Vicksburg weekly herald., 1870-05-21


/ Here she gave birth 70 her second
child" u would be useless 70 at
tempt 10 palliate Shelley's conduct.
Nary Shelley, with her usual no
biliiy Of nature, refused 70 do that.
/ II she did not tell the truth boldly
and deliberately, she az least placed
the matter in such q light that
there was no room lelt for doubt.
He had been visiting at the God
win for some time previously, and
Mary Goodwin had made q deep
Impression upon him. She was
perhaps the one woman in the
world worthy of being his COM
lpaniOn, and q pitiless fate had kept
them apart from each other. The
desertiOn Of Harriet Shelley was
the only way in which the obstacle
TO their c0mpaniOnship could be
surmOunied. Mary Goodwin plight
ed her trOth to Shelley over her
mothers grave, aud Shelley (there
is no other word for iD deserted his
wife. This was a source Of the
greatest pain to the poet, and his
happiness was clouded by the In.
tOlerable thought that there was
another woman in the world hun.
geriDg for his love-the mother of
his children, the companion OF his
early struggles and aspirations-a
woman, moreover, that he could
not love, but only pity with a pity
divine. At length the sad end
came. His wife committed suicide,
to which she had always been pre-.
disposed. "Never," says Lady
Shelley, during all his (,helley',)
after life did the shade depart
which had fallen on his gentle and
sensitive nature from the self.
wrought grave of the companion
Of his early youth" Harriet Shel.
ley sought destruction in the wa.
ters of the serpentine Shelley was
drowned by the capsizing Of his
yacht In the bay of SpeZia. The
despair and suspense of Mary Shell.
ley, as she waited to hear the fate
of her husband, was terrible. She
rushed into Lord Byron's room
with Q face Of marble, and refused
TO De Gained or comforted. Byron
afterward informed Lady Blessing.
ton that he never saw anything In
dramatic tragedy to equal the terror
Of Mrs. ShelIey's appearance on that
day"
RetributIon Of an avenging pow
er, that wreakS punishment ON the
heads Of the guilty. Can q sadder
picture be imagined9 On the one
side, Mary Shelly wildly pacing the
shore of the Bay Of Spezia, and be.
seeChing the sea to give up its dead
on the other, Harriet Shelley, with
the mad energy Of q despsiring
woman, rushing to the banks OF
the Serpentine and plungilg wildly
into It's watersl Despite the trage-
dy 1T would nave been q great loss
70 the world II Mary Goodwin and
Shelley had not come together, She,
as we have before declared, was the
woman born to be bis companion
and wife ; and although she was but
sixteen years Ofage when she Joined
him, she was altogether suited TO
hlm-great poet that he was. Mary
Shelley was the daughter Of Viii.
liam Goodwin and Mary WollstOne.
craft (lhey had not been wedded,)
and from her earliest years had
been brought up in the belief that
marriage was an unnecessary con.
tract. ITO her." we are quoting
the "MeBIOriGls," as they met
one evcntful day in St. Pancras
church yard, by her mothers
grave, Bysshe in burning words
poured forth the tale Of his wild
past how he had suffered, how he
had been misled, and how, If sup.
ported by her love, he hoped in
future years to enrol his name with
the wise and good who had done
battle for their fellOwnien, aud
been true through all adverse
storms to the cause OF adversely.
unhesitatingly, she placed her
hand In his, and linked her fortune
with his own and most truthfully,
as the remaining portion Of the. 0
memorials will prove, was the
pledge Of both redeemed" She
was indeed q true wife aud COM
panion to bim; with an intellect
nearly the equal Of his own, she
combined the graoes aud virtues Of
q true woman. She would listen
to no scandal against him, and could
face danger for him, as the follow.
Ing passage from one of her letters
to him will prove 81 wrote to
you with far different feelings, last
night, beloved friend. Our bark is
indeed 'tempest.tOssed ) but love
me as you have ever done, and God
preserve my child to me, and our
enemies shall not be too much for
US. Consider well If Florence be q
fit residence for us. love, / own,
70 face danger; but l would not be
imprudent" Mary Shelley was
left q widow at the early age Of
tWenty-four. A more noble.
hearted or more intellectual woman
never breathed and the insipidity
and meaness OF Harriel's character
stand out the more prominently
when contrasted with her own gem
erouS and fearless disposition.
FORT SUMTER is in danger Of
being narried off bv tourista. A.