The times., 1901-05-05
some RUNAWAY WEDDINGS
Romanees in Which Famous Woo
ers Won Daring Brides.
sheiiey's First and Tragic Marriage.
Sheridan Risked Wis Life tn Win
Miss LfBJc,-sfa. Zen and Miss HoI-
comic 100 Miles.

Sheridan RiSLed His Life tn Win
Miss LiBIcs-sfae Zen and Miss HoI-
comI,e 100 Miles.
LOs the romantic cannot help a
passius i.eiing of regret that the days Of
runaway matches are gone, with their
| stirring incidents Of chaise- horses Iashed
to a bTeak-neck gaiiop. the trembling and
half-fainting maid. and the lover altern-
ately casting an apprehensive look back
to where a growing speck means pursuit
| and possible capture. and. through the
rafting and rocking of the chaise. hurllng
shouts at the post-boy to urge his desper-
ate horse to still greater speed.
| Such a scene might have been witnessed.
| says Tit Bits, on memorable day in
| November, 1772, nthe road which led
from Newcastle, over the border. TO Black
| shields, then the Mecca of scores Of fly
/ ing lovers; only few who saw the flying
chalse would have sUspe cted that it held
/ future Lord High Chancellor OF England
thus romantically beginning brilliant ca
/ reer in love and law. John Scott. the
| filters son, Of Newcastle, was no bastard
or laggard in love- for when the wealthy
/ banker, Mr. Surtees. laughed him to scorn
/ when he dared TO propose for the hand OF
/ his daughter want peer for my SON
in-law, not a pauper," he said-John con-
ce1ved daring plan to defeat him.
Taking with him friend and long lad
der the young lover made his way the
! night OF the I1th of November. to the
bankers house in the Sandhill. mounted
the ladder TO his lady loves chamber win
dow, and brought her down. "a willing
captive TO terra firma; a few minutes
later he was speeding toward Blackshieids
as fast as whip and spur could take him.
Shelley's first marriage had similar
romantic overture, although, unlike Lord
EdsOn's. il closed in tragedy and disgrace
When he was expelled from oxford for
his atheistical writings, and came to Lon
don with his friend Hogg, penniless and
disgraced, he would have starved had it
not been for the pocket money of his four
sisters, 10 whom a pretty schOofeiIow,
Miss Harriet WestbroOk, daughter OF a
retired hotel keeper acted as aimOner.
The little Methodist" as Shelley called
her was only a child OF fifteen at the
time, but She was quite old enough 10 fall
head over ears in love with the courtly
and accomplished young poet, who was
never averSe to an affair of the heart; and
when, after some months of fatal DALI
ance the girl wrote to Shelley Ito say
that resistance (tO her fathers determi-
nation to send her out OF dangers way
to school was useless. and threw herself
on my protection, it is not surprising
that the gallant poet flew to her rescue.
He found her 'agitated and wavering;'
bat she needed little persuasion 10 fly with
him They Travelled as fast as horses
could carry them to Scotland. and were
made husband and wife on the 18th OF
August, 1911.
fidelity had driven her to intemperance,
the lovely and ill-starred' Harriet
drowned herself in the Serpentine
Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the famous
statesman and dramatist. was in his
youth the very paragon OF daring and i'm
petuous lovers. Although he was only one
OF the most obscure of the scores OF men
who would have died for d smile from
Miss Lfnley the sweetest and fairest of
all the peerless nest of nightingaies' Of
Bath, he won her from them all; but on
" after riskins his life more than once in
the struggle.
He fought two desperate duels with a
too aggressive rival. q Captain Matthews,
who was more skilled in the duel than in
his amours; and when he despaired OF a
less heroic and extreme way of winning
his coveted bride he boldly carried her OF
to nunnery in France. taking care. how
ever, to make her his wife on the way.
At the very time when Sheridan was
abducting his nightingale an intimate
friend and fellow-Templar, Cecil Hayden,
was in the thick of an equally hazardous
love enterprise in the north of England.
When he was at Oxford he had fallen
madly in love with the sister of a fellow
student whose father. a wealthy York
shire squire. had much more exalted views
for his daughter.
When young Hayden boldly declared his
Intention TO elOpe with Miss HolcOmbe, in
defiance of her father, she was locked in
her room and guards were placed round
the house. But love laughs at bolts
and guards. One dark night in October
the brave girl let herself down from her
window by knotted sheets, and, stealing
past the sleepy guards. Joined her lover in
a lane at the back of the house. where
ehaise with four horses was awaiting her
In a moment they had started on their
Ong journey of 100 miles to Gretna
Green; and barely two hours later, when
L was found that the birds had flown,
he father, with a posse Of mounted men,
we're in hot pursuit, every man armed
and determined at all costs to stop the
-unawayS.
For twelve long hours the stern chase
continued the pursuers often catching
sight of their quarry, but, so carefully
had Hayden arranged for supplies OF
fresh horses, never coming within mile
Of them. After the most exciting race on
record the father. having outstripped his
followers, reached Gretna Green only to
find that he had lost the matrimonial
by the narrow margin OF Few
minutes and gain a son and lost daugh-
ter in that time.