THE BRAYO CASE.

Evening Star, Issue 4249, 9 October 1876, Page 4

THE BRAYO CASE.

the ‘Daily Tians’ ’ telegrams give the Continuation of this enquiry beyond the point fit which the latest dates by the Suez mail left it,. Mm Bravo continued her evidence on August 5 i—Since I gave my evidence yesterday my attention has been called to the repots in the newspapers of my statement that my first (and only) intimacy with Dr Gdlly occurred at' Kissongen on the visit in An gnat, 1873. I was, when I gave evidence, xoqen anxious that I should not appear to been the rixistress of Dr Gully through sH the years of my acquaintance with him. ®r Henry James : In begging you now to tel the whole truth, “yes or no,” I ask yett whether you were not improperly acquainted with Dr Gully before the visit to KiaMiigea i Witness : Yes (weeping) ; upon my oatb there was no improper intimacy after that time. I informed him (Chas. Bravo) of the intimacy on the Kisaengeu visit. I was anxious to appear to him not to have been the mistress of Dr Gully for any length of time.! As far as I can judge, Mrs Cox had ae idea of the character of this intimacy with Dr Gully during the lifetime of my first husband, Ido not know whether Mr Bravo received the anonymous letter at the Temple* I saw the letter, and in it was Spoken of disparagingly in regard to my intimacy with Dr Gully. Mr Bravo said that he should have been upon the sea if I had •not hold him before my marriage about my intimacy with Dr Gully, and that the letter spoke of an “improper intimacy.” Mr Euavo was very angry, not with me, but that such comments should be made on bim and me. Mr Bravo attended assiduously to

his profession. With the exception of absence from attending to professional duties, he was with me from the marriage until the day of his death. My in come is about L 3009 a year. He had L2OO a year—so he told me,. He struck me once, but was sorry for it immediately afterwards. He was usually a kind husband. I was occasionally annoyed by the expression of his views on money matters, but these annoyances were all due to his mother. During lllih last six weeks of our married life, we'were as happy as the day was long. My husband was in the constant habit, morning, noon, and night, of mentioning the name-of Dr. Gaily, I can’t name anyone in the house who, besides Mrs Cox, heard

that. Mr Lewis then read an extract from a letter in the handwriting of the deeeased, fitted from his father’s house, Palace Green, on the 15th of February of the present year. Deceased said:

My darling wife, —Looking back on the ten weeks 41 our marriage, I feel that many of my words to 1 you, although kindly meant, were unnecessarily hifth. In future my rebukes, if it be necessary to ■■y anything, which God forbid, shall be given the utmost gentleness. 1 hold you to be tbe bek) of wives. We have had bitter troubles, but I that every day to come the sweet peace of our lHa0«Ul 0«t to much as be disturbed by memories Bfeftwso. X wish I could, sleep away my life till yqgi return. Ceme back as well as you oau to ydgg hasbftu—Cuaslbs. Stfc L: Your husband found fault with too much wine ? ' 5 Ha did not find fault with me ; bo wiy said I should be better if I drank Burgundy instead of sherry, and urged me to 44n£ lees. Mr Lewis then read extracts from a letter dated the next day, February 16th, also extracts from letters of February I7th and 21st, following 1 these by other extracts down to the last Hay the witness was away from her husband. In short, all the letters expressed the warmest love for his wife, sorrow for her absence,-and a desire in every way to make hex life happy. "Witness (who appeared to be affected when some of the letters were read) : I have no recollection of telling anyone else (besides Mrs Cox and my mother) in his lifetime of : his mentioning Dr Gully’s name. As to how - *opn after his death I mentioned this, well yre all (my family) discussed it together, bat "not as a reason for his committing f «uicide. My brother spoke of it. He spoke ! of, it to them. He had spoken of it to my brother William who is here, and to the one who has gone to New Zealand. At tbat • time I had not told anybody that I had told Mr Bravo I had had a criminal intimacy with ‘ r Gully. You heard that I had

told Mrs Cox, but I had not spoken of it to anyone but Mrs Cox, I had always re- . presented to everyone except to -Mrs Cox, even at the Treasury, that that intimacy was at all times innocent, I did so represent it. I have pledged my oath that no criminal in- . timacy with Dr Gully occurred in the life time of my first husband. At the time I was at Malvern there was nothing occurred between myself and Dr Gully which I wished to keep, and to be kept, a secret, Nothing occurred which I was ashamed of my servants speaking of, or that I desired anyone to keep secret, Mr Lewis then asked : New, Mrs Bravo, you assert these, statements to be as true as that you told the late Mr Chas. Bravo of this criminal intimacy between yourself and Dr Gully, previously to your marriage with that gentleman ? Witness (unhesitatingly): Yes, I do. He was always harping upon wishing he had had my “first love.” It is my impression that two days before the seizure with the illness, he was “as happy as a king,” and bewas thoroughly happy, Hehadbeen “goodmid kind to me,” as I said in my letter to my mother. Ido say he was thoroughly happy and that he was very much attached to me. My connection with Dr, Gully was a very old one. He had been very kind to me. I Dr. Gully when I was a girl of fourteen, and had known him from the time when I first went to Grey Malvern. In the - intervaLof my seeing him between the time when I was fourteen, and my going tnere With Captain Ricardo, I do not recollect ; l seeing him at all, 1870, was the first time that I, as a woman, knew Dr Gully. , From that time till September, 1875, there had been the “closest intimacy.” He was fcmly a very kind ftiend to me in Captain Ricardo’s life. ’As to Dr Gully being so kind to me as to make my husband jealous, Captain Ricardo was jealous of anyone who looked at me, but he was perfectly au Jait as to my acquaintance with Dr Gully, and asked mm to take me out. As to there being a time when I was willing to give tip my friends and relations, father and brother, for Dr Gully, they told me I was not to see him again. This was after Captain Ricardo’s death. I might have

