Morning journal and courier., 1882-05-06
Mary Rla ndy.


 Mary Blandy. the only daughter of gen. tleman at Henley, made acquaintance with Capt Cranstoun, who was recruiting in the town. The father objected to q marriage, from 8 suspicion, apparently well founded, that Cranstoun was already married in Scot land. Thereupon Mary Blandy administered to her father certain powders sent to her by Cranstoun. According to her own account, she intended them as a kind of charm to act upon her fathers affections. As they were, in fact, composed of arsenic, they soon put an end to her father altogether, and it is too clear that she really khew what she was do- ing. It was sworn that she used brutal and unfeeling language about the poor old mans suferings for the poison was given at inter- vals during some months. But the pathetic touch which moved the sympathies of con temporaries was the behavior of the father. In the last day UT two of his life he told that his daughter had been the cruse of his fatal illness. His comment was Poor lovesick girl What will not a'woman do for the man she loves" When she came to his room his only thought was apparently to comfort her. His most reproachfuI phrase was Thee should have considered better than to have attempted anything against thy father" The daughter went down on her knees and begged him not to curse her. II curse thee :" he exclaimed My dear, how couldst thou think I should curse thee No, l DIcSS IIttr Auu AOpS 0tA VIII BiSsS IAcS dII amend thy life" And then he added, Do, my dear, go out ot the room and say no more, lest thou shouldst say anything to thy prejudice; go to thy Uncle Stevens, take him for thy friend poor man, I am sorry for him" The tragedy behind these homely words is almost too pathetic and painful for dramatic purposes; and it is not strange that our ancestors were affected. The sym pathy, however, took the queer illogical tuvjst hiah 1NavhanE xxhn tell vynfuht do at the present day. Miss Blandy became a sort of quasi saint, the tenderness due to the murdered man extended itself to his mur- derer, and her penitenee profoundly edffed all observers. Crowds of people hoeked to see her in chapel, and she accepted the hom- age gracefully. She was extremely shocked we are told, by one insinuation made by un- charitable persons namely, that her intima- cy with Cranstoun, who was supposed to be free thinker. might justify doubts upon her orthodoxy. She declared that he had always talked to her perfectly in the style of Christian, '' and she had read the works some of our most celebrated divines In spite of her moving conduct, however, the ''prejudices she had to struggle with had ta- ken too deep root in some mems minds" to allow of her getting pardon. And so, 5000 people saw poor Miss Blandy mount the lad der in "a black bombazine, short sack and petticoat," on an April morning at Oxford, ana many, partlculariy several gentlemen of the university" were observed to shed tears She left declaration of innocence which, in spite of its solemuity, must have been lie; and which contained allu,ion from which it appears that Miss Blsudy, like other prisoners, was suspected of previous crimes. "It is shocking to think" says Horace walpole, in noticing Miss Biandy's case "what shRmbles this country has be- come. Seventeen were execzted this morn ing after having murdered the turnkey on Friday night, and almost forced open New Raken