband, and there not sugges-
ton of any shOrtcOming on his part But II he ne
hayed we'll what were they to think OF the conduct
of ord Cecil Gordon IL was well said that tne
gravity of an offence might he measured by the obi
cations which were broken, or by the consequences
which followed from its commission. If they applied
either test the guilt of the correspondents IL would
| not appear the less light or grevous. Ihey could
hardly find any case IN which the obligations which
| ,vinl cd
which the consequences We're so painful Here was
man at the advanced period in life of sixty years,
himself married man. with nine children, visiting
and paraking of the hospitality oil tile petitioner
and receiving kindnesses from him, and then taking
| advantage of the intimacy which belonged to near
family ties inducing the wife OF his friend and ei-
five TO leave her home with him. Whether the mo-
tive was mercenary not did not signify the result
was the same. So far as he (Sir }. 7. Wlldel could
see there was not the slightest excuse or palliaion
for such conduct There was no neglect on the part
| of the husband-there was no want oil KINDNESS ON
his part and there was not one circumstance which,
so far the respondent and correspondent were con
cerned could lessen the guilt oil the gross VIOLATION
and double infractiOn of their marriage vow.
In reply to Juror, who observed that they had
evidence before them TO the means OF the cores
pOndent,
His Lorlsbip said that if man did not pay in
pocket he should pay in person. The property oil
The correspondent was not the measure OF damages.
The measure of damages was what the petitioner
had suffered.
The urv after deberating for a short c,ionnd
that the adultery charged had been committed, ana
assessed the damages against the correspondent at
ElOO0O. They added that IT was one oil the grOsSeSt
cases that ever came before them.
His Iordship granted decree aiSi with dosts
against the correspondent.
A MOTHER AND SON CLAIM To BE MEMBERS OF THE
ROYAL FAMILY-THE LADY CLAIMS THE TITLE OF
PRINCESS AND THE DUEEDOM OF CUMBERLAND FOR
HER son.
From the London Times, March 81
Some mention has BEEN made in the Court OF
Probate upon one or two recent occasions OF the
case of "Ryves against the Attorney General 1t
may not he generally known that, although the
cause has not as vet assumed a very important
shape it involves points of historical interest and
when it shall have come fully before tl,e Court 1t
will we have no DOUBT attracta large share OF pub
lie attention.
The suit is undertaken by mother and her son,
who, though they are now living in comparative
obscurity, aspire to the high honor of being recOg-
nized rs members OF the royal family. In endeay-
oring to accomplish their end, il will be necessary
for them to enquire somewhat closely into the histo-
~ OF King George Ill.,, and many curious incidents
! must of necessity be brought out by the evidence
and documents exhibited in reference to this part OF
the case for Mrs. Ryyes the petitioner asserts that
she has desc ended from the issue of private mar
riage contracted by the fourth brother OF George
| ILL., who was known as Prince Henry Frederick,
Prince is said TO have been married was Olive Will
mot, the daughter Of DIR. James WmOt, rector of
Barton-on-thc Heath, in Warwickshire. His wife,
the mother of this Olive WilmOt was a Polish
Prince. How much interesting matter it will be
necessary to disclose for the purposes of this suit,
respecting the private relations existing between the
Prince and Olive Wilmot, prior to the alleged mar
riage it is impossible 10 say at present; but the
whole suit hinges upon this point, everything Incl
dental to the intimacy of Prince Frederick and DR..
Wilmot and his family will no doubt be thoroughly
canyassed.
But whether this marriage can be proved or not
il is quite certain that it was acknowledged at the
time, for the gossips of the period seem to have
made it one of their stock subjects, and the daugh-
Ter born of the marriage also publicly recog-
pized. 1t seems, however that in the course of
time the Rrince gotfntQ scrape with Mrs. Horton,
a sister to the Colonel Luttre who was afterwards
returned member of Parliament by Court influence
in place of "DcmagOgue Wilkes" The Prince
eventually married Mrs. Horton and, as the bigamy
was committed in the face of the acknowledgment
of the issue of the former marriage it became ncces-
sary that something should be done to hush up the
scandal.
The histories referring to the period show that the
King about this time would not receive his brother
mt Court, and il is cOnjectured with some show oil
reason, that the prohibition arose out OF the dsa
greement between them consequent upon TINS blga
nous marriage. The Prince. accordingly, unwll-
| a., tla