CHAPTER LXIV.

Otago Witness, Issue 1866, 26 August 1887, Page 10

CHAPTER LXIV.

THE LANGWORTHY CLAN.

Before proceeding to describe the various efforts which were from time to time made by Mr Langworthy's representatives in order to induce Mrs E, M. Langworthy to sacrifice the interest of Mr E. M. Langworthy's child and her own claims under the decrees of the Court, it may be well to remove one misconception which seems to prevail in many quarters.

The Langworthy family has many members. They are most of them well-to-do. They are more or less closely connected by ties of relationship. In particular, Mrs Langworthy, of Victoria Park, Manchester, is an aunt of Edward Martin Langworthy, and he expects to inherit her estate. Mrs Langworthy, of Victoria Park, Manchester, is a lady of excellent repute, whose praises are in everybody's mouth. Why did not Mrs Langworthy, jun., it is said, appeal to her husband's aunt for help in the hour of her dire extremity ?

It has been said again, not unnaturally : Surely Mr Langworthy's relatives would gladly have saved the family name from the shame which Mr Edward Martin Langworthy was, bringing upon it? They were wealthy — they could easily have ascertained

the facts for themselves. They must never have .heard of the case. Why did not Mrs Langworthy, jun., bring it before them ? • So correspondents write, not knowing ! the indifference with which some people ,cun contemplate the doings of their relatives. Mrs Langworthy the wife had in vain implored the assistance of Mrs Langworthy the mother. But the maternal , instinct of the latter did not extend to her daughter-in-law. In 1885, when in sore straits, the latter bethought her of the Lancashire aunt, Mrs Langworthy, of Victoria, Park, Manchester, to whose estate her husband was said to be the sole heir. It was possible that she would not be indifferent to the fate. of the lady whom Edward Martin Langworthy had betrayed.. Accordingly she wrote a letter setting out her pitiful case to Mrs Edward Langworthy's lawyers, Messrs Withington, Petty, and Bontflower, asking whether something could , not be done, not for herself, but for the c,hild. Here is the only response which she received from Manchester — , Verulam Chambers, 11 Spring Gardens, < Manchester, 11th August, 1885. Madam, — I have seen Mrs Edward Langwortny on your letter to our/ firm of the 7th inst., and lam instructed by her to say that she mußt decline to mix herself up in any way whatever with the matters ' referred to in that letter, and she must be exoused having any written br personal communication with you, or with any person on your account. You will thus see that this letter must terminate our correspondence. — I remain, madam, yours faithfully, J. A. Petty, Mrs E. M. Langworthy, 38 Queen'B road, Bayswater. Mrs Langworthy, seeing that hope also disappear, wrote to the solicitor as follows :—: — (Copy of answer.) Sir,— l thank you very much for so kindly taking the trouble you have done.

It seems to me very incredible that any near relative can approve of the base treatments have received — pronounced by my counsel (the present Lord Chancellor) to be " the cruellest case he ever heard." I am sending your letter to the gentleman who so strongly urged me to call. lam glad, however, that I followed my own dictates in addressing you than subjecting myself to a coarse personal attack. The movement was made in tbe interests of the only child of the man (E. M. Langworthy) who once told me he was sole heir to Mrs E. M. Langworthy 'a entire property by the verbal wish of her late husband.—l am, bir, yours truly,

MIIiDRED LANOWOHTHY. 38 Queen's road, 12th August, 1885. You will understand this letter means an acknowledgment of yours, not a continuation of correspondence. No one, of course, can contend, even for purposes of argument, that because a good lady ia the aunt of a scamp who expects to become her heir, therefore she is bound to extend even a finger tip to assist the unfortunate victim of that nephew's selfishness. But Mrs Langworthy, jun., would have been rightly to blame if she had not afforded her husband's aunt an opportunity, of which she might have been eager to avail herself of investigating her case and interposing, as it might have been her pleasure to have interposed, to have remedied as far as was possible a cruel wrong and a grievous injustice. But it was not the aunt's pleasure either to assist Mrs Langworthy in thß hour of her need, or even to investigate the story of her sufferings. So there'is no more to be said.