Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-05-20
A Gretna Green Story.
THE CASE OF LORD AND LADY DUNDONALD-A
ROMANTIC EPISODE.

ROMANTIC EPISODE.
A writer in an English magazine, believing
with Charles Reade, that there are poetry and
humor in Blue books and the newspapers con-
tends that the best gets overlooked. Nobody
seems to find out the magic flower garden which
is romance; while every one discovers the enor-
nous gooseberry, in which there is no romance
at all, though there may be much that is re-
markable.
There is some real romance to be found in
book which is virtually blue book, in connec-
ton with Lord Dundouald, to whom they are
erecting monument in Chill. In the year
1861, the case of the Dundonald peerage was
before the House of Lords, and the old Dowa-
ger Lady Dundonald was examined as wit
ness upon the claim of her sou. She was sixty
four years of age. and was treated with great
indulgence. She was not tied down to the or
dinary rules of evidence, but allowed to rambe
and expatiate just as she pleased; and, indeed,
it would have probably been found impossible to
get much out of her il she had been strictly dealt
with uron the ordinary principles for conduct
ing an examinations in chief She shall tell the
history of the courtship 10 her own words.
There we're apparently many obstacles TO begin.
with:
''He proposed to my aunt. He did not pro-
pose to me, He had ouce named the subject
to me, and [ refused all sorts OF things OF the
kind, and at length he made the proposal to
my aunt
Then she is asked the question He was in
love with your ladyship, ! SUPPOSE?
The world said So suppose it was so. 1t
was an unlucky marriage for him, poor man.
Then there was another person who had large
property, and he thought that not marrying
the lady that he was wished TO marry (and Ger
t.iuly he was not wished to m 'rry me,) ne
should avoid by secret marriage painful po-
stion, TO himself and this fortune going away
from HIN; aud that by keeping my marriage
secret, it should never interfere with that ar
raugcmcnt of his uuce's. That was given to
me as the object, and | had no right and
| had no reason, to duubt The word of
the most honorable man | have ever known. l
loved him He had ouce named the subject to
me and [ had refused him | refused al! sorts
of thing, of the kind, and at length he made
the proposal to my aunt; dear me, men in love
are very foolish. .
Lady Dundonald appears to have been very
much worried by the sequel of her elope,nent;
aud there is something truly and deeply comic
in her feeling SO puzzled TO kuoW why she
should be married SO mauy times. When Duo
douald pcrsuadcs her to go off to Gretna Green
with him she has a plce time OF 1t, travelling
all day aud all night, with four horses, and all
that She says:
II was very worn. and we went rolling on
aud slept, and so did he. At one part of the
road know it was not Gretua Green, but
some little distance after Gretna Green-he
said. well, thank God, we are all right. tie
used to call me sort of pet name of his own,
and he said, 1T is all right, Mouse-we are
all right now. Moxham, mind you get COM
Portable room for Lady Cochrane at the Queens
berry Arms-we shall soou be there, and ne
said nothing more; ;,
right He said Mouse we are over the border.
He said here we are over the border now, and
nothing but God can separate US, | think he
said at the same time, You are mine now, and
you are mine forever and he snapped his fn-
gers in that way as Scotchmcn do when they
are pleased.
when I arrived at the Queens
berry Arms, he was very joyous; suppose
men in love are. He said, 1t is all right it
is all right, and he seated himself at the table
u the room he safe himself down as any gen.
tleman might, aud he wrote away, and wrote
something, and then he said, | want Dick; ne
used to call his servant Dick.
After the paper was signed and the ser
wants gone away, he began to dance the Sail
or's Hornpipe, very unusal thing TOR him,
anQ ne put up his Hauus III end' Sul' "a way
and said, Now you are mine, Mouse, mine
forever | said, i do not know, have had
no parson here, and no church Is this the way
you marry in Scotland? Oh, yes, he said,
YOU are mine, sure enough; you cannot get
away; and then he said, 1 have no time to
spare have no time to lose, for must be
back on the 10th to my uncle's marriage he
is going to be married, and he will be married
on the llth, or the 18th, have not mo-
ment's time to lose, and therefore must leave
you as fast as can. have given all my IN
structions to Dick, and he will bring, yon back
as soon as he can' He kissed me; he did not
90 in nv room, and he went off as he came l
never saw him again until the 18th or the 18th,
when we met 10 Bryanston street, Portmam
square. >,
Some relatives of the lady insisted upon the
marriage being repeated in the South:
"They we're old-fashioDed, excellent people
and they wished 20 have this marriage made 10
England, and it was made, and was married
by license by the Rev. Thomas Knox, of Iun-
bridge Town. He was the chaplain. OF my
cousin, Mr.. Simpson, and held the living OF
Shipbourne from his giving.
"Dundonald said, Marry her. | would
marry her iu hundred churches; l would
marry her all over the world; but there IS DO
marriage. my dear, SO binding as the marriage
which has been already executed in Scotland
She was from that hour my lawful wife. How.
ever, to give you satisfaction, l am ready II to
marry her in every church in Loudon. lie
said, l would do it thousand times.
Then followed these questions aud answers !:
Il was married again in short, there vas 20
eud of marrying me wac
married the third time when he came home
from Brazil | was married again
"Where was your ladyship married the thlro
time?"
Il was married the third time in Edinburgh;