The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1870-01-06
THE BYRON SCANDAL.
Mrs. Stowe Vindicates Lady
Byron in q New Book.

= a ~ WI
In ,b, effort d bdIsler nj ~ scaudslou.
story printed soull ui1pthS ago b the Atldi.
entitled "LaAP y rod yiudlealeA; a Hlatory
oftho Byron CONTROVERSY rom It's Beginning
In 1915 10 the Present lime" the introduc.
tory chapter TO which we published some
days ago. Advance sheets OF the entire
work. which Il publlahed, AZ was the origl-
nal scandal, by Fields, 0sgood & Co., Of
Boston, have been furnished the press. 1t
ls, without exception, the lamest production
10 controversial literature that has been pub.
Mrs. stow obsrs With the solemn assur-
auee to Der "broth Srs- and sister Eho
sharply criticize her yIhande. Monthly article
that she has not Rad a slnltia line OF thelr
adverse criticism, aud, w,th singular lucou1
aisteney, proceedsiuthe succeeding chapters
to defend herself y aimtthe attacks OF thesc
errinE, relations. OF course this is done
under cover OF an ,RrdeDL desire to yindicsto
Lady Byron. From the ninth TO the eighty
sixth page she ldbOrs hard to prove that q
conspiraey existed on the part Of Lord Byron
and bis friends 70 lnluJe the fair fatne OF
that paragon OF earthly perfection, Lady
Byron, In the estimation OF the virtuous
BhtlEh publlu. To this end Lord Byron
charged tfbAt she va, directly Responsible
Tor getting up aud keeping up this Persseu-
uon, which drove him from Englnudj that
she did Il IN deeeltful, treachBrous nau-
uer, which len him no chance OF defending
himself" .. f.H.... rtil...
Not to weary onr readers with too much
We come to the story OF the Incest,
Mrs. Stove infinitely explains every cir
eumStauee which lod 70 the confidential 10.
tSrvlev with Lady ByroBi .'..3
nov come % the particulars Of that most
| painful Interview which has been the cause
Of all this controversy. Ny sister aud my
self were going from London to Eversley TO
Walt the Rev. Q. Kingsley. Ouour way we
stopped, by Lady Dyron's inyitAtoR, to
lunch with her at her summer resldence on
Ham Common, near Richmond; and Il was
then arranged that on our rUturn We should
make her q short visit, as she said she had
. subject OF Importance on which she wlshed
to converse with me alone. %.
On our return from EtetsiSy We arrived at
her house In the morning.
II appeared 10 be ono OF Lady Byron's we'll
days. She was up and dressed and moved
about the house with hor usual air OF quiet
Slmplielty--as full Of lhfleacts Of eousidera.
ton for all abont her az II thoY vers Che
hAbitual lnvalids And she the we'll person.
There were with, her two ladies Of her
most intimate friends, by whom she seemed
70 be Regarded with sort OF worship. When
she left the room for q momout they looked
after her With a, singular expression Of 70.
speet and aheeuon, aud expressed freely
their admiration OF her character and their
foars that her unselnshness might be leading
her to oyer-eKertlon. r.n.T
Amer lunch l retired with Lady Byron,
aud my slater remained with her friends l
should here remark that the chief subject Of
| tho couyersatinn which ensued WA not on
| arely new 70 me. In the interval between
my hrst aud second visits to EnHland q lady
who for many years had enjoyed Lady
Byron's friendship aud confidence had, with
her consent, stated the case generally TO me,
giving acme OF the Incidents, 80 that was
10 manner prepared for what followed.
Those who accuse Lady Byron Of being a
person fond Of talking upon this subject and
apt to make uneousidered condolences can
have known worry little Of hereof her re.
serve and Of the apparent dlfiealty she had
In speaking on subjects nearest her heart.
Her hRbltuAl ealmness aud eomposure Of
manner, her collected dignity on all occa'
aions, are Omen mentioned By her husband
sometimes with bitterness, sometimes with
admiration, He says; Though accuse
Lady Byron OF au excels Of selCrespsct,
must In cAndOr admit that II ever person
had excuse for an extraordinary portion OF
IL she has; as In all her thoughts, words and
deeds she 10 ths most dceorous woman thai
ever eIisted, and must appear, what few
fancy could, 9 perfectly refined gSntlswomaD,
oven to her J6nms Dc thdn6rs.b .l.-
This calmness and dignity were never
more manifested than in this Interview, In
recalling the conversation at this distance
Of time cannot remember all the language
used. Bone particular words and forms Of
expression do remember, and those give
and In other cases give my recollection Of
the substance Of what was said.
There was something awful to me In the
intensity Of repressed emotion which sht
showed as she proceeded. The great fac
upon which all turned was stated In wordi
that were unmlstakAbls;
"Mrs. Stowe, he was guilty Of incest Will
his sister"
She here became 30 deathly pale that
feared she would faint, and FASTENED to say,
"My dear friend, have hoard that" She
asked quickly, "From Ehoml" aud au.
swered, "From Mrs. -" when she re-
piled, "oh, vest" rs II reeollectlng herself
I then asked her some questions, IN repl,
to which she said, al will tell you,n
She then spoke Of her frst acquaintanc,
with Lord Byron, from which gathered
: that she, an only child, brought up 10 retire
ment, and living much within herself,
been, as deep natures often wero, Intensely
stirred BY his poetry, and had felt deep 10.
tereSt IN him personally, a. ono that had the
! germs Of all that Il glorious and noble.
When she was introduced 10 him and per.
celVsd his admiration OF herself, and at last
received his ofier, although deeply moved,
she doubted her own power TO be to him all
that wife should be. sho declined his
offer, therefore, but desired to rotaln still hls
friendship. Amer this, as she said, cor
respondonco ensued, mostly on moral aud
literary subjects, aud by this correspond
enee her Interest In him was constantly In
creased.
AZ last, sho said, he sent her very
beautiful letter, Offering himself again. 81
thought,n she added, hthat It was sincere,
and that might now show him all felt
! l wrote Just what was In my heart.
"Afterward," she said, 81 found 10 ont
Of his journals this notice Of my letter. "A
letter from Bell--neTer rains bat II pours.'
There was, through her bAbltual calm, Q
shade OF WomAnly Indignation a. she spok
. these words, but It was gone In q moment
l said, "And did he not love you thenl" sh
answered, "No, my DEAR he did not low
me-"
"why, then, did he wish 10 marry your
She laid her hand on mine, and said In 1
low tone, "You will see."
She then told me that, shortly AFTER th
Q declared engagement, he came TO her father
, house to visit her as an accepted sultOr, Th
, visit was to her full OF dlSappolntment. HI
appearance was so strange, moody, and nj
accountable, and his treatment Of her .
D peculiar, that she came to the conclusion
that he did not love her and sought an OF
oportunltJ TO converse with him alone.
She told him that she sAW from his mar
ner that their engagement did not give hlr
pleasure; that she should never blame hlI
II he wished TO dissolve III that his nAtuT
a was EXCEPTIONAL and II, on nenrer view Q
the situation, he ShrAnk from II, she WOul
= release him, and remain no leSG than eve
I. his friend.
Q Upon this, abe said, hs tainted sntlrel
A away.
She stopped a moment, aud then, as
speaking with great effort, added, "Then
was Aure he must love me.n
"And did he notn said l. "What othC
= cause could have led to this emotlonl"
o She looked at me sadly and said, "Fear {
, detection"
"Whati" said /. odd that cause the
: oxistI"
. eyes," she said, at did" And she 81
planned that she now attributed Lord Byron