The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-02-10
GREAT LOVE
STORIES
of HISTORY
SHERIDAN AND bCli
LINLEY
By Albert Payson Terhune
Copyright. W toe A4t6or.l

Copyright w toe Aats0r.1
For love or IS-year-oid girl GER
tain hot-headed Irish lad in l772
fought two sensational duels and
made himself the nine-day hero OF
England. The girl was Betty Linley.
daughter of famous Bath musical
composer. She was noted singer
and SO beautiful as to merit the nick
name of The Fair Maid Of Bath"
The youth was Richard Brinsley Sher-
1dan, the most brilliant playwright
and parliamentary orator OF his time.
AS boy he had been looked on by
his parents and teachers as a hopeless
Ounce. Later he proved himself a
marvel Of wit and eloQuence, as has
many another man whom his school
master thought fool.
While Miss Linley was living at
Bath she attracted the fancy of Capt
Matthews, a dissolute gentlemen of
fortune" So ardently did Matthews
make love to the girl that she was on
the point of giving him her heart
when young Sheridan appeared upon
scene. Sheridan was barely p. All
his bright career lay before him. He
at once fell in love with Betty. To
further his own suit he told her what
he knew of Matthews real character.
This turned the girls dawning love
for Matthews into loathing. For SO
clever a youth as the future play
An Elopement wright 1t was
,. then an easy step
anu wv oues' to win the sus-
ceptible young lady's heart for him
self.
But Matthews continued to annoy
Betty with his attention, even threat
ening her. Her father was under OBJ
legations to him. So she dared not
appeal to her family to help her get
rid Of the unwelcome sutton. In de-
spair she called Sheridan to her aid.
He suggested that she 60 to con.
vent in France, there to remain until
Matthews could be disposed Of. She
accepted the idea and he escorted her
to the convent Their departure from
England together had very much the
look of an elopment Sheridan, dur
ing the journey, explained this to the
fair fugitive and persuaded her to
marry him. The wedding took place
in little church near Calais and was
kept secret.
Matthews had looked on Sheridan
as his friend and was furious at such
breach of trust. He published insult
ing statements about the younger
man in several Of the paper. Sheri-
dan, in France. read these and has.
tened back to England to demand sat.
isfaction. A duel was arranged. He
and Maffhouc fo,, uht with il, a
tavern by night. their seconds holding
lighted candles above their heads.
Sheridan rushed in upon his oppon.
ent, Selling the latter's sword arm by
the wrist and placing his own sword
point at Matthews throat. Matthews.
taken aback by this sudden move.
was at Sheridan's mercy. and gasped
Il beg my life. sir" Then the sec
onds separated them, and Matthews
wrote a formal apology for the inso
lent charges he had made against his
enemy. Thus ended the first duel.
Matthews. however, spread broad
cast a garbled version Of the affair
and continued to SANDER Sheridan
and Betty. This led to a second duel.
The two men fought again with
swords. Both weapons. broke at the
first attack. The duelists grappled,
falling to the ground together and
hacking at each other with the broken
fragments of their swords. Much
blood was spilled. although the
wounds were mere scratches. Still the
duel was enough out Of the ordinary
run of such encounters to set all Eng-
land to talking In a day Sheridan
found himself famous.
When Betty heard Sheridan was
wounded she shrieked: my husband!
Oh, my husband!" and tainted. (Faint-
ing was quite a fashionable accom-
plishment among young ladies of the
eighteenth century, Thus her par
ents for the first time learned of her
secret marriage. They had followed
her to France as soon as they learned
where she was and had brought her
home. Sheridan was penniless and
had no prospects. So Betty's father
strove to keep the couple apart. Sheri
dan used every pretext for gaining
few words with his wife during this
time Of parental opposition. He once
himself as a
CaOman and drove
her home from a concert where she
had been singing. At last Mr.. Lin
ley consented to their union. and a
public marriage ceremony was per-
formed
Sheridan had no knowledge OF econ
omy. Nor had Betty. So, though poor
they lived in extravagant style and
were constantly in debt. Later. when |
Sheridan wrote The Rivals" The |
School for Scandal and other sue
cessful plays, the pair were better of. |
But they still spent money much fast
er than he could earn it. After 20 |
years of married life Betty died. Sher. |
idan mourned her most deeply. Three |
years later he married a woman of |
wealth, whose fortune, however, could |
not keep pace with her husbands ex- !
travagance.
Sheridan in his old age was wretch.
edly poor. AS he lay dying. in 1915.