THE GREAT LONDON SCANDAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7841, 10 January 1887, Page 3

THE GREAT LONDON SCANDAL.

THE COLIN CAMPBELL DIVORCE 1 { CASE. ! ; The English papers are full of this cause' ] ctlebre, the hearing of which lasted nearly thrao weeks, and resulted, aa our cable messages have informed us, in the dismissal of; both Lord Campbell's petition against his < wife and Lady Campbell's against her ■' husband. We take the following extracts; j from an overwhelming mass of printed t matter:— - 1 HOW THE CASE STAND?. f The following statement shows how the; 1 case stands :Two years ago, in March, • ISB4, Lady Colin Campbell sought a divorce ; j from her husband. Lord Colin Campbell,; ' and the suit was tried in camera before ft' ] special jury, who In the result returned a « verdict the effect of whioh was that the ' petitioner was granted a decree of judicial { separation on the ground of her husband's j cruelty. Further legal proceedings were in- j stituted by Lord Colin Campbell, and in-' ' quiries were afterwards made by both sides, I which resulted in Lord Colin Campbell pro- I senting a petition praying for the dissolution j of his marriage, which took place on the 21st • of July, ISBI, on the ground of the adultery; * of Lady Colin Campbell with tho co-respon- ; 1 allegations whioh they all deny ; and 1 Lady Campbell, on her part, filed a further c petition, in whioh she, too, prayed to have < the marriage dissolved, on the ground of mis- * conduct on the part of Lord Colin Campbell ' with Mary Watson, which ho denied. These J two suits have been consolidated by order of 1 the Court. Lord Colin Campbell is the fifth ' son of his Grace the Duke of Argyll, an ' officer In the Argyllshire Volunteers, and , barrister- and Lady Gertrude Eliza- ' bath Campbell is the youngest daughter of ( Edmond-Maghlin Blood, Esq., of BirckhUl, ! County Clare. SIB CHARLES RUSSELL'S SPEECH FOR LADY < COLIN CAMFBBLL. , s { Sir Charles Russell said he had to open to them a remarkable and a painful case. The 1 petitioner in the first suit was Lady Colin ] Campbell, now judicially separated from i Lord ' Colin Campbell, and she was the ] respondent in the second suit, the two being j consolidated. Lady Colin Campbell was the i daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Blood, a family of < respectability and good position. Lord i Colin was one of several sons of the Dnke of ' Argyll, and it appeared that in September, i ISSO, Lady Colin, who was then Miss Blood, was staying with some friends in Scotland, j not far from the seat of the' Dnke of i Argyll* On that occasion Miss Blood met ; Lord Colin, who was then enjoying the : sports of the season, and apparently in good : health. He appeared to have been greatly < attracted by Miss Blood, whose acquaintance he then made for the first time. She was a lady of no inconsiderable gifts, and there was little doubt that he speedily fell in love with her ; and there was equally little doubt she returned sincerely and truly the affection he had conceived for her. There was no reason to suggest that the marriage which ultimately took place was based on other than sincere and mutual affection. She was bringing her husband no fortune, but she brought considerable gifts and accomplishments. . Upon his part, as his father's son, he occupied a good social position. He was a man of circumscribed means, and upon his marriage he bad settled upon him a sum of £10,000. " A SIBLANCHOLY HONEYMOON TRIP." The marriage took place on the 21st July, 1881, when they went on a "melancholy" honeymoon trip to the Isle of Wight, Lord Colin Campbell being attended by a hospital: nurse. In fact, from the time of the engagement in September, IS3O, down to the end of their married life in 1883, he was never without such an attendant. Owing to the disease from which Lord Colin was suffering the marriage was not consummated till October, 1881. The case was a very horrible one, and counsel said he would as far as possible refrain from going into details.. He proceeded to state that Dr. Bird, who was attending Lord Colin, also attended Lady Colin, whose life at that time was almost unbearable. She desired to remain a companion and even a nurse to her husband, md hide her misery from the world, but she could not any longer submit to enforced cohabitation. She wrote to that effect to her husband, who replied that she was mistaken about him, and added a statement which it was difficult to suppose Lord Colin Campbell believed to be true, when he made it. In April, 1883, after' Lady Colin had had a miscarriage, Lord Colin suggested that there had been Improper intercourse with Dr. Bird, who insisted upon a withdrawal of the accusation, •Lord Colin did thereupon withdraw the accusation, and requested Dr. Bird to continue his attendance upon Lady Colin. Lady Colin persisted in refusing to cohabit, whereupon Lord Colin said if she persisted she must leave his house. This she refused to do. But all