THE CHARGE AGAINST HIGH SHORTLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 4421, 15 July 1884, Page 2

THE CHARGE AGAINST HIGH SHORTLAND.

THE TRAGIC MYSTERY DEEPENS,

Extraordinary Corroopondouce and Papers.

(From Oi;k Ln^■l)ON Cohrkkimsi>knt.)

LusiKis.Mayai. Mv.stokv still enshrouds the melancholy death of poor Mrs Shortland, and many are

bsginniti" to believe it will never bocleared up. The country police after full inquiry in every direction have given up all prospect of obtaining any evidonoo that Hugh Shortland was in the neighbourhood of Blackawtown or Oldstoi:c Manor on the day of his v ifo'n death. They do not therefore

projio.su to pursue theii invostiifiitions iiity turther until t lie result of Dr. Dupius, aualy»ie of the dead woman's Etoinaeli U mado known. It is understood that several more days must elapse before the investii'.ition can bo completed. Last Friday rfhorllurid wu«a;{(iiii brought up before the Kin^'i liridgc Magistrates, and remanded for unnthor week, though not without his solicitor proteßbing in somewhat strong language against the extreme injustice of tlio proceedings. "There in not," bawled the udvocnto, " a tittle of evidence against my client." "We can't listen to you,"said tlio Chairman. " J demand to speak us my right," said the lawyer. "You shall not," Hiiid the Magistrate, Shortland, who was very excited, now entered into tin angry colloquy with the lawyer, and tlio two together POomcd inclined to defy the Bench when the .Superintendent of i'olice roared— "Tako him down," and Shortland was bundled out of Court, amidst cries of " Shame," "It'ijhnrd," und " (live the man justice." 15y way of justifying their action in detaining fcihortltind, the police have published tho following documcntH, which were iound in his possession when he was arrested in concealment at Modbury. They have excited considerable interest, insomuch as' their coiitontn aro understood by those who have seen them to raise various more or le*n plausible theories as to how tho deceased lady enmo to her death, find as to tho extent of tho prisoner's knowledge of that event. The documents aro reported to bo not very numerous, but to include certificates of various descriptions from professional friends certifying to Mr Shortland's assiduity and devotion to his work in tho early years of his career, and there are thoi-odealing with his Auckland professional connections. Included in the bundle, however, aro a series of letters sent by Miss Dimes to Mr Hhortland, the character of whose c;ontoiits have become more or loss generally diffused amongst thor;o in-ti-rosted in the case,- and the publication of which, if the police could be induced to consent to that course, would, it is rumoured, disclose the singular nobility of Mrs Shortlnnd'e character. It is said that they give a connected relation of the circumstances under which Mr Shortland and hi>i wife originally came together, and that they show a trust and confidence in Mr Shortlund's diameter as a man of honour uliiuli is at oneu touching and romantic.

