Year: 1878

BEFORE tue SiONu
cold, we have the prospect of another judicial
process equally interesting. Mr. Thomas Lord,
rich widower of eighty-three years, has been
led to the hymeneal altar by Mrs. Annette w.
W. Hicks, clever widow, cOnjectured by the
iudicious to be somewhere between forty and
fifty. The children and heirs of the venerable
bridegroom are naturally indignant, rs the
most equable of us would be under similar
circumstances. They claim, 1t is understood,
that the old man is entirely irresponsible, in
capable of acting with sound judgment and
discretion, and no filter to contract marriage
than q child. They have moved promptly in
the matter. Three of Mr.. Lords sons have
asked and obtained an order for an inquiry
into his sanity, and, pending this proceeding,
he is debarred from disposing of his property.


Certainly Mrs. Hicks-Lord was not so shrcwd
as she thought herself to be; for her aged
spouse could sign no testament nor any convey
ance, nor execute any indenture IN the nature
of marriage settlement, even had not this pro-
ceedng been set on foot. through which
lawyer of ordinary capacity would not UNDER
take to drive coach-and-fOur with flying
colOIs. Evidently she has never read any OF
Sir William Scott's excellent decisions. or she
would have found out that rich old gentlemen
who marry widows of half their age, are not
considered the clearest-headed of devisors in
courts of probate. We would not speak dis
respectfully of this lady; it is possible that
she may entertain sincere affection, and even
a tender passion for her elderly husband; but,
for all that she has before her dismal pros
pect of succession of law proceedings which
will make her life one constant worry, unlessshe
is equally in love with expensive and harass-
ing litigation. This, too will be battle
which she will have to fight alone; for in the
course of nature she will soon be again
lorn and defenceless widow. We should be
inclined to think that her clcycrncss has been
overrated did We not know the grievous I'M
certainty of the law. She may WIN the battle,
but at best it will be a hard one. We are
happy to believe that a great many women
would not engage in it for fifty thousand
times the money.


So much may be said in view of the proceed
ings, actual and possible, of exasperated
heirs. Upon the other hand, it may be argued
that marriages like this are far from being
without precedent and that Octogenarans as
sound minded as ever they were have fire.
Guently given their hands to women young
enough to be their granddaughters The first
thing to be established is The state of Mr..
Lords intellectual powers, and we all know
what an astonishing amount of evidence on
both sides can be produced when such point
is to be decided. There is nothing more dili
cult to determine, rs all the books show. than
the sound mind and contracting capacity of
very old man. Feebleness of body always
suggests fecblcncss of the mind, though one Is
by no means necessary consequence OF the
other. There was no talk of putting Mr..
Lords estate into the hands of trustees until |
after his astounding nuptials, and it will not
be held, we suppose, that anybody, juvenile !
or senilc is non compOs mentis merely be- |
cause he allows himself to be married. Nor |
will the eccentrcly Of a match invali- |
date it in the eye of the law. Scores |
of such marriages are every year sol !
emnized without exciting much wonder. There |
therefore, only the disagreeable re-
source of establishing the second childishncss |
of Mr.. Lord and this for his own children
cannot he pleasant business. To accumulate
evidence of fathers decay; to dep0Sc to
hundred little circumstances occurring in the
freedom of domestic intercourse; to recall the
foolish things which he did, and the inane
things which he said; 10 act upon the theory
that he could he made the veriest dupc of
designing woman; and then to expose TO the
world his intellectual nakedness, would be 4
task which mary children would not under
take for all the wealth Of Wall Street, if every
security bought and sold there were Mt n
For the sake of justice such task
MAY be engaged in; but righteous As it may
be, it must still be painful to the high minded
and the aflcctionae. In such a case, kindred
must decide for themselves without taking
advice of the public, which, fond as it is OF
reading reports of evidence, may not prove
n disinterested adviser. There is always. too,
in such cases, an opportunity for judicous
and chance TO wash the sOiled |
linen mt home. But when all the details of a
scandal have been paradcd in the newspapers,
with every mortifying incident and every |
prurient circumstance, it must be admitted
that one greht motive for negotiation exists
no longer If we were disposed to be cynical |
or philosophical, we might congratulate those |
who fortunately not being worth million |
and lmlf of dollars, are in no danger of a |
marriage about which people will talk and |
newspapers write. Poverty stricken four-scOre |
has ut least that privilege.


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POLITICAL NOTES.