New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-07-23
THE YELTERTON CASE.

THE YELTERTON CASE.
Probably, as rascals are usually rated by
plain blunt speakers, there is not at present
in Her Britannia Maesty's dOminions greater
rascal than Major YelvertOn, the son OF Lord
Avonmore This soldier, going out during the
war with Russia, upon his way encountered
Miss Teresa Longworth, who was proceeding
to the Crimea to act as nurse-a course pul-
sued by many highly respectable ladies, with
Florence Nightingale at their head lie pro
fessed for this Miss Longworth an uncommon
attachment, proffered her his hand, and upon
the return home of the parties, he married her
in Roman Catholic chapel in Ireland. Tech
nically by one of those monstrous provisions
of law still extant in Ireland this marriage,
although upon a side issue it has been de-
clarcd by an Irish jury good and valid, has
been set aside by the House Of Lords. But
Major Yelverton had married Miss Longworth
twice. There was the color OF an informal
Scotch marriage also. Miss Longworth, or
Mrs. Yelverton, asked the Scotch Court OF SeS-
sions to refer the matter to the oath OF Mayor
Yelverton. This was refused, and she then
appealed to the House of Lords. On the 2Ith
ult she appeared before that body, and her
counsel being necessarily absent she argued
her own case. 1t should be stated that the
Hon Major has added what is certainly moral
bigamy to the other beautiful features of his
career, having repudiated his Irish bride be-
cause he married her in Catholic chapel ana
given his highly valuable hand to Mrs
Forbes All these years Mrs Ielverton has
been pleading for justice in almost every form
known to British jurisprudence. We have not
seen the decision of the Lords, but 1t is not
probable that she makes anything by her
motion in the present instance.
We remember reading carefully some years
ago the voluminous report of the Irish trial,
which went through all the facts in the case,
from the Crimean courishp to the Irish mar
rage and the perusal left no doubt upon our
mind. as the facts left none upon the
minds of the jury, that when the Irish mar
rage took place, both Miss Longworth and the
Major thought the ceremony perfectly Valld.
After living some time with the lady as ms
wife. the soldier encountered somebody he
liked better, or somebody who had more
money. and chiyalrously awaiting himself OF
technicalities, he married again. For years, as
we have said his deserted and rcpudiated wife
has been seeking for redress in every form
she has imp0rtuncd the administrators OF Law
for Justice; until weary, sinclc-hanGcd and for
lorn, she stands before the pcc1ge of En-
gland, and pleads for her honor her name, and
her fame. Meanwhile he, the destroyer of her
happiness, he who swindlcd her at the altar OF
God, is enjoying the pleasures OF social life,
nor has he forfeited social consideration AS
usual il is the woman who must suiieT-it Is the
offending man who goes scot free. Mark the
iniquity of the whole transaction, and the
shameful inoniciency of the laws! There is
no pretense that this Major Yelverton was
not married to Miss Longwor,h, in a Christian
church, and by Christian minister; nor is
there any that the woman supposed the GER
emony Ineffective and null BY what equity,
then, can n man be allowed to plead his own
wrong and to take advantage of his own
crimcY This is precisely what the Major does,
and all the horse-hair in England vibrates
affirmatively to the cool and impudent eva
sion. al was married. says this poor lady
TO the Peers of England, al was married
" i'm Catholic church. Catholics are not fire
"worshipers, or followers of Yishnu, but they
are Christians, and adhere to Christ and his
teaehings-to be the wife of one hus-
% band. Would to God that the Judges
" of the land were of the same opinion
"But my dear Madam responds the Lord
Chancellor, "you must remember the law
"The law, Miss Longworth y says Wig No. 2.
pointedly. "The law, We must stick to the
claw" exclaims the Duke of This. 1.-The
claw" chimes in the Marquis of That. "Alar-
"riages of Protestants in Catholic chapels,"
cries the Bishop of Tithe and Take. 90,
(" that would never do Bigamy is better
than such an infraction of sacred and an
cent statutes. The British Constitution must
be preserved in its integrity. All the law
lords, in full chorus, cry, Read your Black
"stone, Madam" and whatsis poor wronged,
morally violated woman to answer to all this
drawl and dust, this hem and haw, this sub
lime rigmarole of routine
But we shall be told, "if this be law, what
"can be done about til" To which we answer,
How happens it to be lawl What right have
YOU to allow the statutes of the realm to get
into such a muddle9 This comes of special
legislation for Ireland This comes OF the
cruel disabilities under which the British Parlia-
ment placed the Catholic clergy, treating them
as il they were not Christian ministers but
the priests of heather idolatry. Yours must
be fine laws, indeed, when they allow army
officers and the sons of peers to commit crimes
like these and to profit by them-fne laws in
deed, when they leave betrayed and outraged
woman without remedy