National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-03-27
WRECKED FOR LIFE,
The DishOnOr Of Two High-Born English
Families-Ths Divorce from Lady Mordaunt

The Dishonor Of Two High-BoTn English
Families-The Divorce from Lady Mordaunt
All the Scandal not Confined to Brooklyn.
Regular Correspondent of The Daily Gfaphic.I
LONDON, March l3.-The MOrdaunt divorce case
has at last ended. Sir Charles Mordaunt has OBJ
tanned divorce from his Wretcbed and insane
wife, and is free to marry again; the child-a lit
tie girl now six years old-has had fixed upon her
the indelible stigma of nligitimacy, the poor
crazy mother will end her days in an insane asy-
lum, and the seducer, or seducers-for it seems
there were three or four of them-go free. A
more mournful and wretched story has seldom
been told. When the facts were FIRST known five
years ago the case excited universal interest One
Of the four persons whom Sir Charles accused of
having debauched his wife was the Prince of
Wales, and a number Of letters which he had
written to the lady were brought into court and
published, and evidence was produced showing
the terms Of unusual intimacy which had existed
between them. But his Royal HIghness came
into court and on his oath declared that he was
innocent OF the charEe-so there was an end OF the
matter so far as he was concerned. No such as
seyeration was made by two Of the other three
gentlemen, but Sir Charles finally rested his case
simply on the plea that his wife had been guilty
OF adultery with one Of these, Viseount Cole, and
upon this he has won his case.
The Mordaunt family is one Of great antiquity
In Bedfordshire. Osbert lie Mardaunt q Norman
knight was one of its founders; the history Of the
distinction. Sir Charles Mordsunt is the tenth
baronet Of his name. He is now thirty nine years
old; he was educated at Oxford; he was NJ. p. for
four liyings, and his country seat Is Walton Hall
Warwickshire. In 1885, being then in his thirtieth
daughter of Sir Thomas MOncreine, an extremely
beautiful girl, then only nineteen years old-the
sister Of the Duchess Of Athole, OF Mrs. Forbes,
Of the Countess Of Dudley, and Of Mrs. Arbuth-
not. The daughters Of the Moncreife family
there were eight Of them-Here and are famous
all over England for their rare beauty. and this
one was not the least charming of them all.
Before marrying her Sir Charles Mordaunt
made a handsome settlement upon her, and
they lYea together for q while IN apparently
was fond OF going TO Norway upon nsh'
ing excursions, and in June, 1865, he arranged
to go upon one Of these trips in his yacht, leaving
for two months, and, as now appears, Lady Nor
daunt did not NOPE during his absence On the
contrary she received a visit from VIscount Co!e
on the very day Of her husbands departure, and
she continued to be very much 10 his company
until the day before her husbands return. VS.
count Cole is the eldest son OF the Earl of Enuis-
killen, and he is the second cousin Of Lady Nor
dauDt He is at present thirty years old, and in
lS69-the year after his intrigue with Lady Nor
daunt-he married the daughter Of Douglas
Baird. Sir Charles left for Norway on the 18th
Of June; on the 18th Lady Mordaunt had a little
dinner party at her husbands house IN London;
Lord Cole was one Of the guests; all the others
went away at eleven O'Clock; he remained alone
with her until one O'Clock. After that he came
NAMED until one o'clock. In Lady MOrdaunT's
diary opposite this date her husband afterwards
I'D April'" This was in her handwriting,
shortly after the 9th of June, Lady Mordaunt,
accompanied by her maid, LEFT town to 90 TO Wal
ton Hall. Lord Cole met them at the station; he
bought the tickets; ne put the maid in q
secOnd-class carriage and the lady into "a
hrstclass one; then he stood at the door to
Started, when he sprang in and made the journey
alone with her. In this and other ways they were
of July. Lady Mordaunt received q letter from
her husband announcing his immediate return.
He wrote in terms Of warm affection, expressing
his delight at the prospect Of seeing her again,
and Of spending another honeymoon with her."
He arrived the next day. On the 18th Of the fol-
S9sI is Sepa4STe for NorWay and eIsesIy SIS1s
months after the '27th OF June"-Lady Mordaupt
gave birth to q child, a very puny and small In
daunt asked her husband II he inserted the adver-
tisement OF the birth in the papers He replied,
Yes, in the Times and Morning Post" "DId You
Piled that he had done So and she then reques. cd
MIN to put the announcement in all the other pa
pers. On the next day, however, she sent for her
husband again, and made q statement to him
which has probably wrecked his happiness for
ever. Up to that time he had the utmost cona-
deIce in her. "Charlie," said she, 81 have d.
| ceived you; that child is not yours; it is Lord
Coles" The wretched woman made the same
| and then her unhappy husband made inquiries
which convinced him that HIS vile had been guilty
of LfaisOHs not only with Lord Cole, but with tho
Prince OF Wales and two other gentlemen.
The parents Of Lady MOrdAunt removed her
and her child to their own home, and Sir Charles
@ fd4 Ir dSO T sIseT e
years ago-his suit was met by the plea that Lazy
/ MordsGnt was insane, and that under these cir
cumstances she could not be required 70 make her
defence. THIS plea was only too true-this beau
| tifuI and accomplished woman, then only In her
tUenty-tbiTd year, had become q raVing maniac
Il vros DToba HE that she insane at the
time she made her confession, and had II not been
for what occurred a. the trial yesterday the sup
/ would have been terrible. The whole influence
Of her father, and Of the rich and powerful fam-
| lies into which her sisters had married, was en-
listed in her defence. The question Of her insan-
| ity being decided, Lord Penzance held that the
suit could not 90 on, and that her husband must
fence. Against this decision Sir Charles appealed
TO the full Court OF Divorce, consisting of the Lord
Chief Baron, Lord PenEance and Mr.. Justiee
| Heating. Alter an exhaustive argument the
court sustained the decision Of Lord Penzance,
the Lord Chief Baron, however, dissenting, and
| then Sir Charles appealed 10 the House Of Lords.
They reversed the decision; the case was sent
back to the Divorce Court, and there on Thurs
day it was heard and decided. The facts which
| have related were proved; Lord Cole did not
come forward to deny the charges against him;
no defence whatever was set up, and the jury,
without retiring, returned q verdict Of guilty..
The court pronounced decree Of divorce, and
| thus the story ends.
The costs Of the proceedings during all these
| hve years have been enormous Lord Cole is re-
sponsible for them, and probably Sir Charles
means to pay them himself Meanwhile the
| wretched Lady MordAunt Is an inmate Of Dr.
| Tuke's private insane asylum, at HammeTsmith
and her ansanity has taken such q violent form
that the utmost Watchfulness has to be main
tanned to prevent her from destroying herself.
|. But why, when Sir Charles Mordaunt learned
Of his dishonor, did he not load pistol goquiety
| to Lord Cole, and blow his brains out? That Is
| your American style, believe; and very good
style IL is-better, think, than the style Of til
ton. But there is q little awkwsrdness In that
sort Of thing here. II one shoots another In Eng
| land, even under circumstances like this, ne u
| very apt to be hanged; and Sir Charles mordaunt
has no desire TO be hanged. He must marry again
and become the father Of son to inherit DIS Titles
and estates; and that Il . great deal better than
dangling at the end Of q rope. Nest &c pGH