The earliest letter of the series iH one in which Miits Dimes in believed to indicate Llio icount receipt of a lcttor from Mr Shortlimil imploring her to make an up|>oinl snout to moot him, uric! expressing ignorance of tliu ruuHoiiH I hut Ikkl prompted his request, pointing out that sho was a young lady who hemtitted to expose hornelf to misconception, anif whilst promising to coni-cnt to the meeting, begging that Mr.Shortland would respect hor susceptibiliticn, »ud expressing an awuritnco that nothing would occ'ir that would compromise her in tho estimation of hoi friends. Following this letter, which rnmmunrcs with plain Mr and concludes with your- truly, it i« said I halt hero is another, uvidontly following the desired meeting, in which Mies Dimes, addressing her lover an " I tear AlrShortlaniJ/'topruJM)* grntitudn for the kind (him?* ho had naid of her, and by hor appreciation of tho motive which lias prompted his desire to meet he:'. Then it is understood that cuvuttil other letters follow which iudii'ate tho gradual ripening of thu acquaintance find show the plogruKS "f the courtship, disclosing the inaidoii'D timidity h-.-t she should bo ili«-rmi-rul to beearrvingon aelandextinf: courtship, and appealing to Mr Slioilland from timo to timu to bring hor friends acquainted with Iho fact, pointing out then; could bo no objection to that course, indicating how uttaehed she had become to him, how grieved fho would bo if anything were to seom to part them, and suggesting that her mother, at least, bliould be told of tho engagement in order that tho news might be gently broken to tho father. The deopening character of Miss Pimes's lovo towards Mr Shortland i* nfl'uctingly shown by tho gradual endearment in which sUo addressed him, pagsin* from " Dear Mr Shortland," to " Dear Hugh," to " My dearest Hugh," to "My darling Hugh,' and from "Yours truly"' to "Your* sincerely," and •' I'ouru ever most uilectionatcly." Then comos a letter in which it isovidont Hint MTfew Dimes is considering a proposal titing as to the propriety of tho course-, apprehensive as to what her friends will think of it, but gradually yielding before the importunities that had been addressed to her, and submitting herself in full confidence to tho wishes of her atliuncod. Then follows a considerable broak in the letters, and when tho thread of the narrative is resumed there is the appcaraneo of a troubled mind. The young lady has become married, she has expressed herself in fonder terms than over, she has asked why tho marriage should bo kept secret any longer, she has suggested that peoplo aro looking at her as though tho event had coino off, and sho is entreating hor husband to let her father know. Again there is tho samo sort of appeals to Mr Shortlaud to como and disclose what has occurred, and an intimation that now all is known, tho circumstances of the runaway marriage having got into tho newspapers, and that it will oxtricuto. her from a painful position if tho truth is stated. Later on thoro aro reported to bo letters in which Mrs Shortland is dealing with hor husband's intimation that ho is to go away, asking whether sho cannot accompany him, begging before ho goes that the secret shall be revealed, and assuring him of her undying devotion, and linally there is said to bo other letters in which it is stated tho nows of tho marriage has been broken without Short-land's instrumentality, written in a much more cheerful strain, because tho father has received tho intimation without the oxpected anger, and informing tho husband that he may now como to the house without any apprehension of reproach. Then there is a request to know why he is not writing to her, and pointing out that it is hard that sho should be hearing all this trouble without relief. In a later letter, however, thore seems to be a returning brightness, but hero tho coirespendonco is rumoured to end. Thoso documents in themselves seem to bo exceedingly interesting, inasmuch as thoy throw one phase of light upon tho solution of tho mystery, But much more importanco will naturally bo attached to certain other papors which aro in Mr Shortland's own handwriting, and which were written whilst he was supposed to bo on. his* way to Briudifi, nncl which convoy his intention, oven in thoso documents, to maintain tho pretence that ho is on his way from England. Tho importanco of these papers will be taken in connection with t|io fact that when Ryder, sou., took him a no\yspapor cutting announcing that an inquost had bepn held on the body of Mrs Shortland, ltydor, who was undor tho belief that it would much shock him, received tho reply "I know all about it." Tho papers aro jealously guarded by tho . polico, but very keenly prosecuted lnquirios enable uh to givo our roaders an .idea of their very remarkablo character. Thoy show that •whilst in concealment Shortland know of tho death of his wife ; that ho was in great distress about it; that ho was most anxious to protest his affection for hor, and his estimation of hor ennobling virtues. Scattered throughout these documents'aro frequent repetitions of Longfollow's lines: I'Dust to dust was not spoken of tho soul." They contain repeated reference to'tho fact that his darling's favourite (lowers were roses, primroses, and violets, and they used to gather them on the Oldstone estates. On a sheet of cartridge paper Mr S'lortlnud had sketched with marvellous fidelity and great skill tho head of his wifo's favourite dog, and on the vacant portions of this paper interlineatod and continued in soino casoe along the sides of the paper are reflections upon her habits, tho beauty of her mind, the purity of her heart, tho intensity of the love sho bore for him, his recognitionthathe did notdesorvotuch lovo, and the fact that she was most atlectionato tohimsolf inwordanddeed. He gives therein thoday on which his "treasure" was man ied, and the day on which his " treasure " died preceding these dates with the quotation' " Eheu, hieamarina misericordia." And then Mr Shortland introduces a sentence which is reported to read as follows:—"My darling once told me in conversation when riding across Slapton Sands that she regarded felo-de-se as moral cowardice, i

a'lhoufrh f-he admitted that it might possibly tic; fin act of physical daring," This sentence will bear various constructions, but considered in connection with, the other documents will derive .in added interest. This U to take the form of a letter addressed to Mr and Mrs Dimes purporting to have been written whilst the prisoner was at sea, and containing ns a poMcript the .singular expression, "J shall bo homeward bound in a few days. J. long to kneel beside my darling Laura's gmve. I can novel1 moderate my grief before I have done co. I will hasten home at oiicb anil lay fresh flowers upon my darling^ ;rra\e/' The Utter itself Mights that i I. was written with the object of " relieving tho parents jointly in their cutting grief and tmriblo pain," and pointing out that for I Short land himself "life would be void, mean, stale, ami barren." In the pouivo ot t,his letter it, i.H dialed that Mr Shortlnml rhapsodizes as to tho "heroism, and sweptnew, and purity, mid willingness" of the deceased, and ruininda tho parents that it i? from.those and f<imihr reflections, " .-ad " and " awful " iv>. he thinks them to be, that they inu«t hope to assume their sorwows. liemnrks of Lhi't kind are stated to bo freely interspersed all through the letter. Mr Shortland dbpolnany idea of being able to give the parents comfort, us " our loss is agoni.-ing and astonishing !" There is also said to be this singular reflection in the course of it : " Mow divined accidents always happen. It really seems, to be most useful, and for the highest, that our darling Laura was holy by disposition and circumstances." The state of Mr Shnrtlntul'H mind when ho wrote this statement ciiii bo gathered from certain references to it which he is believed to have mndu, 'remarking in one plane that ho does " not know how to rein tho tumultuous passions of his head and heart," and in another, " Wo can never re-ally soften or lessen our grief. Ido not know what to think or to say. I hardly know what I have already said. My brainisnearlymad." In another part Ml- Short land most vehemently reiterates that ho will never forget his darling Laura, and that he will try to follow her precious and pure example, lie recognises in it that Mr and Mrs Dimes must be beyond (ill comfort, but he expresses a hope that the parents will, in loving sympathy (pending his arrival), strew (lowers on her grave on his behalf.

It in said that beyond these indications of a disturbed mind, and the suggestion of suicido, and a pretence of absence from the country, theso papers disclose no knowledge on Mr Shortland's part of tho means by which his wife Ciimo by her death. Their contents havo been imparted in this scrap -liko manner to various persons, and they naturally excite the keenest controversy, but if, as is believed, the iiost-morte.m reveals no traeo of poison, it is generally thought that they will bring the authorities iio nearer to the solution of the matter.