money supplies having been stopped she filed a petition for judicial separation. The condition of Lady Colin Campbell became so serious that in September, 1883, a surgical operation had to be performed, and it was during this period of almost uninterrupted illness and suffering that the charges of adultery with various persons* were mads against her. In March, 1884, the petition for judicial separation was heard, and Lady Conn obtained a decree. She then went in company with her father to stay with her father and mother at Florence. In Jane, 1884, returning from Italy, they stopped at an hotel in Paris, where the Duke of Marlborough called upon them. THE CO-RESPONDENTS. That was made the occasion of a charge of adultery. Lord Colin Campbell actually made a formal demand in writing to the criminal authorities in Paris to have his Wife arrested and lodged in a prison for prostitutes in Paris. It was difficult to believe that any man with the ordinary instinotsof a man could act thus towards a wife whom he had jo injured. But his pride had been lowered in the dust. Counsel then detailed the grounds for the charge of adultery against Lord Colin Campbell, which is said to have taken place on the 17th of June, 1882, at Cadogan Place, with one Mary Watson. Sir C. Russell, proceeding, said Lady Colin Campbell was in a position to meet, all the charges made against her. The Duke of Marlborough was an old friend of the family, so was Captain Shaw, and to this day Lady Colin Campbell was on terms of intimacy with Mrs. Shaw. Then there was General Butler, a celebrated man, who had married a celebrated woman, Miss Thompson, the painter of " Tho Roll CalL" General Butler was old enough to be Lady Colin's father, and Mrs. Butler was one of Lady Colin's dearest friends. Then came Dr. Bird, the medical attendant, who had taken steps to protect his character by bringing an action in that court. Sir C. Russell concluded by saying that Lady Colin Campbell would be able to refute every one of the foul charges made against her. lord COLIN Campbell's Case. Mr. Finlay, in opening the case for the respondent, said*: It was a matter of irrepressible relief to Lord Colin to at last have the opportunity of defending himself in open court from the gross and cruel imputations which had been so long hanging over him. The jury now knew what evidence it was on which this trumped-up charge was made against Lord Colin Campbell, and their eyes had been opened to its character. The parties were engaged in 1880, and after that Lord Colin took a sea voyage to get rid of ah Eastern fever he bad caught while in the East with Mr. Gosohen. On his return from the voyage the marriage was brought on the tapis. With regard to Lord Colin health, he was suffering from a stricture, but his ] ' illness was in no sense of the term a venereal one. It was quite true that the stricture was the result of indisoretion many- years previously at Cambridge. " The ' state ' of Lord Colin's health was an obstacle to the marriage, and both his; surgeons advised him not to marry# • not -on account of any possible danger to bis wife, but on account of danger to himself. -. These ' fact" were communicated to Mrs; Blood, bat she continued to urge on the marriage, say- , ing that Lord Colins state of health need be no obstacle, as her daughter would 1 be perfectly satisfied to be his nurae ofcly.' Mrs, Blood wrote to the Duke of Argyll# who did* not approve'of the engagement, and had not at that time called on the Bloods or recognised Miss Blood in any ,way» The way J Mrs. Blood urged on the marriage was in- » consistent with the most elementary sense of s. decency or propriety, and in an evil hour the marriage took plaoe on the 21st of July, i 1881. It was for them to consider whether such a marriage was likely to be a happy one. The marriage was not consummated i until nearly the end of ■ November or the t. beginning . of December, If'Bl, and for that * Sir Charles Russell had denounced Lord '' Colin and held him up to execration as the

basest of men for not being wiser than the i two surgeons who had made these matters > 1 their special study, jAfter that, , marital ] intercourse between Lord and . Lady Colin i Campbell was only very occasional, and it 1 ceased altogether after the 19th of Jane, " i 1832. ■'•-■.