The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-16
THE WHITE cocKApE.
BY JAMES
Copyrighted. 1897. BY S. s. Mcclure Co.

copyrighted, lSs1, ov y. y. MoCture Co.
Since. in the opinion Of all reasonable mon. no
further attempt is ever likely to be made to
place one Of the Stuart family on the throne Of
Great Britain, at least by force Of arms, I can
now, without prejudice to any one. toll the story
OF the strange adventure which brought me face
to face for tho first and last time with Charles
Edward Stuart, commonly known as the Young
Pretender.
Late in the afternoon II Sept. %, 1850, 1 re-
ceived tho following letter:
DEAR FRIEND: BY tho time this is placed
in your hands l shall be at SEQ on my way to
Antwerp. 1t is oil over. Under the name OF
John Douglas tho Prince has been in London
for nearly n week, and nothing has come Of 1t.
There Is no prospect of n rising. Gentlemen Of
quality and influence. however devoted to the
Prince, have no mind TO risk their lives and
estates by marching on London unless support.
ed by n strong body of regular troops, believing
that exile, or more probably tho scaffold. would
be tho suro and certain end of any such rash
undertaking.. To speak the plain truth. l am
much Of that way Of thinking myself, and. hav.
ing wife and child, will not draw my sword until
i perceive some fair prospect Of success.
II write to warn you of that which concerns
you nearly. Tho other day tho Prince came ut-
expectcdly to a party at Lady Primrosc's. great
ly to the CONSERVATION of her ladyship and Of
VI hOi BuVoNos iiiuttts bC hOt "ibh put %
cold reception from any but your betrothod,
Miss Kate Gordon, and her cousin. Andrcw
Macintyrc, who were both present.
Miss Gordon went down on her knee before
them oil and kissed his hand. 1t was very
bravoly done and moved him greatly, but, In
deed. 1t was scarcely prudent. Macintyre fol-
lowed her example, and I heard him whisper to
the Prince that II his Royal Highness would
deign to honor his poor house with n visit this
evening I'VE 22d) hc would meet with n very
different kind of welcome. Learning that Miss
Gordon would be present, the Prince consented.
Now a word in your chr. This Macintyre is
not to be trusted. l have from q
sure source that he Is n spy In tho pay Of the
Government, and that the man with ono eye.
the odious creature, Donald Fraser. who follows
hin about like n shadow. Is. II possible, n more
Infamous wretch than himself.
The house Is in n lonely situation. and / am
convinced that these scoundrels arc connecting
some plot to bctray the Prince. and are making
use OF Miss Gordon's grace and beauty and we'll
known devotion to the Jacobite cause to entice
MIN into n trap. L tried to give the Prince II
hint OF this. but he listened to mo coldly, and,
Indeed, OF late he has become VIGOROUSLY i'm.
patient OF advice from his best and truest
friends.
That Miss Gordon should be made an accom-
plcc IN this Viliainous scheme Will, l know, be
hatetul TO you, ana L doubt not you Will do
what lies in Vour power to prevent 1t. Yours
most faithfully, MATTHEW FIELDING
My blood boiled rs L read TINS letter. 1 was
no friend to the Stunrts, and, indeed, cared
little whether the Pretcnder was taken or not;
but that Kate should be involved In this In
famous plot was indescribably painful to me,
ana l rcsolu'eiy determined that she never
should be II word or act OF mine could pre-
| vent II.