L I B RA RY OF THE U N I VERSITY or ILLI NOI5 R333mY The person charging this material is re- sponsible for its return to the library from which it was withdrawn on or before the Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mufilafion, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. To renew call Telephone Center, 333-8400 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN SEP 02 1J81 MAR 2 o "> ^ ^ ,! .^-t L161— O-1096 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://www.archive.org/details/mysteriesofcourt01reyn THE MYSTEEIES COURT OF LONDON. BY GEORGE W. M. REYNOLDS, AUTHOR OF THE TIRST AND SECOND SERIKR OF " THE MTSTERIFS OF LONDON'," " THE DATS OF HOttAr.TH," " FAUST," " WAGNER, THE WEHB-WOLF," "ROBERT MACAIRE," " THE PIXV," "the coral ISLAND," "thE BKONZE STATUE," &C. WITH FIFTY-TWO ILLUSTRATIONS. DRAWN IJV HENRY A N K L A V, AND ENGRAVED BY E. liOOPER. VOL. I. LONDON : PUBLISHED, FOR THE PROPRIETOR, BY JOHN DICKS, AT THE OFFICE OF "REYNOLDS'S MISCELLANY," 7, WELLINGTON STREET NORTH, STRAND, 1849. 853 V.I-£ INDEX TO VOL. I. FAOE. Chapter I. The Catalogue of Crimes 1 „ II. The Flight and the Pursuit . 4 „ III. The Beautiful Sisters 8 „ IV. The Accouchement .......... 11 „ V. Morning in London.— The Disowned Babe 14 „ VI. Mr. Page and Mr. Hodson.— The Bow Street Officer .... 16 „ VII. Evening in London. — The Gallows' Widow 19 „ VIII. The Beggar's Staff . 21 „ IX. Mr. Harley 26 ,. X. The Kinchin-Ken.— The Tables Turned 30 „ XI. Sir Richard Stamford 34 „ XII. The Appointment 40 „ XIII. The Dungeon .43 „ XIV. Lord Florimel 48 „ XV. The Pocket-Book 51 „ XVI. The Prince of Wales 53 „ XVII. The Amazon 56 „ XVIII. Pauline 60 „ XIX. The Virgin and the Voluptuary 62 „ XX. A Night at the Villa QQ „ XXI. Caroline Walters 71 „ XXII. Scenes at Mrs. Brace's Establishment 75 „ XXIII. Mr. Page's Researches 79 „ XXIV. The Father and Daughter • 83 „ XXV. A Night of Terrors 85 „ XXVI. The Prince, Tim Meagles, and Lady Letitia Lade .... 89 Ok^ „ XXVII. Too Late! 92 „ XXVIII. Terrible and Strange Revelations 98 „ XXIX. The Amazon and Tim Meagles . 102 „ XXX. Mr. Page and his Wife .106 „ XXXI. Mr. Ramsey HO „ XXXII. A Scene on the Thames 112 „ XXXIII. Meagles and the Amazon at the Boozing-Ken 115 „ XXXIV. Another Dark Plot. — A Daring Adventure 118 „ XXXV. Carrotty Poll's Return to the Boozing-Ken 122 „ XXXVI. Mrs. Brace and her Visitors 125 „ XXXVII. Another Meeting I3I „ XXXVIII. The Earl and Countess of Desborough I33 PAQE. Chapter XXXIX. The Hoaourable Arthur Eaton 136 XL. Eleanor and the Prince 139 XLI. Caroline and the Young Lady 142 XLH. The Mysteries of the Book-Case 146 XLin. The Bane and Antidote 149 XLIV. Mrs. Fitzherbert 152 XLV. The Ball 155 XLVI. Julia.— Mr. Crumley 157 XLVII. The Result 163 XLVIIL The Manceuvring Milliner 167 XLIX. A Visit to Mrs. Lindley's House 171 L. The Prisoners 175 LL Mrs. Piggleberry and her Lodgers . 179 LIL Newgate 182 LIII. The Mysteries of Old Paintings 186 LIV. Joe Warren in Newgate ......... 191 LV, The Milliner and the Prince 196 LVL Two Specimens of the " New Lights " 198 LVIL The Old Bailey 203 LVIII. The Duchess and the Countess 205 LIX. The Countess and the Milliner 210 LX. The Surgeon 214 The Royal Guest 218 LXII. The Prince and the Magsman 223 LXIIL The Condemned Sermon.— The Execution 225 LXIV. The Portrait and the Dream 227 LXV. The Milliner's Parlour 231 LXVL The "Subject." 234 LXVIL The Resuscitated 237 LXVIIL The Devil's Punch-bowl 239 LXIX. Pauline and Gabriel 242 LXX. An Unexpected Meeting 246 LXXI. The Fair Patrician and the Resuscitated 248 LXXIL Fresh Schemes and Plots 253 LXXIII. The Grand Entertainment at Carlton House 256 LXXIV. The Ball-room 259 LXXV. Another Scene at Carlton House ....... 