The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-21

The artist and his wife were the Duke aud
Duchess de Sforza. In the summer OF 1851, an
antiquary, rambling in North Leicestershire,
was induced to visit this secluded hamlet, few
miles east of Melton Mowbray. He had been
attracted to this spot by the fame of the old
dail as remarkably dne specimen OF Jacobean
architecture. He was descending the hill that
oVerhangs the village, when groups of we'll
dressed rustics met his eye. The word 'Welcome'
100, a1lXed in flowers on an arch that spanned
the entrance TO the Hall, gave sign OF rejoicing.
Mhat holiday are you celebrating y said my
antiquarian friend to the civil rustic who.
opened the gate. It's the visit of the Duchess
was the reply; 'and there she comes, said he,
pointing to carriage descending the hill.
"A loud shout proceeded from the ,rustics,
and the two bells of the little chapel adjoining
the Hall at once began to jingle the best peal
the dual could produce. The carriage entered
the Hall gates and lady of middle age was
handed out by a soldier like young man who
accompanied her. With bare heads the farmers
and laborers made their best bows TO the
Duchess and her son.
The last judicial appearance made by any of
the Shirley family was that famous breach of
promise of marriage case brought by Miss Mary
Elizabeth Smith against Washington, Earl Fer
rers. There was great deal OF mystery about
this case; and although the plaintiffs case en-
tirelY broke down, and the SOliCitor-G General
(Sir Fitzroy Kelly) elected to be nonsulted, yet
many facts Werelett unexplained. The plaintiff
afterwards published pamphlet on the subject,
winch, IN the eyes of her friends, would make
considerable excuses for her conduct. On the
very nlght before the trial came on she was
pressed by the SolctorGeneral and her other
counsel IN the strongest way and she was told
that If she had any sort of reservation or deCep-
ton on her mind 1t would certainly be detected,
ard she would at once lose her cause and she
was told that the abandonment of proceedings
would be infinitely less painful than the conse-
quent degradation. Still she pelsevered, and
her friends supported her with their full ere.
dence. There is no doubt that she and Lord
Ferrers had known each other when boy and
girl in the same village. After they had been
separated for years, Lord Ferrers received an
letter tO 70 hon
at TamwOrth:-"There will, to my knowledge,
be young lady.at the ball whom wish you to
see and dance with. She is very beautiful, has
dark hair and eye5-in short she is naughty and
graceful as a Spaniard, tall and majestic as a
CircassIan, beautiful as an Italian; can say no
more"
Four letters in this strain were produced in
court. Sir Frederick Thesiger, in the course of
one Of his most adrOit and successful cross
examinations, showed through the young lady's
mother that these letters must have been
written by her daughter, the plaintiff. On this
point it was that her case broke down. 1t was
also suggested by Sir Frederick that the love-
letters purporting to be Lord Ferrers', but
which by no possibility could be his, we've
Smith acknowledged that these four silly
romantic letters were written by her, with a
view OF bringing about reueu wal of old acquain-
tauCe but she altogether denies that her con-
fession OF this fact involves the rejection of her
case. 1t is a fact worth mentioning, that her
leading counsel, the cSOhCitOr-GCncral, was absent
almost entirely during the progress Of the cause.
Miss Smith declares that if the individual whom
she repeatedly met-and there was some
confrmatory evidence OF this statement-Was
not Lord Ferrers, there was some one who was
like him, and who assumed his name. 1t is, of
course, possible that some personatiOn of this
kind might have been effected. 1t was made
clearer than sunlight that Lord Ferrers had run
the chance OF being made the victim of a con-
! spiracy. Possibly she may have been made the
| dupe OF some designing person acquainted with
! the previous circumstances and her romantic
| disposition. Perhaps, also, at an age when the
| judgment is unripe, and the temperament less
| governed, she may have been Influenced by
ming which under such circumstances is often
| developed in the young. Let us hope that in
either case the errors of youth were atoned for
! by useful and well. balanced life. At any rate
| this remarkable trial forms a curious chapter in
family history aud the vicsstudes of the cause
give us some singular Illustrations OF Luck
| London SOCietN.