THE IMPRISONED DUCHESS.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 21, 19 August 1893, Page 10

THE IMPRISONED DUCHESS.

The Dowager Duchess of Sutherland was released from Holloway gaol on May 29, on the expiration of her term of six weeks’ imprisonment for contempt of Court in destroying a letter. A number of “ sympathising English and Scotch friends ” have presented the Duchess with a silver casket containing £250 (the amount of the fine imposed upon her by Mr Justice Jeune) “as an expression of indignant protest against the severe order made by a judge for having unflinchingly carried out a dying’ request of her husband.”

To a lady representative of thevVestminster Gazette the Dowager Duchess made a statement on Mar 29, in which she said—“ When the Duke lay on his deathbed in September last he said to me one afternoon, in the presence of my brother and Mr Worthington and others, ‘ I want you to look up, from among my papers, a certain bundle of letters, and to destroy them all. Yon must search for them in London and at our various country places, till you find them. Then burn them.’ I promised, and I meant to keep my promise. The letters referred to a very very grave family scandal which happened many years before I came into the family, and which the late Duke was anxious to suppress, so that no more trouble should arise from it for anybody. . . . Last March—and it was only in March, that I was allowed to look through the late Duke’s papers —we were searching for the bundle of letters I had promised to destroy. In my search for them I came upon another letter which lay somewhat crumpled under a number of other papers. I opened it; it was from the Duke of Sutherland to me before we were married. There was nothing on the first page of special interest, but when I turned to the next page I found something referring to this grave family scandal. After reading it I quietly folded it, put it beside me on the table, and presently walked slowly across the room and put it into the fire. When those in the room saw what X was doing, one man raised some slight protest, and then for an hour and a half we wept on working. It was only three days after that all this ridiculous fuss was made. What downright nonsense it was to say that I burnt papers relating to my dear husband’s will. Why, that will is a heavy bulky document, and the letter I burnt was a sheet of notepaper. ... I had promised my dear husband in his last hours to keep this scandal from coming up again, and I would not have been the woman I am if I had not been faithful to his dying’ wish. And for this reason I am glad I destroyed the letter, though if I were more worldlywise I would not have done it.” “Is it true that your health has suffered by your imprisonment ?” “ Yes, that is quite true. My doctor says that never in his practice has he ever seen such a change in anybody but a consumptive person. lam very tall, you see, and when I went to Holloway Gaol I weighed over 12st. I have lost over2st. during those six weeks. The loneliness was terrible. . . , Hot a single one of the prison rules was relaxed any more than it would have been for any lady, however humble Her position might be.”