The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1869-10-07
From the New York Tribune.
The Byfoa Matter.

The Byroa Matter.
Tie Most Conclusive, Reply to Mrs. Stowe Jet;
Lady Anne Barnard, whose con
hfbution to the history of Lord By
ron's life we publish this morning,
will be remembered in literary his
tory as the author Of the beautiful
song of "Auld Robin Gray and
the friend of Scott, Burke, Dondas,
and many others Of the famous peo-
pie of the close of the last century
and the beginning of the present
century. She was daughter Of
James Linsday, fifth earl Of Balcar-
res. The Lord Lindsay, to whom
we are indebted for the publication
Of her interesting memorandum, > IS
the presentsheir to the .earldom, and
is an author Of sosoe repute, having
published the lives of thesLindsays."
a volume Of letters from the East and
a work on Christian Art. q Lady
Anne's narrative, written some time
before 1925, and Lady Byron's let
ter, written in 1918, together throw
more discredit on Mrs. Stowe ac-
count than anything else that has
been provoked by this interminable
controversy. In the confidential
discourse of intimate friendship,
Lady Byron told Lady Anne Barn.
ard the miserable story'of her short
married life. There was no hint of
the crime which was revealed to
Mrs. Stowe, but there was nara
tive Of hairless abuse and hypocrisy
less horrible, in so far as cold and
calculating wickedness is more repul-
sive than the sins of ungoverned
passion. 1T is not necessary
wrote Lady Byron ''to speak i'll of
his heart in general; it is sufficient
that tome twas hard and impenetra-
BILE. a - = 1t is not my. duty to
give way to hopeless and wholly un-i
requited affection; but SO long as i
live my chief struggle will probably
be not to remember him too kindly
It is difficult to reconcile such LAM
guage with a belief that the cause of
the separation was what Mrs. Stowe
asserts. Itissstill more difficult to-
understand how. Lady Byron, if she
believed her husband guilty of the
offence with which he stands charged,
could write astshe did to Lady Bar
nard. 81 had heard that he was the
best Of 6rothea@, the most generous of
friends, and / thought such feelings.
only required to be warmed and.
cherished into more diffusiye benev-l
olence." Still more important, how
ever, are two other statements made
by Lady Anne Barnard on Lady By
ron's authority. The first is that
when Byron tried to corrupt his wife S
principles, both with respect for her
own conduct and her latitude for his,
f'she saw the precipice on which she
stood, and kept has sister qcatb her as
mach as possible" The other is an
account of Byron's return one night
from haunt of license, when, over
come by his wife's indignant manner,
os'he called himself a monster, though
has sister. e0tJa present, J" threw himself
at Lady Byron's feet, and after OBJ
tanning her forgiveness laughed in
q her face and told her he only wished
to try the value. of her, resolution.
Such scene as this could hardly
have occurred in Mrs, Leigh's pre-
sence if the incestuous connection had
!. actually existed !; nor is it easily con-
ceiYable how Lady Byron could
have spoken as she does here of a
woman from whom she suffered
snch enormous wrongs. 1is1 .e ' ss5 !
1t will hardly be safe to pronounce
this complete refutation of Mrs.
Stove, because. it is possible TO .ex-
{ plain all the circumstances roug Chit
forward to5Lord Lindsay'g communi-
cation by Lord Byron'sf anxiety to
keep the dreadful secret and to tell
no more of the reasons for the sepa-
, ration than were. necessary 10 Justify
herself in the.opinion of her friends.
81 trust you understand my wish
ses, " she writes, (which were never
toinjure Lord Byron ii any way i
ffor. though he would mot d suffer
me to remain his. wife, he cannot
prevent me from continuing his