Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-08-09
A FAMOUS BEAUTY'S CAREER


The Trials and Troubles OF Madame
Theresa LOngWOrtIt YeIYertOn.
Brooklyn Eagle.l
AS a great beauty, Mime Yelyer-
ton became famous in Dublin at
the time Of her return from the
Orimea, whittier she had gone with
her husband, then Major Yelver
ton, of the British army. The Irish
people, ever alive to the influence of
beauty, and quick to respond to the
confidence reposed in their man
hood and loyalty, made the cause
of this unfortunate lady their own,
and there are hundreds Of Irishmen
IN this country to-day who were
eye witnesses of the scenes that
transpired during the time Of the
trial in Dublin. She was there
alone, for she was without near kin
dred-was there to defend her
honor by establishing the fact Of
her wifehood, and was engaged in a
forlorn effort to prove her marriage
to a man of high social position,
powerful family and wealthy. The
people of Dublin did not know the
merits of the case till long after the
unfortunate lady had charmed
them by her winning beauty anG
sweet grace of manner which dis
tinguiShed her. But they realized
her position, and the chivalric in.
stinct of the Irish people led then
to make "a heroine of her. In hel
case she proved it true, as Moore
has sung it, that
BLESSED forever is she who relied
Upon Erin's honor and Erin's pride.
Her appearance on the street wa
the signal for enthusiastic recogni.
ton, and her time was spent, wher
not engaged with the lawyers who
conducted her case, in receiving th,
attentions Of the noble and the
titled as well as the plain and The
poor, who made her cause thei
own, aud felt that upon their yea
depended the issues Of that mos
disgraceful trial. The ingloriou
I persecution continued day after
! day, and during that time every
: form Of calumny was heaped upoI
) the woman whose cause bad becom,
the common one Of all Irish hearts
The character that this weman wa
; given by her husband, who was de
termiped to be freed from her tina
the validity of a second marriag,
might be established, was such tha
the confidence of a less generous
: people would have been shaken il
. her. But the magic Of her beauty
: and the touching pathos of he
! voice held them firmly by her side
| and when the court decided in he
! favor and declared the legality 0
7 the marriage, the populaoe wer
wild with delight. For days an,
. weeks she rested there, afterwarC
e cheered by their loyalty and glad
. dened by the attentions bestOwe,
d upon her. Long after the Englis
!. house of lords had reversed thi
T. decision, and ghehad left Europe
Q blasted in hope and bowed wit
g sorrow, she remembered this tim
n in h6r life, and spoke with dee
D emotion visible in every feature 9
+ the shelter and the protection th
Dublin people had given herI
il their homage, given not so muc
II TO her as an individual, but as
!. woman and awiFo seeking to mair
Is tain the sacfsdness of her right
.e and engaged in a struggle singl,
G, handed against a double.armed TO
It Theresa Yelyerton came TO Ame
lea in 1855, and it was during hc
A. visit to Washington that the writ
of this article first met her. ST
~ was chen greatly worn By the so
4 row she had borpe, but instinc
TO with that courage which had di
d tinguished her during all her woe
/ she was still young, very han'
some, aud the possesaor Of q maj
re ner that was simply inimitable
u its combination Of high breediI
and simplicity. The suffering
80 through which she had passed ha
le purified her, and though the yiyac
m ty and gayety which had disIi
le guished her in other days we
ut gone, still she was a woman Of ra
n loyelinesa. Her figure was sma
n almost girlish in appSsraaes;, 81
er she moved with a free motion III
Iimade her look less mature th