New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-25
LONG DRAWN AND LINKED.

This is the season of correspondence and,
unquestonaby, with the more commonplace
and garrulously narrative missives, many Of
the tender and true variety are dispatched,
while a mOiety of these at least serve to
illustrate the tendency Of woman to cross her
letters, and, since she must prepay postage
to get the most for her three-pence. And yet
it may be assumed that very rarely does the
recipient think her epistles too long, though
they may be as long as Paurs Epistle to
the Hebrews If they are written to dear
friend of the same sex, how eagerly are they
deciphered in spite of the usual muzn-
ness of the chirOgraphy and the
bothersome way in which the long tails OF
the "g's" are apt to be mixed with the anten-
nae of the "h's"! If they are written to one
whose name requires Mr." or "esq" to COM
plete the address, and who does not happen
70 be tedious and tiresOme husband in esse,
but only an interesting husband in posse, our
resDect for our kind forbids us to believe that
they are put off with negligent perusal. Why
woman's letters should be longer than
mans is more than we know with accuracy.
There is doubtless, reason for 1t II we could
but get at it, and reason which would do
woman no discredit. Ii there Is tendency to
gossip in the prolxity, there is also kindness
sometimes which induces an amabe fear of
not saying enough. Among boarding-school
misses. at any rat, there is habit of meas
urnc affection by The length of each others
letters, and this is sufficiently natural. we
never take great deal of trouble and pay
double postage to please those for whom we
care nothing.
We have been betrayed into these rather abb
stract remarks by the reading ofan enormous let
ter, not from Sappho to Phaon, but from Miss
Elizabeth Sheehy of Limerick, Ireland, to Major
lack OLeary of the Royal Limerick Militia
We are ashamed to say that after a prolonged
enpa cement of marriage, Major Jack, who is
relative of the late Gen. Sir DE Lacy Evans,
tilted Miss Bessie, and gave his manly hand
70 some other young woman. In consequence
of this disgusting infdelity, the case OF
sheehy rs. OLeary, for breach OF contract OF
marriage, was tried at the last Limerick
Assizes, the damages being laid at E5,OOO and
another consequence was that the correspond
ence of the parties was all read for the en-
tertainment, instruction. and warning OF q
crowded courtroom. OF this correspond
ence we may say generally that Major Jacks
letters, although passionate, are by no means
nrolix, for they express eternal devotion
very succinctly, and set forth the pangs Of
| absence with a concentrated yehemence. How
Miss Bessie wrote before the fatal intelligence,
communicated by himself, that her Jack had
Given his hand to another, and was but soft
swindler and fair-spoken scamp, we do not
tnow How she wrote after receiving the dis
tressine news we do know, for here is her
immense and, we may say, vouminous episte,
| nrinted in The Irish Daily Telegraph, and be-
Ginning: "Oh, John, what have you done
oh. God, have you Tilted me in the endf"
| Again: "When 1 saw your letter l gave
{" laugh of delight. Oh, Heavenly Father,
" when read the second line my eyes went
" round (sie) and my head got dizzy!
" rusbed out. of the house distracted, and did
" not stop until got straight opposite the
window where my mother died" Poor
little woman! How we should pity her,
If IL were not for that action on
the case in which she figures as plaintiif, with
the damages laid at $4,000! This, we admit,
together with the methodical elongation OF
her madness in the letter, has tended to
harden our heart. Never was damsei before
40 yerbosely desperate We have made men
suration of her passionate protest, and tnd
that IL contains 1900 words III she writes the
usual struggling hand of the average woman,
| Miss Bessie's letter must have covered about
a dozen pages of foolscap, or about nifty pages
of ordinary note paper. The postage could
not have been less than sixpence' Printed