St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-31
The Story Of Her Birth Re-
called by Her Recent
Marriage.
AS Violet MOpdaunt She Gave
Rise to the Great Di-
VOpce
Case in Which the Prince of
Wales Figured as Chief
Correspondent.
Her Strange Career and the
Man Who Is Now Her
Husband.

NEW DIRK. May 25.-Ono OF Gn6 Idlr-
est brides presented at last Fridays
drawing room was the new Lady Wey-
mouth, who was vouched for by her al
most equally lovely aunt, the Countess
of Dudley. Lord Weymouth, to whom
she was recently married, had for the
last few years been considered one of
the principal catches in the matrimonial
market. He is the oldest Son and heir
of the enormously wealthy and influen-
tial Marquis of Bath, who short time
ago refused the proffer of princess of
the blood for his son on the ground that
the Marquis of Bath coulHnever con-
sent to appear in social rank subordi-
nate to that of his wife, as is, for in
stance, the case of the Duke of Fife
and the Marquis of Lorne. The reject
ed lady was the beautiful Princess
May. who, as the bride-elect of Prince
Edward of Wales will one day become
queen of Great Britain. The most in
teresting and sensational feature of the
presentation, however, is found in the
personality of the fair bride, Lady Wey-
mouth. This lady, who was preferred
by the Marquis of Bath to
A ROYAL PRINCESS
as a daughter-in-law, was one whose
name, during the first year of her life,
was the subject of widespread discus
sion and scandalous gossip throughout
the civilized world. Der birth, indeed.
gave rise to one of the most famous law
cases of the century. She was. in fact,
child-whoSe unwelcome appearance in
this world gave rise to the great Nor
daunt divorce case, IN which the Prince
of Wales figured as chief correspondent
1t will doubtless be remembered that in
the early part of 1870 Lady Mordaunt
gave birth to little girl, of whom her
husband, Sir Charles, owing to pro-
longed absence in Norway the previous
year, could not possibly have been the
father. Being taxed by Sir Charles
with infidelity, and questioned as to the
paternity of the infant, Lady Mordaunt
mentioned the names of Sir Frederick
tombstone, Viscount Cole and the
Prince of Wales as having, each and all
of them, claims to the honor. Sir
Charles, who is a well-known and
wealthy Scotch barOnet of ancient line
age and sporting tastes, Immediately
commenced proceedings for divorce
AGAINST HIS WIFE,
naming the prince, the viscount and
Sir Frederick Johnstone, who is one of
the most prominent figures on the Brit
iSh turf, as correspondents. NOtWith-l
standing the enormous pressure broug
to bear upon Sir Charles to withdraw
the charge he remained Obdurate, and
when the case came up for trial the
heir to the throne came into court and
submitted to public examination and
alleged guilt. His connection with the
matter was particularly unfortunate.
for as European etiquette demands
that no other visitors should be admit
ted during the course of rayal after
noon call, the prince had been neces-
sarily en- tete-a-tete with Lady Nor
daunt on the occasion of each of his
numerous visits while she was spend
ing the season of 1869 at the Alex
andra hotel, Hyde Park. On pledging
his royal word thatno criminal intimacy
had taken place between himself and
Lady Mordaunt the case against him
was dismissed, and he stood eXonerated
in the eyes of the law, if not in those of
the public. Sir Charles ultimately OBJ
tanned his decree of divorce, ViScount
Cole and Sir Frederick tombstone being
pronounced partfcipes criminiS. OF
course, Sir Charles refused to have any
thing to do with or even to see the I'M
fortunate little girl who legally bore his
name, although not morally nor physi-
cally entitled thereto. The little thing,
who was blind during the early day Of
HER CHILDHOOD,
was therefore adopted by Lord Nor
who brought her up with her own chill
dren. The infant grew up in ignorance
of the sad circumstances of her birth,
and blossomed forth into woman of
such peerless beauty that last season
she was all the rage and had all the
matrimonial catches at her feet; this,
too, Notwithstanding the fact that she
was almost dowerless, being entirely
dependent on the generosity of her
aunt. Last year she accompanied the
Countess of Dudley ON weeks visit to
the Prince and Princess of Wales at
Sandringham, and by strange coinci-
dence Sir Frederick tombstone happened
to be staying there at the same time-a
fact which excited much comment in
the London salons and clubs. Violet
Mordaunt, or, as she is now, Lady Wey-
mouth, has never seen her mother. and
would consequently not be able to rec
ognlze her in the street If she met her.
Lady Mordaunt lives entirely abroad,
mostly in Paris, and has long been no
IOrlOuS as d COuurulou OIplllOIHdIldCs
for whom there can be no future but
the insane asylum or the grave. She
may often be seen driving in the Bots
de Boulogne, but one has difficulty in
discovering In her features traces of
that marvellous loneliness which rem
dered her the most famous of the beau
iful daughters of that most unscrupu-
tous old matchmaker, the late Lady
Louisa Moncrieffe. Lady Dudley was
married sorely against her will to the
wealthiest and maddest peer of the age,
who passed the half of his time in TAX
ing extraordinary precautions to pre-
serve his stomach from harm, being
convinced that it was made Of glass and
would crack or smash at the slightest
jar, and the rest OF the time in buying
baby clothes and furniture for the in
FAINT to which he believed he himself
was about to give birth. Another of
Lady Mordaunt's sisters is the Duchess
of Athole, and another Lady Forbes, of
Newe, who one and all form part of the
Marlborough House set"
Their Consciences Rebelled.
Life.