Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-11-23
Mr.. NELSON'S WILL.
6Y n. RIDER


-
EY n. RIDER HAGGARD.
On the fourth day. however. after shs
had been photographed for the purposes
OF the Registry, things came TO q climax.
1t so happened that on that morning Lady
Holmhurst asked Augusta to go TO 5 Ger
tain shop in Regent Street to get some
lace which she required to trim her wild
ow's dresses, q accordingly at about
half-past twelve o'clock she started, nc.
compsnied by the lady's maid. As soon
as they shut the front door OF the House
IN Hanover-square she noticed two or three
doubuul-iooking men who were lettering
about. and who instantly followed them
staring at her with all their eyes. She
made her way along, however, withou,
taking any notice until she got to Regent
street, by which time there were quite 0
score Of people walking after her whisper.
ing excitedly to each other. In Regent
street itself, the first thing that she saw
was a mar selling photographs. Evidently
he was doing a roaring trade, for there
was q considerable crowd round him, and
he was shouting something which She
could not catch. Presently o gentleman
who had bought one OF the photographs
stopped Just in front Of her to look at il,
and rs he was short and Augusta was tall,
she could see over his shoulder, and next
second started back with al indignant ex-
clamation. No wonderl for the photo
graph was one OF herself as she had been
taken in the low dress in the Registry.
There was no mistake about it-there was
the picture OF the will tattooed right across
her shoulder.
Nor ord her troubles end there, for at
that moment a man came bawling down
the street carrying number OF the first
edition OF an evening paper
Description and picture Of the back OF
the lovely jerome OF the Cockatoo," he
yelled, with the will tattooed upon it!
Taken from the original photograph Fac
smile p~icturer'
"Oh, dear me-" said Augusta TO the
maid, this is really too bad. Let us go
home"
But meanwhile the crowd at her back
had gathered and increased TO an extra
ordinary extent and was slowly inclosing
her In "a circle. The fact was, that the
man who had followed her from Hanover
square had told the others who Joined
their ranks who the lady was, and She was
now identified.
That's her. said one man.
"Whos" said another.
"Why, the Miss Smithers as escaped from
the Kangaroo and has the viii on her
back, in course"
There was a howl Of exultation from the
mob, and in another second the wreiched
Augusta was pressed, together with the
lady's maid. who began TO scream with
fright, right up against O lamp-post, while
a crowd of eager faces, mostly unwashed,
were pushed almost into her own, Indeed,
90 fierce was the crowd in its attempt to
get n glimpse of the latest curiosity, that
she began to think that she would be
thrown down and trampled under foot,
when timely relief arrived in the shape Of
two policemen and a gentleman volunteer,
who managed to rescue her and the maid
and get them into q hanson cab, which
started for Hau0ver-square pursued by a
shouting crowd of nondescript individuals.
Now, Augusta was a woman of good
nerve and resolution; but this sort of thing
was too trying, and, accordingly, accom-
panied by Lady Holmhurst, she went of,
that very day, TO some rooms in a little
riverside hotel on the Thames.
= that afternoon, found every photograph
shop full of accurate pictures of the shout
ders of his beloved, he was simply furious;
and, rushing to the photographer who had
taken the picture in the Registry, threat
ened him with proceedings Of every sort
and kind. The man admitted outright
that he had put the photographs upon the
market, saying that he had never stipu-
lated rot to do so, and that ne coGld not
afford to throw away five or six hundred
pounds when a chance Of making il came
in his way.
Thereupon Eustace departed, still VOW
ing vengeance, 10 consult the legal twins.
AS a result of this within q week Mr..
James Short made a motion for an injunc-
ton against the photographer, restraining
the sale OF the photographs in question on
the ground that such sales being of copies
of a document vital to q cause now pend
ing in the Court, those copies having been
obtained through the instrumentality OF
an officer of the Court, DR.. Probate, the
sale thereof amounted TO q contempt, mas
much as. If for no other reason, the pho
tosr8pher who obtained them became
technically, and for hat purpose only, an
officer of the Court, and had, therefore, no
right TO part with them, or any Of them,
without the leave of the Court. 1t viii be
remembered that this motion gave rise TO
some very delicate questions connected
wi h the powers Of the Court in such a
matter, and also Incidentally with the law
or Photographic copyright. 1t is also
memorable for the unanimous and lumin-
Gus judgment finally delivered by the
Lords Justices of Appeal, whereby the sale
Of the photographs was stopped, and the
photographer was held to have been guilty
OF a ,~ecnnical contempt. This Judgment
contained perhaps the most searching and
learned definition of constructive contempt
that hes yet been formulated; but for the
text Of this I must refer the student 10 thu
law reports. because. rs IL took two hours
70 deliver, I fear that it would, notwith-
standing its many beauties, be thought
too long for the purpose Of this history.
Unfortunately, however. 1t did not greatly
benefit Augusta, the victim Of the unlaw-
foi dissemination Of photographs of her
shoulders, inasmuch as the judgment was
not delivered tin a week after the greal
case Of Meeson vs.. Addison and Another
had been settled.
About q week after Augustus adven-
ture In Regent Street q motion was made
In the Court Of Probate on behalf of the
A~rlH~< No.. AAyks~~ a~A n>aasaA