TABLE TALK

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 462, 12 April 1890, Page 4

TABLE TALK

(FROM OUXi SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) Tiie Rupture With Battenbeuo. It is no socvefc at Osborne that there has been an open rupture between Prince Henry of Battenberg and his august inother-in-law, and that “dear Bea’s husband ” is at present staying away on the Continent in flat defiance of his wife’s and Her Majestj ’a wishes. According to report the quarrel arose out of a misconception on the Prince’s part with regard to the importance of his new office as “ Governor of the Isle of Wight.” No sooner was the appointment confirmed and the salary of £1,500 a year secure, than the astonished Household noticed with amusement that His Serene Highness was indubitably giving himself airs. He snubbed lords-' in - waiting, played grand seigneur to the maids of honour, patronised his wife, and even dared to differ in conversation with the Queen herself. Things came to a crisis when the Prince of Wales visited Osborne. Instead of sitting silent at dinner as usual, Prince Henry exhibited exceedingly ill-timed levity, rallied “Yum Yum” with raucous German hilarity on his growing girth about the waist (a most painful subject), made bad jokes about Prince Albert Victor and elephants, and altogether misconducted himself so that our gracious Sovereign tin ned pci feebly pink with fury, and Princess Beatrice went into hysterics. Next morning the Queen sent for “ Bea's husband,” and (presumably) gave him aright royal “wigging.” What really happened, no one knows, save that “the Battenberg ” emerged very angry and left Osborne .swearing never to set foot on English soil again. He went abroad at once.

This Fkkncii-Bbewstek Divouce Case. After a six-days’ trial, the FrenehBrewster divorce case has resulted in a finding on all points in favour of the muchinjured wife, who obtained her decree nisi with costs (which will amount to £20,000) amidst a burst of approving applause, which judge and usher were alike powerless to stay. The Freneh-Brewster marriage was one which originally promised fairly enough. A love match between two young people, both good-looking, both wealthy,and both possessed of heaps of friends and inlluenco, there seemed every probability of their going through life happily and usefully together. For some years, indeed, this was ithe young couple’s fate. Then occurred one of those unexpected catastrophes no fellow can understand. Mr Freneh-Brewster suddenly conceived a frantic attachment for a married woman in every way the antithesis of his charming and affectionate wife. This Mrs O’Connor, it transpired during the trial, is a coarse, big creature, with loud, vulgar ways, and a tendency towards tippling. Average men shrank away from her horrified, but Mr Freneh-Brewster (with a lovely wife at home) found the lady altogether irresistible. Mrs Freneh-Brewster grew jealous and miserable. There were frequent quarrels and .partial reconciliations ; but, notwithstanding, the husband grew colder and more indifferent, and the wife more desnairing and miserable. On two occasions,'after violent scenes with her husband, Mrs Freneh-Brewster was discovered lying on the floor in a dead faint, and in the course of one discussion he even struck her. Nevertheless, the wife spared no pains to bring about a happier state of aflairs. She wrote to Mr O’Connor, speaking out plainly, and reminding him that his wife was being talked about. It did harm rather than good. Mr O’Connor simply showed the note to Freneh-Brewster, and made things worse than over. From this point the husband practically deserted his wife, openly ignoring her in society and before the world. At parties, whither she went in- hopes of meeting him and “ making it up,” he brutally cut the poor woman dead, subsequently threatening her with a nameless punishment if she repeated such attempts. Finally the wretched man appears to have deliberately set about blackening his wife’s character with a view to divorcing her. Fortunately, Mrs French - Brewster had powerful allies in society, or things might have gone badly with her. Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar went into the witness-box and said, “Mrs Freneh-Brewster has long been a friend of my own and of the Princesses, and we are still proud to: know her.” To divorce an innocent woman is, fortunately, not easy even when you buy perjury wholesale. Before Sir Chas, Russell’s cross-examinations the charge of adultery against Mrs F. Brewster and Captain Ormsby fell to pieces hopelessly. Prince Edward's A.D.C. han apparently only shown the lady friendly courtesy, and though desperato attempts were made by the solicitor sent to cause innocent circumstances and events to look equivocal, they failed. On the other hand,the charges of adultery and desertion against Mr Freneh-Brewster were fully proved. A New Crime. “ Suicided by some person or persons unknown ’’ may be expected to be one of the commonest verdicts given by coroners’ juries in the near future, if some strong

measures are not taken —especially on the Continent—to make the practice of hypnotism illegal, except for properly certified doctors or professors. To suicide one’s enemy sounds absurdly contradictory, but, unfortunately, in France it is a fait accompli. A Parisian libertine is, in fact, now in gaol awaiting his trial for the murder of several victims. He appears to have been a gentleman who studied vice as a fine art. His instincts having taught him that the male relatives of girls he seduced had a knack of making themselves highly objectionable whon they found him out, he looked about for some way of avoiding unpleasantness. Hypnotism soon suggested itself as a most admirable means. Not only could he prevent them from the awkward habit of confessing their shame to disagreeable fathers and brothers, but when he was finally tired of them, get clear without the usual tears, entreaties, recriminations,and ofcourse the subsequent expenses. He chose for his victims young girls of emotional temperament, and having accomplished their ruin, ordered them to commit suicide. One girl is known to have done so, and there are several others who swear that the attempt was made on them. With how many of his victims the wretch has succeeded will of course never be known. That the percentage of suicide by drowning was an unusually high one this year in Paris, is an ominous fact. Naturally, the case has aroused a great amount of attention, and should the charge be brought home to the malefactor there will be a great cry-out that the science must either bo made an unlawful one or else that the practice of it must be restricted to proper hands. Paris has, as usual, taken up the question with frantic fervour, and meetings are being held every day at which experiments are shown. At the most important of the public meetings M. Charcot hypnotised a gendarme and told him to assassinate M.. Grevy. After the usual feeble inarticulate resistance made by persons “ under influence when the suggestion ispeculiarlyrepugnant, the unfortunate fellow went out into the garden and stabbed violently at a tree, which the operator assured him was the President. After having, as he thought, done his victim to death ho was overcome with terror and remorse, and staggering back into the hall, poured out a circumstantial confession of the murder. The immense audience appear to have been almost dangerously excited by this proof of the ease with which hypnotism might be used for purposes of crime. Of course, there is really nothing so very new about this. As you may remember, about a year ago I gave a description of a seance at which I assisted,and in which a friend of mine was under my very eyes made as he believed tofoully murder his own fatherlying in bed. The latest andmoststartlingdevelopment is that the art of hypnotising is such a simple one that anyone of average ability and strong will can become a thoroughly proficient operator in a few weeks.