The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-02-14
ulrs wlLIspEIlINe GAIL ElIf.

y u
rhronch an auction sale in New York
If som: Of Lord and Lady Byron's letters
Tho "Byron case is once more brought to
tie public attention. That Byron's vile
CHARGED him with "systematic and unceas-
ing cruelty to her has long been known.
That something worse than ordinary or
even extraordinary cruelty attached T., 70
Rvron has been more than limited. The
L;srmstinv "disciosuru" made by Mrs.
Harriet Beecher Stowe need not be more
than alluded TO. No ta1ker scandal M I'VE
ever CONC from mortal pen, ), and ny that
neriormancc Mrs. Stowe gained only loss
n brilliant reputation. Few men even
would have stomach for such literary rag
picking.
II we are to believe Lady Byron and her
friends she carried with her through lie
n terrible secret, which she confded to her
friend and physician, Dr. Washington and
mo other person. DR.. Lushington. has
"iyen the public no "memoirs" IN when q
1,.sS honest man might have fed the NOR
G;d annetite Of the world. None OF the
nnhlished Byron correspondence points 70
inviting 40 awful IS the contemporaries
nj ihe Unhappy pair talked about. II is
not i;telv tLat the world will ever be bet
lar informed on this subject than now
vat the subject will never ba brought tor
ward without exciting interest where
ever the name OF Byron is known. FER
i,o v there was no one lawful Sc
crat !" no single substantive thing
which cast its portei,lttons sI Ta NV
over two lives and blighted both; In the
character Of either We can ma reasons
enough why their married lie !, shoul9
have been; IL lot Of nDsely, so II!,soIltu
were these whom lucklCss late had thrown
together. Lady Ryrtn Was col9, un-
synpathctc woman tafltan VINO eAt
pectected to reduce all life to the RUE OF
three. She was exacting IN matters gteat
and small, in those countless little ul NY
which iret a maa, particularly one OF By
ron's many aggravated peculiarities. IT
seems to be beyond question that Nllss
NhIDanku uutrlvu Byron to share with
with his growing reputation, and perhaps
in The hope thai size might tame the tiger
4
The marriage seemed at first to suit By
ron's convenience. He wanted money
1t NAV be that he cndeavorcd to throw
himself into the poetry OF the situation.
Ntall events. in the early part Of his mar
ried life he played the devoted lover with
dramatic eiIectand was perhaps sincere.
lila was capable OF working himself up to
that pitch, for the thought would have
njaved nnon the intensely romantic side
Of Ills nature. One Of his early friends
tells how Byron would hang over his
wife's chair. seem wrapt in conversation
with her. show great delight TO present
his friends to her, and in various ways dis
play n Young husbands toldncss. Alter
Tia birth Of their child all this was
changed. Lady Byron's friends began to
talk OF Bvron's ili-treatment. Stories
were told with much Enthusiastically.
No great thing was revealed, but in its
room a hodge.pod Of tttle-tattle. 1t is
the unhappy truth that they were grow
inp-had grown-far apart. Lady Byron,
with consHmmate lack OF wisdom and del
icacy, told to her intimates "the story Of
her thralldom," that she was n miserable
woman and her famous husband miser-
able tyrant. Her intimates told theirs,
and s3on the scandal was breathed through
every drawing room.
Among his other idiosyncracies Byron
loved to pose as wicked, abandoned fel-
low. He carried this so far as to write for
foreign newspapers the most untruthful
articles about himself for the odd
pleasure OF seeing them reproduced
by the English press. Nothing, would
have been more natural with him
than to annoy his wife so that she might
tell about it and make people talk about
him"-Certainly vulgar love OF notoriety
ut any cost. In the same strain, being
accused by his wife he would admit the
whole charge and accuse himself OF ot'enses
OF which lie was not guilty. The separa-
ton OF two such beings is not remarkably.
vet forty years afterwards Lady Byron
spoke OF her husband in terms Of endear-
ment. It is worth remembering OF this
singular genius that he had friends OF his
own sex who testify to tho gentleness Of
his disposition, to his gratitude and con.
siderate kindness. Mismated, he showed
to his wife only the ugly side OF hisnature.
X
byron was OF those men who cannot
stand SO much as the reasonable restraints
OF home; who are oosclf.willed toyield to
another however loving and in turn
yielding, and who ought, therefore,
never to marry. History is full
OF them. They live in every age,
in every community. This condition
OF untitncss for the married state does not
inhere peculiarly In the literary class,
though We hear most about the marital In
feliCities OF such men. Men who have en-
lightened or charmed the world with the
pen, to when literary labor in some phase
has been q devotion, have been most
happy In their homes, leaving to all time
tho record OF q domestic life OF exemplary
beauty and unsurpassed sweetness. This
must always be where the right man and
the right woman come together; or, more
rarely, where one Of them Is saint.
have allowed the sale Of some old letters
in New York to lead to these reflections,
not because l desire 10 discuss q ques.
ton to which have no new contribution
TO make, but rather because think there
is something in all this for every man and
woman. My readers will be glad to be
left 10 draw some conclusions for them
Selves and to make their own applications.
X
Ina newspaper Of distant city read
OF tho violent death ola broken old wo-
man, once the wife OF a brilliant man.
Tho newspaper recalls to me storiesT have
heard Of these people, particularly Of the
unfortunate woman. HO was a young
professional man Of promise and Of good
social position. She came Of one OF tho
hest families OF her city, a family OF wealth,
culture and fashion. In her day she was
ahelle, Wealthy suitors sought her hand.
Shehad beauty, witandall thesocial graces.
She ''married WE'LL" The drink habit took
hold upon hor witlra gAp that never re-
Taxed. She went down, down, until her