The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1909-12-03
A GREWSOME STORY.
Lady Cardigan Relates the Tragedy
Of Lord Ward and His Wife.

One almost begins 10 think that az
ter all. We are not so terribly bad in
this twentieth century. when one
reads stories like these. II looks as
If We were even a little better. Vice
there is now; vice there always Will
be in this imperfect world but at
least we have the grace 10 be more
ashamed of il now than they We're in
those days when Lady Cardigan was
one OF the reigning beauties of Lon
don. | remember. when ! was
youngster. hearing OF a certain Lord
Ward who was a good deal worse
even than the Marquis Of Steyne He
is a typical figure Of the corrupt so
ciety OF the early Victorian period:
and Lady Cardigan does not spare
him when she comes 90 draw his por-
trait I do not know hat ever
more grewsome story-not even in
the memoirs OF Italian passion and
Italian cruelty as they figure in the
terrific pages OF Dante-than the story
Lady Cardigan tells of this nobleman
and the unhappy lady who was given
by cruel fate and unworthy parents
70 him as a wife.
Here is the beginning OF the story:
Constance de Burgh was one OF my
great friends. She was a very pretty.
charming girl who married Lord
Ward. who had always been cOnsid-
cred a great parti by mothers with
marriageable daughters.
Constance was not in love with
her husband he had proposed. and
she was told she must accept him. A
iutiful daughter of rather colorless
character. Constance lever dreamt of
opposition.
Marriage frequently means disil-
lusion. and the Ward marriage was
not a success.
William Ward was a pleasant man
but he had extraordinary ideas OF
how 10 treat a wife. ideas which
could only be tolerated by a tactful
woman who could laugh at them. and
forget all the unpleasantness they
entailed. Poor Constance was not
tactful. and not accommodating Her
husband worshiped the beautiful: he
had selected his wife partly on ac-
count of her beauty. and he treated
her like some lovely slave he had
bought He had a strange. almost bar
barrie. passion for precious stones, and
lavished them on his wife.
What pleased Lord Ward more than
anything was 10 make Constance put
on all her jewels for his special bene-
fit when they were alone. lie would
admire her thus for hours. delighting
in her lovely figure, and contrasting
the sheen of her ropes OF pearls with
her delicate skin. as she sat ON
black satin-covered couch.
The strange proceeding at first ter
rified and then disguised Constance.
She appealed to her father. but ner
parents decided that her husbands
peculiarities came within the meaning
Of the marriage VOWS. and she was
told she must submit 10 her husband 5
humors.
In time there came another man
who was adored as relief and a con-
trast TO this degenerate; then there
came a scandal, a rupture-the wife
turned out of her husbands house in
the middle of the night, although en-
ciente at the time. turned also out
Of the house Of ner parents. finding
refuge first in the rooms of an old
servant. and then fight to Paris. III
ut-cs tdl ~ utdAA. pAA even III Ntdl
she was pursued by the malignant
destiny that had tortured shamed.
and then killed her, FOR this is what
happened:
On the evening Of the day before
her burial. Lord Colville came to see
Lord Ward. "Colville, you ad-
mired my wife"
Yes replied Lord Colville. Il did ="
well, come and look your last on
her" said Lord Ward. and lighting a
candle, he led the way l. stairs The
room was full Of shadows. and the
pickering light fell on the lovely face
Of the dead woman. Silently Lord
Colville stood beside her. and his heart
ached when he thought OF her fate
Ward was watching him attentively
Still admiring my wife? Well, she
was a pretty woman-but you'd never
credit she had such bad teeth" He
put down the candle on the table as
be spoke and raised his wifes head
from the pillow. With cold delibera-
ton he wrenched the jaws apart. Il
always told you she had bad teeth, "
he repeated LOOK here"
There Is a tragedy in real life:
more horrible than anything that the
widest French realist has ever in
vented II london NJ A. r.