An Extraordinary Story.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 14, 16 February 1870, Page 7

An Extraordinary Story.

The Era, commenting on the death of Mrs Charles Mathews (the mother of tho now living distinguished comedian, and the widow of an eminent actor who departed this life thirty-four years ago), tells this strange story as to tho courtship and marriage of the deceased lady. Tho first wife of Mr Charles Mathews senior was Miss Strong, the daughter of a physician at Exeter. In 1801 she exhibited symptoms of a decline. One evening towards, the close of her. brief life, Mrs Mathews sent her husband to request that Miss Jackson would visit her on the following day. When the young actress arrived Mrs Mathews, propped up in bed, maintained a lively conversation until her husband came in. Avowing her conviction that no human skill could prolong her life, she adverted to her affection for Miss Jackson, and to that young lady’s unprotected state; and then, taking her hand, and that of Mr Mathews, and pressing both to her own feverish lips in a solemn manner, conjured them to take compassion upon her anxiety, and pledge themselves to become man and wife after her death. Mr Mathews reproved his wife with some impetuosity for placing him in such a dilemma, and Miss Jackson, throwing herself upon her knees, besought the pardon of the dying woman for her refusal to comply, representing the impossibility of her affiancing herself to a man for whom she entertained no warmer feeling than that of friendship. She then quitted the chamber, followed by Mr Mathews, who implored her not to harbour a suspicion that he had been aware of his wife’s intentions. In the May following, Mrs Mathews’ illness terminated in death. For some time after that event, a natural degree of distance was observed between the widower and Miss Jackson. By degrees, however, the mutual coolness wore off, and a feeling of regard was growing up between them, when a circumstance occurred still more remarkable than the dying woman’s appeal. Mr Mathews’ account of his impression was as follows :—“ He had gone to rest after a very late night’s performance at the theatre, finding himself too fatigued to sit up to his usual hour to read ; but after he was in bed, he discovered that to close his eyes was an impossibility. He had no light, nor the means of getting one, all the family being in bed, but the night was not absolutely dark, it was only too dark for the purpose of reading ; indeed, every object was visible. Suddenly a slight rustling, as if of a hasty approach of something, induced him to turn his head to that side of the bed whence the noise seemed to proceed, and there he clearly beheld the figure of his wife, in her habit, as she lived, who, smiling sweetly upon him, put forth her hand to take his, as she bent forward. This was all he could relate, for in shrinking from the contact with the figure he beheld, he threw himself out of bed upon the floor, where the fall having alarmed the house, his landlord found him in a fit. On his recovery he related the cause of the accident, and the whole of the following day he remained extremely ill, and was unable to quit his room.” The remarkable fact is that at the exact hour at which Mr Mathews was thus affected, a vision of the same kind occurred to Miss Jackson. “ The same sleepless effect,” she says, “ the same cause of terror, had occasioned me to seize hold of the bell-rope in order to summon the people of the house, which giving way at the moment, I fell with it in my hand upon the ground.” After such a sympathy between the widower and the friend of the departed wife, it was not surprising that the dying request should be fulfilled. On the 28th of March, 1803, Miss Jackson became Mrs Mathews.