Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-06-12
ANILL-FArED FAMILY.

A sort of Nemesis seems to attend GER
tain families, which takes the form Of per-
petually bringing them IN unpleasant
aspects into the courts Of law. We lately
adverted to the new brood of troubles which
threatened the race of Noel-ByrOn, ii the
shape of suit brought for divorce by Lord
Went worth against his wife 20 whom he
hiss been married bit three years. Half
century ago the coDjugsl difficulties OF his
grandfather and grandmother were the talk
of the town, while rather more than CEN
tury before the LidiSOn OF her collateral an
cnstress, the beautiful Henrietta, Baroness
Wentworth in her own right, with the I'M
fortunate Duke of Monmouth was the
scandal Of the Court of James III.
That lady succeeded, on the death Of her
grandfather in 1867, to his Bsrouy of Went
worth, and superb house of Toddington, in
Bedfordshire; and there is this of extenua-
ton for the beautiful RHroness' attachment
TO the woman-enthraiIod darling of Charles
the Second, that there is but little doubt
that they would have married if they could.
Greed of gold, however, spoiit two lives
which might have been so fair. Eager to
secure for his fayorite son the hand of the
richest heiress of her time, Charles the
CcCOHu uiditACu l4ilb1 AICh OLAI AOtAbSNAt W
the young Countess of Buccleulh, then a
child of twelve. 1t was scarcely surprising
| that marriage, so completely one of con
venience, proved i'll assorted. 50 far as 1t
involvei the living together as man and
| wife, the Duke would seem almost to have
regarded it as of none effect.
| He deserted the Duchess, and took up
his abode at Rockingham with Lady Went
worth. So matters continued up to the
| disastrous events at Sedgemoor in 1861
! Rapin states that just before the execution,
whea the divines in attendance on the
| Duke tried i'll vain to convince him OF the
| iniquity of his attachment to Lady Went
worth, be continued to assert that it was to
her, and not to the heiresS Of Buccleuch,
that be was married before God, and that
rather than admit the guilt of their sssocia-
ton, be died without receiving the holy CON-
munion.
! Before many months were over two
! graves receiVs d their occupants by reason
of the exceptionally dreadful execution on
| Tower Hill on the 18th of July, 1885. II
the Duke cared lite for his wife it nay be
presumed that he was less Indifferent to his
| children, for it is stated that his daughter.
Lady Anne, died of grief for her father
And in the following spring there was borne
to the transept of the parish church at
| Toddingham, long the burisl-place of the
| WentwOrths, the coffin OF the young
Baroness. "Oger her remains her family
reared a sumptuous mausoleumk (long
since gone to ruin), bat less costly me-
mortal of her was long contemplated viii
far deeper interest. H'r name, carved BY
the hand of him whom she had loved toe
well, was few years ago still discernible on
a tree in the adjoining park"
Peersges which descend to female heirs
do not easily die out, and the barony o
Wentworth passed some time after Baroness
Heprietts's death, to the NOels, and thence
To the wife "a NoeD of Sir Ralph Milbank
father of Byron's wife.
The history of that lady is, thanks tc
Mrs. Stowe especially, too we'll known. IL
might Rave been hoped that with her th'
CHAPTER of marital misfortune would haV
terminated, but unfortunately the compli
cations seem, on the contrary, rather 10 I'D
crease. A few days ago the London Time
contained the announcement: "The Ladl
Wentworth of son. 3 circumstance tba
carries with it the possibilities, il not th
probabilities, of disputed peersge success
sion case. When the notorious Mordaun
cause came on, all the world said: "What
mercy that the child last born to Lad.
Mordaunt was daughter"
A difficulty similar 10 that now threaten
ING the Wentworths being thus dissipate
by the sex of tie child, but in the Went
worth case even this would not avert tn
t,ouble, as a ftmale could succeed.
Another notable circumstances in Lor
Wentworth's suit has been the Withdrawal
of proceedings against one of the score
snonGents.D on the ground of his being
member of the Diplomatic Corps, thus es
tablisbinc a great fact in favor of the "ga
I,otbarios'' of diplomacy, who may, 1t ap
pears, pursue their pernicious pFopensltle
with impunity, so far at least legal re
, dress is concerned. There are some n
England who will doubtless recall anent thl
proceeding the line adopted IN Iooo by ina
great Governor, the Lord Proctor.
A dispute having srisen between 10
, Pantaloon, Ss., brother OF the fortuges
ambassador, and an EDgnsh genuema
named Gerard, scuff1e ehsueu, OaI u
; combatants were separated.
On the 22d the Don returned with tWeI
ty companions, aud assaulted anu Killed
J gentleman whom he mistook Tor Gerar'
His purpose, as be believed, being e1iecteo,h
took refuge with his brother, the Embass'
dor, who, Embassadorial privileges Vlgo
ously urged notwithstanding, was con
PEELED to surrender him, and he was con
mitied to Newgate. This occurred ]
November. and in the following July
and bis accomplices were put 10 deatn
"To render the circumstances the nor
memorable it was so cortrived that tn
J Embassador signed definite treaty
t peacs with Portugal in the morning, and b
brother was beheaded in the afternoon
a Certainly it must be confessed piquar
: and emphatic incident, showing that CroI
a well was not to be trifed with.