A ROMANTIC STORY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5952, 24 March 1880, Page 5

A ROMANTIC STORY.

, The Newark correspondent of the New York Times sends a strange, story respecting a female ■ recluse who is now living in a dilapidated house in Newark, New Jersey. .The account, the correspondent asserts,; he obtained from the woman’s own lips. He describes her as having a decidedly masculine appearance, and as being at first averse to conversation.- She was, however, ultimately induced’to relate something of her past life, but refused to give her name, parentage, and birthplace. The) story she related is said to have been as follows - A young English officer, to whom she was betrothed, enlisted for the Crimean war. The first few months- after his departure letters were received with: regularity from.him, and he seemed to be in gbod health and spirits. Suddenly all correspondence ceased, and no tidings could be obtained. His name did not appear in the death-lists which were forwarded and published in the London papers. It was evident he was either sick or a prisoner. Agonised with fear and anxiety, she oouid stand the suspense no longer, and determined to go in quest of him. Her parents forbade her leaving, and her friends dissuaded her for a short time; The silence proved unbearable, however, and she finally stole from home one night, and made application for the position of nurse. This she received, and before her relatives had obtained a clue to her whereabouts she was on her way to the centre of conflict. Reaching the Bosphorus, she was placed in one of the hospitals at a small town near the border. She soanned with eagerness the faces of the sick and dying, but found no signs of him she sought. Remembering that he might be in the same condition as were the poor soldiers around her, she entered into the work of ministration with all her heart. Her efforts were rewarded in' an unexpected way, for one day in talking with one of the wounded. men she ascertained that he had been in the same regimens with her lover, and that the latter was a captive in the hands of the Russians, " From that moment, although quietly continuing her nursing, she bent all her faculties to the planning of some scheme by which she might gain access to her lover s place of confinement. She finally concluded to'assume the r6le of aspy,and requester permission from the t commanding officer to act in that capacity. Be at first -refused* but upon her pleading earnestly he gave his consent, -and* supplied her with the papers neoeseary for her passing the English lines. She disguised herself, and pretended she was half-witted, and by that means got within the Russian territory.) So artfully ■ did she, play her part that she became quite a favourite with, the- soldiers, who styled her -M Crazy Meg,’l and allowed her to do as: she pleased; It was inany< weeks * before she learned the town in which her betrothed was : a prisoner. By a neat stratagem 1 she induced the keepet of the prison to givel her access to the cells.- The gaoler thought .her a harmless creature; and permitted her to chat at will

with the English captives. She soon disclosed her identity to her lover, and together they planned an escape. On a dark stormy night she acted more insane than ever, and in one of her fits snatched the keys from the belt of the warded. Running down the stairs, she unlocked several of the doors, including the one behind which her betrothed was confined. In an instant he was out, and, hidden in a dark corner, he donned a suit of Russian uniform 1 furnished him by the faithful girl. The gaoler gave chase to “Crazy Meg” and regained the keys, but not before her lover had walked up the stairs and out into the open air. “ Meg ” followed him, and they sped on through the darkness until they attained the picket line. Here the password, which bad been discovered by “Meg,” enabled them to gain the open space between the rival armies. An English coiat, concealed beneath her clothes, was put on, and the Russian uniform discarded. In safety the lines were passed, and the officer returned to bis command. So well executed had been all of Meg’s plans, arid so anxious was her betrothed to continue in service, that they both remained in the srmy, she as a spy, and ha os an officer. They Web married by the chaplain, however, before entering again into active duty. Many were the brave exploits of both husband and wife, and many were the honours heaped upon them. Just before the conclusion of the war—indeed in the last severe struggle—the husband was killed, and Meg was left alone. Almost heartbroken, she accompanied the remains to England to find that her parents were dead, and that she had the world to travel unaided, except by a neat little estate which she had inherited. So sad were the recollections that returned to her constantly in England that “ Meg” determined to cross the Atlantic and settle in this country. This was done, and a little town in one of the Carolinas became her dwelling place. She endeared herself to all the neighbourhood by kindly acts, especially by_ her efforts to educate the slaves. She obtained permission from the owners to collect their slaves together twice a week for the purpose of teaching them to read and write. In a few years the Rebellion broke out, and “Meg” joined, the Confederate a*my as a nurse. She soon made her accomplishments as a spy known, and was asked to undertake that dangerous business. She again disguised herself, and as a crazy, half-witted woman went at. will through the two armies. Her adventures were many. T wice was she held on suspicion, and. once placed under .arrest until an examination could be made. She managed in some way to destroy the papers concealed on her person, and then, as no evidence of treachery appeared, she was released. She was assaulted one night by a druriken picket, and one of the scars then received lends to her face the hideous aspect which repels the people on the streets. Her favourite commander was General B. E. Lee, under whom she served most frequently, and whom she regarded with the highest respect. She says that once she got as far as Washington, and' would have obtained very important information for General Lee, but she was told she would bo placed in the asylum if she did riot leave the city instantly. As it was, she picked up several bits of information that proved of use to the Confederate leaders. Her property was destroyed during the war, being on the line of the great march to the sea. What 'she has done since the conclusion of the war, where she has been, and her object in moving to this city, she keeps secret. She says she desires, above all things, solitude, and that is one of the reasons why she rented such a miserable-looking abode. A correspondence is kept up between a number of her old friends and herself, and she says if she told the names of some of them they would be recognised as men and women of prominence and ability.