Milford chronicle., 1885-08-21

LONDON, Aug. l4.--A well-knoWn gentleman
who was recently appointed ~ aer OF .
royal commission, was met on va Of
bis Office 10 East India ayenu> ND
soundly hogged by gentleman q
accused him OF having betrayed his a. )er.
The thrashing was preceded BY yiolentA 4qlt,
the angry father shaking the beirayer Of his
child like a terrier does rat The father
then fogged him until the stick broke when
persons interfered.
The man who welded the stick is q Glasgow
/ gentleman named Francis, and the victim Of
the Negotiation is Mr.. Pearce, the chief Of the
/ great Glasgow shipbuilding firm Of John Elder
] & Brothers, a married man and member q
I Lord Iddesleigh's new royal commission on
the depression Of trade. Mr.. Francis told the
story Of his wrongs as follows;
isThis man Pearce was once my most trusted
friend, and our intimacy was one Of many
years standing. Eve years ago, when my
daughter was a very beautiful girl Of H. this
villain took advantage Of his familiar acquaint-
ance at my house to accomplish her ruin. he
persuaded her to secretly leave the school
near Glasgow which she was attending, TOOK
her TO London, and established her IN a hand
some private lodging. At first he surrounded
her with every luxury and gave her regular
allowance Of SIS a week. All this time was
in Ignorance Of the fate or hiding place Of
my daughter, and, after thorough search,
aided by detectiveP, at last gave up all
hope OF finding her and mourned for her as
dead.
'But the libertine gradually tired Of his
victim, and her all lwances dWind ed down 70
nothing. She managed to live for some time
by pawning or selling her jewelry and ward
robe, but finally she appealed to him in doBpeT-
alton to give her at least the means to keep
herself alive until she could procure employ
ment. Her appeals become troublesome, and
he proceeded to get rid Of her in the brutal
and outrageous way which the English lunacy
laws make only too easy for any rich rufhan.
BY fraud aud force she was removed to pri-
va.e mad house and confined there as an in
sane woman.
at was while she was in this Bedlam that
learned her fate, and obtained her release.
The doctors admitted to me that she was not
mad, and had not been mad, but had been
laboring under terrible mental excitement,
amounting to hysteria, when brought 10 tho
asylum. AfterWard she had lapsed into state
of listless. despairing apathy, and as the doc
tors did not know that she had any friends ex-
copt the man who had had her confined there,
and, as her board was regular paid, they had
kept her at the asylum.
To-day" continued Mr. Francis, 81 met
that man accidentally in London. My wrong
rushed upon my mind and almost blinded me
with rage. ! could have killed him where he
stood with no more conjunction than would |
feel in killing a rat, or any other yermiu. But |
gave him chance for his life. offered to /
meet him in a duel on the Continent. He re-
fused. Then 1 thrashed him until my stick |
broke in my hand and the crowd rushed be- |
tween us, when we escaped"
Mr. Pearce, who is a muscular handsome |
man Of middle age, and fully six feet high, /
vas afterward seen. He did not suffer any |
ierious or permanent injury by the assault.
He refused to say anything about the origin Of |
he trouble beyond admitting that it was on
recount Of Mr.. Francis's daughter, and deny
ng that he Lad misled the girl.