Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-02-02

with delicate. handsome features.
Mrs. Fitzherbert is said to have had
beautiful eyes and a mass of golden
hair.
The prince fell deeply in love with
the young widow. She, realizing the
danger to her reputation by the atten-
lions of a prince of the blood, fed to
the continent. There she remained
some time. But the prince was bound
to possess her and wrote letters beg
ging her to return to England. The
affair was known to the public. and
the lovers We're watched with curious
interest. There was a law of the
realm called the royal marriage act
that pronounced any union between
prince of the blood and q commoner.
without the sovereign's consent, illegal.
1t was known that the lady had fed
from the prince because she would not
live with him except as his wife, and,
since the king would not consent. the
fact was patent that she could not be
his wife in accordance with British
law, though she might be under a re-
ligious ceremony.
There was another barrier between
the prince and Mrs. Fitzherbert. An
other law forfeited the succession to
airy one marrying a Catholic. She was
member of the Roman church. Either
Of these two barriers was enough
to deter any man not desperately in
love from such a marriage. But Prince
Georges passion was so strong that
when his marriage with its object
seemed hopeless he tried to commit
suicide, though whether this was a
bona fide attempt or ruse to secure
the lady'S consent to an illegal union
there is considerable doubt At any
rate, he bore the scar of his wound
through life.
Suddenly Mrs. Fitzherbert reap
peared in London. Since it was known
that she would not live with her royal
lover except as his wife, rumors began
to be circulated that a marriage cere-
mony had been performed between
them. The prince denied that any such
ceremony had taken place. At least
he denied that he had married Mrs.
Fitzherbert. Nevertheless he had
married her before witnesses and she
had been furnished by the Clergyman
with a marriage certificate.
From that time the two lived togeth-
er as man and wife.
But it was impossible that rumors
that the prince had married in defiance
of the royal marriage act. and Ro-
man Catholic at that. should be freely
circulated and no notice be taken of
them by the parliament. The matter
was finally brought up there and the
nation was on the tiptoe of excitement
10 thn Il ~
that Mrs. Fitzherbert received her
first blow. The eminent Charles Fox.
who had been on intimate terms with
Prince George. denied positively in par
lament that any marriage ceremony
between the prince and Mrs. Fitzher-
bert had ever taken place. The wife |
was ineXpressibly shocked and never |
forgave Fox for making the statement
But she showed that marvellous self I
that stood by her to the end |
Possessing marriage certificate. II \
was in her power to prove that she /
was n wife, but her act would cost her 4
husband crown.
There was 4 breach between the /
prince and his wife at one time but |
since society treated her with even /
more attention than before she was /
appeased and refrained from produc-
ing her marriage certificate. The con-
iitions were paradoxicaL The he.f APP
parent was known or Mt least supposed
to have defied the laws OF England
by marrying without the kings con-
sent and TO have forfeited the throne
by marrying a Roman Catholic. A de-
NAL had been given in parliament.
which was not believed, The lady he
was supposed to have married was ac-
corded by the court circle Except the
king and queenl the honors due to