The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-10-02


The Heir to the hrOne
Careless Of his
LONDON, September 6.-I have it on the
very best authority that the husband OF the
famous London beauty, Mrs. Langtry, has
commenced proceeding for divorce, and that
the Prince Of Wales is set down as the CO.
respondent. My informant declared he had
seen the preliminary papers necessary to the
first legal steps IN such a suit. Now, with
out for a momen desiring to make the case
worse than it is, or cast any more reflections
upon the persons and parsonage con
cerncd than the bare facts warrant, | would
suggest that the injured feelings OF Mr.;
Langtry are developed at the very period
when the lady's ascendency seems IN danger
of eclipse. Mrs. Wheeler is now the beauty
whom the fashionable reporters are follow
ing about. This is how the society papers
note the royal doing at and off Dartmouth:
His Royal Highness takes it all very quiet
ly, living chiefly with his hands in the
pockets OF a blue yachting suit. The NAL
dens of Dartmouth are dreadfully jealous OF
the pretty Mrs. Wheeler, and those who ct
feet the seas are beginning to show that they
can be guilty Of the s%incerest fattery:, The
wonderful costumes in which Mrs. Wheeler
yachts, and, when she condecends to go
ashore, walks, has already become a tradl-
ton of the Dartmouth boudoir, and a sub
.ject of discussion in the baths of TOrquay.'
Mr.. Wheeler accompanies his wife, and pro-
baby it he were to take a turn through the
baths %ancOgnito he would be very much as
tonished, not to say indignant, at the way
in which certain ladies who bask in the
smiles of the English Prince are spoken of.
Heaven forbid that l should traduce the fair
fame OF any woman, beautiful or homely,
and believe Mr.. Wheeler is a worthy gen
tleman and held IN high esteem. But
wales is a devil-of-a-fellow, you know"
they say who do know, though one of the
%jolllest in the world" and when newspapers
in their chronicles say this kind of thing
Mrs. Wheeler really must be careful; the
sun and sea air are beginning to tell in a
really fearful manner'-one arrives at the
conclusion that Madame has come to be
regarded as an established professional
beauty with her husbands consent. X X X
: : The people will forget all the good he
has done; they will cease to remember all
his good qualities the moment some great
mjudlclous act destroys his popularity. I
recall the sensation, nine years ago, when he
stood IN the witness-box in the notorious
Mordaunt divorce case. He cannot afford
another such a trial. 1t was fortunate for
him then that Sergt. Bailantyne proved
himself more Of a counter than a barrister;
tor he declined to exercise the privilege of
cross-examination. The painful incident of
the heir to the throne being cited to DENY on
oath that he had outraged domestic honor
and sullied friendly relations, was one which
greatly afflicted the national conscience.
The whole nation was depressed
when it became well-known that he was in
GUIDED among the men carged with improp-
or VISITS fO tho nphoDNy 1,l4a.
Moncrletfs, and a load was lifted off the pub
lie mind when when he solemnly. the Bible
IN his hand, declared himself innocent of the
offence. Her Majesty the Queen was re-
ported at the time to have urged the Prince
to volunteer his evidence; and he went upon
the stand with a firm, manly tread, and
acted like martyr to scandal. Yet MANY per-
sons believed he made conscientious sacrif-
ces to the lady's reputation, to his royal
mother, and to the situation, for he no lon
ger held that high place in popular esteem
In which ne and his gracious wife had been
enshrlned. | saw him and his Princess make
their royal entry into London, and it was a
sight OF pageantry and jubilation never to be
forgotten; | saw the Prince years afterwards
on the stand in the Divorce Court. before
Lord PenZance and a special Jury, and was
present at St. Paul's when his long and sad
illness had rehabilitated his reputation in the
eyes and sympathies of the nation. If that
central incident of the Diyore Court-the
black halfway between two national process
slons-has had no warning lessons for his
Royal Hlghness, he may be assured that an
other divorce suit, in which his name is
mentioned, will revive the old story, With it's
correspondence, in which every letter Of
the Prince to Lady Mordaunt Concluded
with hopes that he might soon see her again.
There was in that collection of letters one
very notable one which it took all his royal
oath to wipe out.
.My Dear. Lady Nordamaat: I am sure Won
will be glad to learn that the Princess was
safely delivered of a little girl this morning.
and that both are doing well. [ hope you will