The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-01-19

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MRS. F1TZHERBERT, DISCARDED WIFE OF
GEORGE ".
daughter of William Smythe, a Hampshire
gentleman. At 10 she had married Mr..
Weld of Ludworth castle, one Of the same
Weld family since well known in Amer
lea. Mr.. Weld died in a few months.
His widow afterward married Mr.. Fitz-
herbert of Staffordshire. He died in con-
sequence of o~vertaXing himself in the
cause of law and order during Lord George
Gordon's no popery riots in 1880, SO graph
ically described in 'Barnaby Rudge." At
25 Mrs. Fitzherbert was a beautiful young
widow, rich, courted and admired. Here,
in the language of a writer in one of the
English magazines, is what followed:
George, the fat and fair young prince, already
wearied of Mrs. Robinson, his poor Perdita,
saw the brilliant young beauty. His heart was,
as he said, seriously affected. The fair widow
divided his affections with the bottle, and he
became an ssiduous wooer, whom Mrs. Fitz-
herbert endeavored as assiduously to avoid.
Her coyness did but infame his ardor. But
she remained deaf to all entreaty till Keit, the
surgeon, Lord Onslow, Lord Southampton and
Mr.. Edward Bouverie arrived one night at her
house in the utmost CONSERVATION, informing
her that the life of the prince was in imminent
danger that he had stabbed himself, and that
only her immediate presence could save him.
There probably never was a man so ridiculous
when playing the part of a lover as the Prince
Of Wales. To have himself bled that he might
look interesting for a moment in the eyes Of
some fair lady was no unusual trick with him.
On this occasion, however, it was positively
declared that he had stabbed himself, and Mrs.
Fitzherbert believed it to the day of her death.
Meanwhile the four male emissaries of love be-
sought the young widow to hasten and heal
the wound. They succeeded in ~persuading her
after much difficulty, and she went to his resi-
dence at Carlton house, accompanied by the
Duchess of Devonshire. When she reached the
princes bedside, she found him pale and COW
cred with blood. The prince told her that moth
ing would induce him to live unless she prom
Used to become his wife and let him put a ring
on her finger.
She yielded, but the next day grew
frightened and repented. A narrative was
drawn up of what had passed. Those who
had been present signed it as witnesses,
and Mrs. Fitzherbert, declaring that she
had not been a free agent, fed beyond the
seas. The rage and grief of the prince at
her desertion drove him to the verge Of
madness. Mrs. Fitzherbert remained on
the continent a year, ever followed by love
letters from the prince. At last he as
sured her the king would connive at their
marriage. She returned, and at the port
where she landed was married to the
prince by a clergyman of the church of
England in the presence of several wit
nesses, among them her cousin and her
brother. The certificate of this marriage
is in existence in the handwriting of the
prince, but Mrs. Fitzherbert afterward cut
out the names of the witnesses for fear of
bringing them into trouble.
George excused his bigamy by the plea
that parliament would not have permitted
him to succeed to the throne had it known
of his marriage to a Roman Catholic. The
immediate cause Of his union with Caro-
line of Brunswick was the pressure of
debts which apparently could be dis
charged in no other way. Mrs. Fitzher-
bert died in 1887.
And now comes James L. Ord, an
American citizen dwelling at Portland,
Or, who claims to possess documents
proving that he is a lineal descendant of
George, prince of Wales, and Mrs. Fitz-
herbert. The son born of that unfortu-
nate union was a menace to the future
kings peace Of mind. The upshot was
that the son was brought to America,
where he died at Omaha at the age of 95
years. He had seven children, n OF
whom, the youngest male living, is John
S. Ord of Santa Cruz, Cal, and whose
second son is James L. Ord Of Portland,
Or. The flight of the son to America is
historical, and the documents proving his
legitimacy are locked up in Coutts' bank,
London, where they were deposited by
the Duke of Wellington. Proceedings
are now being taken to compel the bank
to open the papers to inspection. Young
Ord's grandfather on reaching America
served in the United States army during
the war of 1919 and was denounced by
England as o traitor. A sister of the
young man is the wife of S. v. Holiday,
a prominent San Francisco attorney.
James L. Ord, who now resides at Port
land, is "a years of age. He is above the
average height, graceful of movement,
though of solid proportions.
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