The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-03-26
LOST AND FOUND.
A Romantic Episode of London Society


A Romantic Episode of London Society.
Neutrality-suspicious. readers NAV be moved
by the first paragraph of the sketch which
follows to look for the name of Sir MoncriefT
Henley in the British barOnetage, where. we
can assure them beforehand, they will not
find il.
In social circles the sensatson of the
week has been the return to life. so TO
speak, ans to the family of the beauti
full Bertha, only daughter of Sir Mon.
Grief Henley, Bart, of Hove-LeaviDg-
ton Manor, Hants. The young iady's
exceeding grace and beauty, her rare
accomplishments, together with the re-
markable and almost incredible adven-
ture she has gone through, promise to
make her the belle of the season, if her
jealous, dOting parents can be persuaded
to spare her to society. Her adventures
indeed are almost as strange as those
of Caspar Hauser, but not near SO sad
In their course, and happy instead of
tragic IN their ending. 1t makes one
almost shudder to think of what might
have been the sequel of her long i'm
prlsonment beneath an impenetrable
ncOgnltO cOntrived with demoniac art.
but for the sudden accident which de-
termined it; but as it is, she burst upon
her parents and society like Minerva.
full-armed with joyous youth, beauty,
culture and the singular charm of won
der and eagerness for the endowment of
the new life into which she has come.
The legend of the Psyche moth, that a
moment since was a dull chrysalis, and
now is a spiritual butterfly waving its
gaudy wings and slipping delight from
every flower, seems here realized and
made matter of fact.
Her singular history is as follows. In
1854 Sir MOncrieff Healey, a Hamp-
shire barOnet (the title dating from
1914, of great wealth and large posses
slons, married the beautiful Miss Blatch.
tord-Adderley, a reigning belle. Indeed
Lady Mary EdgertOn Healey remains
one of the queens of society. though
grief has turned her hair white as silver.
In lS54) Bertha, their only child was
born. After the child's birth, Lady
Mary's health failed her, and she threat
ened to become permanent invalid.
She was sent to Italy and Greece. and
spent a winter on the Nile and travelled
elsewhere, but without substantial res
tOratiOn OF her health. In the spring
OF 1859, IN accordance with the advice
of phys clans, Sir Moncrieff took her
and the child and nurse to America. and
going directly to Sault Ste. Marie.
plunged into the resinous pine woods of
the Canadian Wilderness in the west of
Ontario, where, building a lodge on the
borders of small lake, he and his fam
lily roughed it in the backwoods styIe
for season. The country was full of
Chippewa Indians, but these were in
varIably friendly, and besides Sir Mon
Grief had sufficient retinue of servants
to insure his safety. The rather severe
regimen had the most beneficial effect
upon Lady Mary's health the threat
ened decline was entirely averted. the
roses returned to her cheeks and her
form gained a charming embonpoint
which it had ever since retained. Bv
the end of August che was SO well that
preparations were made for a speedy
return to England.
AT this moment a frightful calamity
fell upon the happy family. Just be-
fore dusk one evening the nurse was
walking with the child, sprightIy lit
tie girl of four years, by the edge of
the lake, when she was seized from be-
hind, gagged, blindfolded, bound and
tied to tree. SO sudden and mex
pected was the assault that she had not
time to utter a single cry. She re-
NAMED there for nearly two hours,
when, being missed, search was made
Tor her, and she was found as described.
almost nsensible from fright and cruel
ughtness of the Ggatures. The child
was missing. The nurse, an entirely
trustworthy woman, was no sooner re-
covered to consciousness then she fell
INTO a hysterical condition that pre.
vented her from giving any but the
most lncoherent replies to the questions
OF the agonlzed parents. She really
had nothing TO tell, however. except
that her captors seemed to be Indians,
and had apparently escaped with the
child IN canoe.
A hue and cry was raised, immediate
pursuit was made, aud all that love and
money could do was done to recover
the little Bertha, but all in vain. Not
the slightest trace of her could be
found, nor was anything farther ever
heard of her until few days ago. The
Indians, who were thought to have car
ned her of, were placed under the
strictest surveillance, and a laroe force
OF detectives employed, but without
avail. Ten years later, in 1869, Cana
dian haIf-breed named Francois Bois
dAac, man of desperate character.
died at New Westminster, on Frazer
r1ver, Victoria. and before diving con,
tessed that he and another half-breed
named Jean Grouse, dead long since.
had carried the little girl off. The
story he told was that the two had been
hunting In Manitoba, and had been
nlred by dark man, a stranger and a
foreigner, for two thousand guineas. to
DO tins very work. They had ridden
from the Lake of the Woods across the
country, and had camped near the
Henley Lodge for a week before the
opportunity occurred which thew Oucht
In escaping they had ridden STRAIGHT to
Lake Superior, and there embarked on
vessel waiting for them. There was
woman on the vessel who received +ba
child from a dark man. Francois and
Jean were paid, put ashore at Grand
Portage, and advised to leave that
country, which they did at once. going
to California. Francois thought It was
the dark mans purpose to drown the
child in the lake. The story, so i'm
probable in itse If, was sifted closely bv
Slr Moncrieffs agents, but led to no
disclosures, and, as it was universally
conceded that the child must have been
dead long since, nothing further was
done.
L pass over the terrible suferings OF
bereaved.
her health
,