Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-12-24
JEWE LERS,
NdcI,URE Ho USE.
sHEILEY's EloPEMENT.
II II FaIIy Described BY Hts Cousin
Charles Grsve. In . Letter % Lazy
SHELLEY. -Nineteea and sixteen.
Ed;pbur1h RSrieu

Charles Grsye. In . Letter - Lazy
shelley. -Nineteen and sixteen.
Edinburgh RerieW.
Shelley was expelled from Oxford on
Lady Day, 1911; his father, deeply irri-
tated, forbade him TO return to Field
Place; he took lodgings In Poland street,
London, where he lived In great pc
cuniary embarrassment. His sisters
saved their pocket money, and sent
secretly to their brother the fruits Of
their economy, and as they dared not
meet them 1t was conveyed to him by
their sehoof.fellow, . handsome girl
named Harriet Westbrook. This led 70
his acquaintance with her family, which
was much below hisown IN rank and
position. There seems to be little
doubt that the Westbrooks encourages
the intimacy, more especially Eliza
Westbrook, q sister much older than
Harriet and Shelley himself She
had her own views and purposes IN
promoting this connection. Shelley,
who was lust recovering from the dis
appointment Of his early attachment to
his cousin, Harriet Grove, offered, by
general impulse, to marry the second
Harriet, because she complained that
her father insisted Oh sending her back
to school. The plan Of elopement was
known to Eliza Westbrook, who ought
to have been her sisters guardian.
Their mother was alive, but she seems
to have taken no steps In the matter,
and we strongly suspect that the West
brook family were privy to the elope-
ment, which promised to place their
daughter In rank OF life far above her
own. No attempt was made to re-
strain the young lady or to follow the
fugitives, which would not have been
difficult.
The following letter from Shelley's
cousin, Charles Grove, to Lady Shelley
gives precise account Of this occur
renee:
GRAY's LODGE, ToRQrAy, February
"a, lS60.-My Dear Lady Shelley: Bys.
she's first acquaintance with Harriet
Westbrook was In January, 1911. was
his companion on his first visit to her
to take a present from his sister Mary,
who was Mt school with her. His ac-
quaintance with her was improved In
consequence Of his coming to London
within two months, having been ex-
PEELED from Oxford. Then, II not be.
fore that, Miss Westbrook had entered
into correspondendence with Bysshe
In consequence Of bis having published
a romance ("Zastrozzi").
In consequence of his fathers refusal
10 receive him Mt Field Place ut that
time, my eldest brother, Thomas, and
his first wife invited Bysshe to their
house i'm Radnorshire, Cwin Elan. From
thence, in the month OF July or August,
Bysshe wrote to me TO say that circum.
stances had led Harriet Westbro0k TO
throw herself upon his protection, and
that whereas his own happiness was al
together blighted In having lost the
hope Of being united to my sister Thar
riet Grove, their engagement having
been dissolved In the summer OF lsl0,
he considered the only thing worth liv.
Ing for was self-sacrifice for the happi.
ness of others. He expressed his reso-
luton az being taken and that he was
about to leave Cwin Elan In conse.
quence. After his signature ne added
this p. S. =
"Bear Il not, Percy, for it IN knell
That summons thee 10 heaven or TO heiL'
Bysshe did not el0pe Immediately on
leaving Cwin Elan, but he wentt 70 Capt.
Pilford, his uncle, In Sussex. From his
house Il was that he came 70 my brother
John in Lincoln's Inn Fields, In Octo.
Der. 1871. Here he arranged bis plan
unknown to my brother, but not un.
known to me. Bysshe went to small
coffee-house in Mount street, whence
he wrote letter to Harriet mentioning
the time he would be ready with .
L. -
Bysshe and I went together The next
morning TO Mount street, where We
were soon Joined by Miss II. w. We
drove TO the place In the city from
whence the Northern mails started, l
think It WAS the Spread Eagle, In Grace
church street. There we remained the
whole day till the hour Of departure,
which was about 8 r. T., when ! NV
them into the Edinburgh Mall and took
leave of them. Yours, ETC.,
Shelly was nineteen and his wife .slx.
teen when this occurred. Il should be
added that. A some doubt was cat on
the validity Of the marriage which TOOK
place on their arrival 10 Scotland, smelly
married hin wife second time In Eng
land, and this not long before theif
final separation. This vs. done 70 Pre-.
vent the possibility Of any doubt Of thu
legitimacy OF an expected heir, who
was, In fact, Torn some months amer
ward.
This rash marriage was the flrst fatal
step in the disaster of Shelley's Life. II
was aggravated by the circumstanc<
that, on their return 70 Eagiand eoos
Afterwards, Eliza Westbrook met then
az York and quartefed hefself upon
them with tenacity which 6hsllel
never had the strength 70 shake on
although he soon found out thst he hAf
great reason TO detest this unwelcomt
Sppendage. Many men have :unetet
| thipgs untold from their mothcn.tn
| Law, Who accordingly hsve m tndliIef
ent reputation; but u was the fate Q
! Shelley to be sacrificed and devoure'
+, BY his sister-in-lsw. Eliza WestDFooS