-n/; ; mi'.. •' 1 ! (THE charges AGAINST the FOUR GO' RESPONDENTS, ' J He would give a brief summary of the ( charges against the four co-respondents. The Duke of Marlborough (then Lord Blandford) was first introduced to Miss Blood in 1881. ( Lord Colin expressed to his wile his objeotion to her acquaintanceship with Lord Blandford. At Easter, 1882, Lord Bland- . ford was a visitor at Leigh Court, and so ( was Lady Colin. There Lady Miles's •, arrangement was to put Lord Blandford's j bedroom on the same floor as Lady Colin j Lady Colin'a maid, Rose Baer, tho one who ( was sent off without the slightest warning j to Switzerland, would give evidence that , Lady Colin certainly did not occupy her bed • alone. When Lord Blandford wanted to ( come into tbe room, Lady Colin coughed , loudly to signify that she was not alone, and | he returned to his room. It would also bo ( given in evidence that at Purfleet they } passed as man aid wife from Saturday to Monday. Ho would not weary them by giving j them over again the story of the cabman and the note, but he would appeal to them as 1 men with some knowledge of the world whether there was any reason bat ft culpable ] ono for Lady Colin calling up the blushing j cabman to her bedside to give him the note for Lord Blandford into his own hands; And ] now he came to the case against Mr. Tom , Bird. Ho was a surgeon, a young unmarried | man. Together they went away to a concert at New Cross, and together they were driven back. On the way the cabman's attention j was attracted by noisy laughing inside the cab. With a curiosity not altogether inex- ] curable he opened the little window, and ( saw Lady Colin's head reclining on Mr. Tom Bird's shoulder, while both of them were caressing one another and behaving as only lovers could. He drove them to Brookstreet, where not only Mr. Bird but also j Lady Colin got out. They went into the house and discharged the cabman; but he, { knowing that Lady Colin did not live there (having driven her from Cadogan Place), loitered about in the hopes of getting another j job.- Ho went into a publichouse to get a drink, and gave a man 2d to watch the ' door. Lady Colin, however, stayed so long that the cabman went away in disgust. Mr. ( Tom Bird's devotion to his fair patient on the < occasion of her illness, too, was extraordinary. tie was not like a doctor, He was more than | a doctor, and his attentions were altogether , different to those of a medical man. The next co-respondent on the record was Captain ( Shaw. He had, it seemed, known Miss Blood , before her marriage, and the first occasion i on which suspicion was excited between them was in October, 1881, At this time the house at 79 Cadogan Place was not furnished, and Lady Colin was staying with her husband at Argyle' Lodge and in Sloane-street." Lady Colin often went to 79 Cadogan Place for the purpose of seeing how the furnishing arrangements; were proceeding, and it was during one of these visits that Captain Shaw called upon her and remained in tbe unfurnished drawingroom alone with her for a very long time. When the house was furnished he continued his calls, and he generally stayed with her for about three-quarters of an hour or a fall hour. On one of these occasions they were alone in the diningroom, and one of th« servants hearing a noisa proceeding from the floor of the room took upon himself to look through the keyhole, and he saw them under undoubtedly suspicious circumstances. The last co respondent was Colonel Butler, and the evidence in regard to him was confined to the 13th of April. On the afterdoon of that day Colonel Butler called upon Lady Colin and remained id the draw-ing-room with her for nearly two hours. While he was in tho house a lady called, and Lady Colin gave instructions to the servant to the effect that she was to inform the visitor that she (Lady Colin) was not at home. Lord Colin returned while Colonel Butler was in the house, but he escaped without seeing his lordship. He had dealt with the case against the co-respondents, and he must deal at some length with the case against Lord Colin. This was a matter of life and death to Lord Colin, for on its settlement depended his future existence. THE EVIDENCE. The evidence taken would fill a volume. Wo need only publish two or three extracts. The first witness called by the plaintiff's counsel was Lady Miles. She deposed substantially aa follows She told Lord Campbell in 1882 that Lady Campbell had resolved to refuse to live with him as his wife and her reason for such decision, but would continue to maintain the kindest friendly relations towards him and refrain from all mention of her separation in other respects from him. Lord Campbell was shocked at the information. He protested very hard against his wife's decision, and said if she would recall it he would let Lady Campbell have her own way for a period of two years, and would treat her with affection. Witness subsequently visited Lord and Lady Campbell in London. She found Lady Campbell suffering intense pain, and Lord Colin Campbell explained by saying, " There has been foul play upstairs, and Lady Campbell has had a miscarriage." Lady Miles protested that this could not bo bo, and the defendant reaffirmed that it was so. Witness, believing Lord Colin Campbell, that he had kept his promise relating to the two years and had been deceived, straightway accused Dr. Bird of having taken advantage of his position. Dr. Bird denied tho accusation, and refused to longer attend Lady Campbell unless the aocusation was withdrawn. A family council ensued. At this Lord Colin admitted that he had not meant all he had said, and asked Lady Miles to apologise