Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-01-15
rHsE RYRON

January eth.
The Stowe-Byron controversy
is one of those widely. discussed,
notorious things, some allusion to
which can hardly be avoided in q
newspaper. In performing our
unpleasant duty OF referring to
this subject again, We shall not
withhold from Mrs. Stowe the CEN
sure which is hers for Obtrudiig
the ugly topic once more upon
public notice. AL that Mrs. Stowe
says in her new book, whose
proof sheets are now before rs,
she could have said and should
have said, when she spoke at oil,
in her first Atlantic paper, 90 that
her entire charge against the mem.
DRY of Lord Byron might have
been before the world al one time,
and in o brief compass, and
promptly confirmed or ref0ted, or
relegated to the limbo Of forgot
ten sensations. Her present ven.
ture looks like o piece Of profess
sionAl book-making Of which the
Atlantic article was but the cheap
and successful advertisement In
advance. professional book
making" 10 the exact phrase for
this piece Of literary patchwork
and padding. II bears every ap-
peArance ofhaving been written to
sell-tO take advantage, We mean,
Ofthe still lingering desire to hear
more Of the shocking story which
rang through the papers months
ago, and to profit by that love Of
indecent scandal which the pruri-
ent literdteurs Of the day find 80
much gain in catering to. II con-
sists Of 482 16 mo. pages, and
proves, upon analysis, to be only
a hammering Oat Of the scanty
data contained Ia the Atlantic pa
per (which also reappeared in
: full, a reprint and examination
of some Of the facts and argu.
ments offered in defence Of Lord
Byron, a prOdigiously tiresomC
:. effort to prove from passages In
! ! his works that he is not too good
! to commit incest q few Of Byron''
poems bearing ON his unhappy
marriage, and about foe pages o
matter that may be called new
though it is only ON elaboration
still vague and unsatisfactory, o
I. Mrs. Stoves previous report o
Lady Byron's statement to her.
Y Not a particle Of direct proc
!. of the alleged crime is adduced
n The gist of the matter, as newl!
dressed up, Is this: That Lad
Il Byron told Mrs. Stowe that ton
night in her presence, he 10
l. Byron) treated his sister with
liberty which both shocked an,
q astonished her." and that in con
le versations with his wife subse
quently, Lord Byron ''boldl
% avoWed the connection with hi
:. sister, as having existed in tim
IF past, and as one that was to con
d tinue in time to come, and in
b piled that she must submI
1t to it." Lady Byron did no
soy that she was q witness o
:. any actual guilt between then
= nor that any one else saw evl
y dences of it nor that she had
scrap Of writing or any testimOn
8. whatever (Other than Byron's ipG
/. diait) going to confirm It. Sh
does not allege that Mrs. Leig
'e confessed her participation in th
imputed crime. SO much for d
=. "hOnor Of revelation" which Mr.
. Stowe limited at so melodramati'
?. ally in her atlantic paper. Th
b "child born with his curse Of 81
on it, makes an equally shadow
O. figure in this book. Here Is 6
At that Mrs. Stove has to say o
this important topic, and We CO
~ |. the readers particular attentlo
to the evident desire of Lady b.
II ron and Mrs. Stowe to shirk Il
e. responsibility Of charging TIL
to there was an offspring Of the O
ed legged incest:
he I asked, "Was there a child
/ had been told by Mrs. -
that there was a daughter, VII
III had lived some years.
Il. she said there.was one, q dang
a. ter, who made her friends NUT
trouble, being Of a very dihlcu
'o- nature to manage. ! had unde
IL stood that'at one time this daug
lia ter escaped from her friends
Is the Continent, and that Lady B
ron assisted in efforts TO reoov
IN her. OF Lady Byron's kindnes
|" both to Mrs. Leigh and the chill
nd l had before heard from Nj
lse -, who gave me my first ii
us formation.
This is evasive and quibblin
ers The fact that Mrs. Stowe dodg
the direct accusation and gives
lh' name TO the woman who told b
-, "that there was a daughter" al
NJ slips away from this branch
Of the subject so quickly, shows u
or she does not fully believe her
en-. situation to be true, though she
none the less willing to make
A curious discrepancy drops 3
in Mrs. Stoves new version
har conversation With LADY, =