•seen him secretly, but I could not stoop to that. There was a legal separation between myself and Captain i :*&fcardo before hia death, at my instigation, but he wrote repeatedly to me to live again with him. I gave Dr Gully the intimation by letter that I was going to break off the * intimacy. To the best of my recollection that was the hut letter I wrote to I)r Gully. Tgave him as a reason that I desired to be reconciled to my mother. He answered that letter in writing - a friendly letter. He did not expostulate with me, but said if it would be for my happiness he was quite willing. I think it was two or three days afterwards, far as I can recollect, that he paid his second visit. That was a very painful interview, because I was attached to him, and the parting was a yei y painful one. It was not painful to me from what he said, for he •-was perfectly kind. He thought he should ses me again, and I bad made up my s«*rh,ini again. I do pot EEty About iffy (piga With Mr Charles Bravo, I certainly did not-

write to tell him. He did not know of the likelihood of that engagement at the “ painful interview. ,, He did not speak of it—he could not if he did not know of it.—(Witness added this without a question.) Mr Charles Bravo had not then proposed. It is my impression that, at that “painful interview,” Hr Gully did not speak about Mr Bravo. When we wore riding in the carriage he asked me who it was that took off his hat to me, and,J said, “Mr Charles Bravo.” Dr Gully wrote me an “angry letter” about the engagement with Mr Bravo. I don’t know what was in the letter, for I put it into the fire when I had read it. He did not reproach mo, nor did he reproach Mr Bravo. He never said a word against Mr Bravo in all his life. It was natural that the man who loved me should be angry at losing me. I don’t know what he said now; I do not remember, and I am glad I don’t—the man had lost me, and naturally he would say angry things when he heard I was to be married.

On August 9 Dr. Gully was examined by Mr Sergeant Parry : I have read Mrs Bravo’s statement as to our intimacy. lam sorry to say that statement is true and correct. I feel my position most bitterly in having to stand here and say this. I have heard the rumors and suspicions which have been aroused in this matter, and I, on my solemn oath, declare that I had nothing whatever to do, directly or indirectly, with Mr Bravo’s death. Most certainly I never wrote an order to Mr Clark to supply two ounces of tartar emetic to Griffiths. I have no opinion as to whether antimony is or is not injurious to horses. On the .Saturday night before I bad received a letter from her, dismissing me, “ on the grounds that she wanted to be reconciled to her mother, ” and on no other. I did not upbraid her when I saw her, nor did I ( when I wrote to her. I wrote her “a kind letter,” teUiug her she was quite right to be reconciled to her family. 1 told her at first that I should go to Jamaica, ray native place, but 1 told ber in Brighton that that would not do—that I had said that in momentary irritation, I did not say she should not see me again, It was the other way. She said she would not see me. I was at that time much attached to h.,r. I was under the impression that she was fondly attached to me, and that being the state of feeling between us, I do represent this as the way in which the matter between us was terminated. I did not in any way advise her as to telling Mr Bravo about the intimacy which had occurred between ns. I did not tell Mrs Ricardo that I should die if she separated from me—not even in a poetic flight—and I say that 1 told her I should be unhappy for a while. lamin my sixty-eighth year. I was not the medical attendant of Captain Ricardo, nor was my partner. I was the medical' attendant of Mrs Ricardo, in 1870. —Let me ask you if it was during the period she was a patient of yours, during the year 1870, that the attachment between you commenced?— Well, it commenced after a fashion. It was a friendly understanding. She was a great deal alone, and used to have tea with me at my house.—That is no answer to my question. Did the “attachment” .commence than ?—lf you like to call it so, yes. On August 11, as already intimated, the jury returned an open verdict of “Wilful murder. ’

The inquiry began on the lltb July. The total of the expenditure ranges from LIO,OOO to L 15,000. Sir H. James received a heavy fee with his brief, and a hundred guineas a day. Mr Murphy, who was called in on the 17th July, received, in addition to his retainer, fifty guineas a day ; and a like sum was paid to Mr Sergeant Parry, who came into the case on July 22. The three juniors received— one, thirty guineas ; and the two others twenty-five guineas per diem. To Mr Geo. Lewis, it is understood, a fee of 100 guineas was paid for his exertions in the case from beginning to end. The AttorneyGeneral, Mr Gorst, and Mr Pollard, being counsel for the Treasury, the fees were not marked on their briefs. The total of witnesses examined was forty-three. Tbe witnesses comprised men so eminent in their respective.departments as Sir Wm. Gull, Pro-essor Redwood, Dr Johnston, and Thos, Payne, while all the servants of the Priory appeared in their turn before the Coroner. In England a good deal of sympathy is felt with Mrs Bravo. Charles Bravo is spoken of as a bad-tempered and not very moral man, who married Mrs Bravo for the sake of her money. For sdine reason unknown he took laudanum, repented, and took a dose of tartar " emetic to counteract it; with a shattered constitution the two together killed him. The mode of conducting the inquest is condemned severely, and the prosecution much blamed for torturing Mrs Bravo, by searching all the details of her past life, which prove to have had little bearing on tbe case. Dr Gully was a Spiritualist and a mesmerist, and had obtained great command over her, distracted as she was by her marriage to Captain Ricardo, a worthless man. Bravo’s name was originally Turner, He assumed tbe name of Bravo on the death of his stepfather.