for him to Dr. Bird. At the same time he complained of the length of time General Butler remained when he called upon Lady Campbell. Witness, continuing, said that at Lord Colin Campbell's request she had consented to be his witness so far as to state that he had not been guilty of ill-usage of his wife, but said she urged the defendant not to call her, because she knew of his relations with the' girl Mary Watson, and felt sure they would transpire under cross-examination, After Lady Campbell had separated from defendant he complained to witness of having been badly treated. She retorted that he ought , to think himself lucky because his wife had obtained a mere separation and hot a divorce, which she would have got if witness had been called to testify. Concerning Mary Watson, Lady Miles testified that the girl was a housemaid. Witness found Mary Watson in Lord Colin Campbell's bedroom, in Cadogan Place. Witness, continuing, said that when she saw Lord Colin Campbell and Mary Watson together, he said—" Mary is a good little thing; She is very fond of me. She has very nice hair. I often take it down and play with it." Witness had seen letters from Mary Watson to the defendant signed "Your affectionate Mary." Witness, being questioned, admitted she had heard Lady Campbell say in the presenoe of her husband that there were a dozen men she liked better than him. . Here a letter was producod written by the witness to the defendant advising him to get divorced and then to take a nice little woman to be a companion and a comfort to him." Witness admitted that she wrote the letter, and said that in reply to it Lord Campbell asked her whether Lady Campbell would require alimony if he allowed her to get divorced from him. To this witness answered that the Blood family wonld not ask for alimony and would pay Lady Campbell's costs. LADY CAMPBELL'S evidence. Lady Colin Campbell entered the witness box amid profound silence. She was very i pale, and testified slowly, but in * distinct > voice. She said that until the family : meeting at Thurles-square, in 1883, she had i exchanged letters daily with her husband i when absent'. ' Before their marriage Lord I i Colin asked her if she would consent, when married, .to their occupying-separate rooms. ! She Consented, and 4 Lord" Colin asked \ her i not to divulge the fact that he'had made ' this request, but she insisted noon telling > her mother. The nature * of his Illness was - unknown to her until May, 1883. She never !. nrged Lord Colin to marry hor, but her I* mother , disliked long engagements. Con- > tinning, Lady Colin said she wan educated ■ in Italy, and spoke Italian and French before ' she learned the English language. She sang, ' ' painted, and wrote books. She was also a, E journalist. She sang at 40 oharity concerts, 9 not one of which Lord Colin attended. She; , taught night classes of factory girls ; visited : , the poor in the day time, and served soup for r two hours, and worked daily r aiding the 1 poor of Saffron Hill. Lord Colin knew of 9 every engagement and of her work among the li popr, and he never objected. She went into 1 society alone, her husband's express wish, s ia order that the fact of his illness should bo

unknown. He wished it understood that he , waa engaged in the House of Commons. Lord i Colii.' accepted engagements : for both, and then desired her to go alone. Her husband went to Scotland in 1882 without » nurae and she attended him. She left him ( there in order to visit her mother. He was j batter at that time and preferred her to go. 0 In November, 1881, she was very, ill, and was never free from symptoms or illness until 1885. In February, 1882, Lord Colin I returned home. On one oooasion, while I sitting beside her, he began to cry, and said I that people were " very cruel" in saying 1 that he ought ' not to have married, on a aooount of his health. She consulted Dr. ( Bird in November, 1882. In . April, 1883, c she was seriously ill, and was attended by c Dr. Bird, ; and Dr. Hioks was twice sum« 6 moned. She did not know tho nature of { her own or of her husband's illness. Lord 1 Colin urged her to dismiss Rose Baer, who, a he said, gossiped about him in the kitchen. She (witness) objected, because she thought Rose a good maid. Lord Colin insisted, a and she gave Rose a - month's " notice, t She asked O'Neill what . Rose. had 4 been saying, and O'Neill replied: "She ( said the Duke <of Marlborough visited your j room at Leigh Court." ,It was untrue that i she (witness) said to O'Neill :' "'lt is a — 4 lie 1" Rose denied what she Was Moused of, i cried and said she was a wicked girl. Witness t told Rose that as she had lied so wickedly i she (witness) would withdraw.the advertise- i ment for a situation for her and would re- i fuse to give her a certificate of good oliarao- t ter. She dismissed Rose forthwith. She i never told the servants how to announce 1 visitors. She never had the Duke of Marl- c borough at supper. Sir Philip Miles occupied