A ROMANTIC STORY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1092, 4 May 1883, Page 4

A ROMANTIC STORY.

The following remarkable narrative •comes to its f 'om Dublin. It seems that in 1 857 « baronet, who lived in Si the Midland Counties of England, had two sons, the dlder of whom became enamoured of his father’s cook, and at length secretly married her on November 15th, 1859. The pair proceeded to Dublin, where 'early in the lollowing January she gave birth to a daughter Being apparently that the fact should not become known she determined to desert the infant, and accordingly on the 24th of that month she went to 'Kingstown, made inquiries, and ascertained the name of a person who had the reputation of being a good-hearted and well-todo woman. The mother returned to Dublin, and went again to Kingstown ■in the evening, carrying her baby with her, and at half past 6 o'clock she left the child on the doorstep of the house •of the person whose address she had previously ascertained. The infant was well wrapped up in two complete outfits of clothing, and concealed in one of its wrappers was a purse containing fifty sovereigns and a Testament. The mother rrngfthe housebell violently and ran some little distance, whence she could still see the house door. She saw the child taken rrp and carried rnto the house. On the following day she and her husband crossed over to England From that time and during the succeeding twelve years, their doings have not transpired hut in 1872 they went to Rome and continued to live there. In the early port of 1877 the baronet died, and left his entire possessions to his heir, the estate being worth between £13,000 ■and £ 14,000 a year. The inheritor of this wealth was, however, of delicate health, and both he and his wife died suddenly at their residence in Rome on October 27/ th 1877. As it was not then known whether the deceased had any issue, the disposal of his property was deferred by the executors His brother, who was a colonel in a cavalry regiment, having learned from the servants of the deceased that there ’was a child of the marriage whose whereabouts was unknown, determined to endeavour to trace her. Be could not, however, |to : tbi ■missing girl until about four months • ago, when he found among his bro 'thcr’s books and papers at Rome a (diary belonging to the wife, in which 'were entered a number of facts con‘iiected with the birth and subsequent desertion of the child, her own actions subsequently. Among other items, it contained an entry, dated January 24th, 1860, after she had left the child Kingstown, describing the place where she had left it, and her own proceedings on that day, besides , giving some other important information Possessed of this clue, the colonel, on December last, place 1 tUe matter in the hands of a detective, whom he instructed to spare no trouble in the search for the missing girl. U Itimately the whole story of the girl’s career from the time of her ■desertion has been obtained. It appears that afteiuremainiug two years and seven months in the house of the person on whose doorstep she had been left, the girl was sent to Rathclown Union Workhouse, where she remained for nearly four years. She was then sent into the country and placed in the care of a foster mother, whence, after being trained in the ordinary ■ duties of a domestic servant, and after ■ receiving a fiiiqeducation, she was S( nt • out to service, and until a few days ago she was employed as a servant at a gentleman’s house in the neighbourhood of Dublin. Immediately upon the;proofs of his niece’sidentity being forthcoming, the colonel hurried to Dublin, and brought all the certificates ihe had in reference to the case with ; him, and he at once took steps to have • her removed to a position more befitting her new station in life. To mark her gratitude to the colonel she offered him half her fortune, but that gentleman declined'the offer.