Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1869-10-22 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

EXTRAORDINARY STORY.  The Era, commenting upon the death of Mrs Chas. Mathews (the mother of the now-living distinguished comedian, and widow of the eminent actor who departed this life thirty-four years ago), tells the strange 'story as to the courtship and marriage of the deceased lady. The first wife of Mr Charles Mathews, sen., was Miss Siring; the daughter of a physician at Exeter. In 1801 she exhibited symptoms of a decline. One evening towards the close of her brief life Mrs Mathews seot her husband to request that Miss Jackson, fur whom she had some time before concaved a warm regard, would visit her on the following day. When the young actress arrived, Mrs Mathews, propped up in bed, maintained a lively conversationaill her husband came in, who was delighted to find her thus able to sit up and talk to her friend. She told him her present cheerfulness was the result of considerations which had induced her to arrange the interview. Avowing her conviction that no human skill could prolong her life, she adverted to her affection for Miss Jackson, and to that young lady's unprotected state ; and then, taking her hand and that of Mr Mathews, and pressing both to her own feverish lips in a solemn inanner, conjured them to take compassion on her anxiety, and pledge themselves to become man and wife after her death. Their agitation was extreme. Mr Mathews reproved his wife with some impetuosity for placing him in such a dilemma, and Miss Jackaott. throwing herself upon her knees, besought the pardon of the dying woman for her refdsal to comply, representing the impossibility of her affiancing herself to a man for whom she entertained no warmer feeling than that of friendship. She then pitted the chamber, followed by Mr Mathews, who implored her not to harbour a suspicion that he had been aware of his wife's intention, which he attributed to something like a delirium produced by her feverish state. Li the May following Mrs Mathews's illness terminated in death. For some time after that event a natural degree of distance was observed between the widower and Miss Jackson. By degrees, however, the mutual coldness wore off, and a feeling of regard was growing up between them, when a circumstance occurred still more remarkable than the dyiag woman's appeal. Mr Mathewe's sec iunt of his impressions was as follows ;—" He had gone to rest alter a very late night's performance at the theatre, finding himself too fatigued to sit up till his usual hour to read ; but, after he was in bed, he discovered as will happen when persons attempt to sleep before their accustomed time—that to close his eyes was an impossibility. He had no light, nor the means of getting one, all the family being in bed, but the night was not absolutely dark, it was only too dark for the purpose of reading; indeed, every object was visible. Still he endeavoured to go to sleep, but his eyes refused to close, and in this state of restlessness lie remained, when suddenly a slight rustling, as if of a hasty approach of something, induced hitn to turn his head to that side of the bed whence the noise seemed to proceed, end there he clearly beheld the figure of his late wife, in her habit as she lived, who, smiling sweetly upon him, put forth her hand as if to take his, as she bent forward This was all he could relate, for, in shrinking from the contact with the figure he beheld, be threw himself out of bed upon the floor, where, the fall having alarmed the house, his landlord found him in a fit, Ou his recovery, he related the cause of the accident, and the whole of the following day he remained extremely ill, and was unable to quit his room" The remarkable fact is that at the exact hour at which Mr Mathews was thus affected a vision of the same kind occurred to Miss Jackson. "The same sleepless effect," she says, "the same cause of terror, had occasioned me to seize the bell-rope in order to summon the people of the house, which, giving way at the moment, I fell with it ill my hand upon the ground. My impression of this vimitatieu, as I persisted it was, were exactly similar to those of Mr Matthews. The parties with whom we resided at the time were perfect strangers to each other, and living widely apart, and they recounted severaliy to those about them the extraordinary dream, for such it will be called, ahhough my entire belief will never be shaken that I was as perfectly awake as at this moment. These persons repeated the story to many before they were requested to meet and compare accounts. There could, consequeutly, be no doubt of the facts, and the circumstance became a matter of much general interest among those who knew us." After such a sympathy between the widow and the friend of the departed wife, it was not surprising that the dying ri (pest should be fulfilled. On the 28th of March, 1803, Miss Jackson became the wife of Mr Mathews.  On Monday afternoon a terrible explosion took place at Ilrymbo Ironworks, belonging to the Messia. Darby. One of their large blast furnaces from some means exploded, and killed one man and severely injured three others. The accident caused great consternation in the neighbourhood.  According to the Glasgow Mail, the Government plan for the payment of the telegraph companies is said to have been settled, and to have been unanimously approved by the directors of the Batik of England, but the date of its promulgation is not fixed. It is believed that it is based on the principle of terminable ani.uities.  DISTRESSING SUICIDE OF AN INDEPENDENT hicsis-rea.—Mr Alexander Cochrane Wood, formerly I the minister of an Independent congregation at Hawes, ! in Yorkshire, has been suffering (ruin mental derangement, and was placed under the care of Dr. Bennett. of Marsden Hall, Nelson-in•Marsden, between Burnley and Colne. Whilst taking exercise he was carefully watched by an attendant, but on Monday he rushed away from his attendant, and laid himself on the line of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway iu front of an advancing train. Before help could be obtained the train rill O'er his body, causing instantaneous death. RECOVERY OF THE STOLEN Cllll.D.—Elizabeth Barry, the nurse, who secretly left Maidenhead last week with the child of Jher master, Lieut.-Colonel Hickie, was captured in Liverpool cn Sunday, and is still in the custody of the Liverpool police. She will not be taken before the local magistrates, but sent to Maidenhead in charge of an officer from that locality. The child, ever since it was taken from the nurse, has been in the charge of Mrs Greig, wife of Major Greig, head constable of Liverpool.