t the room next to hers at Leigh Court. The room on the other side was empty, being kept for her husband. She did not know c that the Duke of Marlborough occupied a 1 room there. She never was at Purfleet. j On the Saturday night on whioh she was i accused of being there with the Duke of < Marlborough, she went to the theatre with a i lady friend. On the Sunday following she 1 took tea with Lady Miles and dined with i her mother, Mrs. Blood. Referring to her 1 visit to Paris in May, 1884, , she said i she was on her way to Italy. The meeting 1 with the Duke of Marlborough was purely | accidental. She was once taken ill at a con- ] cert, and was in great pain. She drove to j Dr. Bird's house, and remained until the ' doctor prepared some medicine for her, when she returned home, arriving there at eleven o'clock. It was untrue that she leaned her head upon Dr. Bird's shoulder while driving ( home. She gave an absolute denial to the . evidence of Rose Baor, Mrs. Duffy, O'Neill, ( and other witnesses, and deolared that she i was never guilty of infidelity with the Duke of Marlborough or any other mail. Lady , Campbell gave : her evidence with perfect composure and the fullest self-possession. j Sho gave ready responses to the questions ■ asked. She wore a plain blue serge dress ( and black bonnet. Her whole style was that ( of simple elegance. She is tall, lithe, and 1 Bhspely, and has full blaok eyes, with ( a clear, pallid complexion. Witness said she refused to continue her relations with ' Lord Colin because of the physical and moral suffering it entailed upon her. She told Lord Colin if he endeavoured to ooerce her he would find her dead on the following morning. She would, sho said, prefer death at her own hands to suffer again as she had suffered at his hands. Witness added, that she told Lord Colin farther that she preferred to live apart from him under the same roof to avoid scandal, but declared that if there was to be a separation it must be an open and public one. She would not permit Lord Colin's family to give any version of the affair that suited them. Witness was never accused of any impropriety nntil the family meeting in 1883. On cross-examination she said the book written by her was a child's book. It was illustrated by Kate Greenaway and eight editions of it had been printed. Witness began writing for the Saturday Review in 1880. She wrote three articles every week. Witness really meant that she would commit suicide when she said she would be found dead next morning if Lord Colin ever attempted to force her to occupy the same apartment with him. lord Campbell's STORY. Lord Colin Campbell testified that he first met his wife in the month of September, 18S0, at Inverary, the ohief seat of the Argyll family and the capital of Argyll county, Scotland. The acquaintance soon resulted in an engagement of marriage. He next naw Miss Blood in London during October. At this time witness was suffering from fistula. An operation was performed upon him, but it failed on account of the fever be had, and which was aggravated by anxiety respecting his engagement. He was not suffering in any sense from an infectious disease. Miss Blood frequently visited him. When he was sent away on a voyage Miss Btood sent him a letter in every mail. In April 1881, another operation was performed, and it also was a failure. His father's opposition to his engagement was at this time causing witness constant anxiety. Witness knew before he married that Miss Blood was acquainted with the Dnke of Marlborough. She told witness once that she had been to the theatre with her Bister and several others, including the Duke of Marlborough. Witness replied, "I do not think you were in good company." Witness had known .Chief Shaw a long time, but not General Butler or Dr. Bird. Witness was married to Miss Blood in July, 1881. In the October following hiß dootors released him from the prohibition he had been under because of his malady. Lord Colin, continuing, said he heard! while staying at Argyll- Lodge, his father's London residence, that the Duke of Mariborough had oalled at the Lodge. He then said he did not know the Duke. Witness remonstrated with the plaintiff for riding out with Chief Shaw, and she beoame violent. When witness was ill at Bonrnemouth Lady Colin left him without assigning any reason. She usually dined ont, and generally spent her time away. She never complained to witness that their relations had any ill effect on her health. Witness had a long talk with his wife in December, 1881, about the Duke of Marlborough and Chief Shaw. She then promised that they should not visit her any more, Witness and plaintiff ceased their relations in Jane,' 1882. In July, 1883, while staying at Zion House, witness upbraided plaintiff for her conduct with other men, and she became very violent, and she said to him, "If you put me in a divorce court yon will get the worst of it." The oase, as we have stated, ended in both petitions being dismissed.