263 LXXVL A Strange Visitress A Welcome Proposal 267 LXXVIF. The Sisters 271 LXXVIII. The Proposal 274 LXXIX. The Heir- Apparent and his Friend 276 LXXX. The New Light Tract Distribution Society 280 LXXXI. The Expedition 284 LXXX II. The Interview 286 LXXXIII. The Princess Amelia 292 LXXXIV. Camilla 296 LXXXV. Another Incident of the Same Night 301 LXXX VI. The Orphan 304 LXXXVII. The Orphan's Friends 307 LXXXVIII. Mrs. Fitzherbt^rtand Tim Meagles 311 LXXXIX. The Bargain of Crime 316 XC. The Crime Accomplished 318 XCI. The Church 321 XCII. The Way-side Cottage.— The Accident 324 XCI 1 1. Royalty's Morning Amusement 328 INDEX, PAftE. Chapter XC IV. The Victim of the Royal Loyer 332 „ XCV. The Loves of the Princesse3 335 XCVI. A British Working Man and his Family .338 XCVII. Desperation 342 „ XCVIII. The Young Maiden's Adventures 344 „ XCIX. Startling Incidents 347 „ C. Stamford Manor 350 „ CI. Arrivals at the Manor 353 „ CI I. A Night at Stamford Manor 355 „ cm. The Veiled Lady 359 CIV. Pauline 363 CV. Mr. Clarendon 366 „ CVI. The Sanctimonious Conclave 368 CVII. The Royal George . . . . , 373 „ CVIII. The Portrait 375 „ CIX. The Outraged Nobleman and the Resuscitated Criminal . . . 380 „ ex. Rose Foster Again 383 CXI. The Friendship of Royalty! 387 „ CXII. The Proceedings at the Home Office 390 „ CXI II. The Royal Lover's Victim 395 CXIV. A Husband's Self-Martyrdom 398 „ CXV. Lord and Lady Holderness 403 „ CXVI. Pliilanthropy.— The Commencement of the Plot 407 CXVII. Caroline Walters 411 „ CXVIIL The Prince of Wales and the Orphan 413 CXIX. A Night of Blood . . • . ' 415 INDEX TO ENGRAVINGS. No. Page. 1. The Coffee Room of the Georj^e and Blue Boar, Holborn .... 4 2. Octavia aiiil Pauline Clareudoii 10 3. The Disowned Cliild 16 4. Octavia and Mr. Ha: ley 29 5. The "Kincliiu-Keii" 31 6. Octavia Supplicating her Lover 42 7. Lord Florimel and Mrs. Brace 49 8. PORTKAIT OF OCTAVIA CLARENDON. 9. Lord Florimel and Pauline 64 10. Mr. Page's Visit to Julia 80 11. Caroline at the Midwife's House 87 12. Scene at Carlton House 91 13. Suicide of Foster, the Merchant 95 14. Portrait of the Amazon. 15. Attempted Murder upon the Thames 115 16. The Fashionable Milliner and her Husband 128 17. The Prince and the Magsmaa 130 18. Caroline and Fernanda 143 19. Scene between the Prince and Mrs Fitzherbert 153 20. The Ball Room 157 21. Room at the House in Thackers' Court 163 22. Fernanda in the Bed-room of Arthur Eaton 176 2a Female Felons' Ward in Newgate 183 24. The Magsman in Newgate 185 25. Portrait of Mrs. Brace. 26. The Trial at the Old Bailey 205 27. The Duchess and the Countess 208 28. The Chapel in Newgate 225 29. The Execution 227 30. The " Subject" for Dissection 234 31. Portrait of the Countess of Desbohough. 32. BalURoom at Carlton House 256 33. Bed-Room at Carlton House .... 2G4 34. The Sisters ' . . . . ... 271 35. Portrait of Pauline Clarendon. 36. Tim Jleagles and Lady Lade 286 37. Interview with George III , 288 38. The Perilous Descent 300 39. Mrs. Brace's Sleeping Apartment 302 • 40. The Murder Beneath the Stone 319 41. The Prince and the Ballet Girls . 328 42. Portraits of the Princesses Sophia and Amelia. 43. The Working Man's Abode. ^38 44. The Library at Stamford Manor 362 45. Portrait of the Duchess of Di;vonshire. 46. Vestry- Room of Salem Chapel 3CS 47. Murder on Board the Royal George 376 48. The Likeness Recognised 380 49. Portrait of Rose Foster. 50. Octavia a Lunatic 360 51. The Earl and Countess of Desborough 402 52. Rose Foster's Second Escape 414 THE MYSTERIES T 11 E C U R T E LONDON. CHAPTER I. THE CATALOGUE OF CRIMES. Our narrative opens in the month of January, 179j, — a date belonging tooueof themosteventtiil periods lu the history of Great Britain, or indeed of Europe. At that time King George III was in the thirty- fifth year of his reign ; and his scape-grace son, the Prince of Wales, was already verging towards tliat important climacteric which is generally denominated " die prime of life"— his age being thirty-three. Pitt was then in power; the Reign of Terror had 2 THE MYBTERIES just closed in Paris, leaving the French Repuhlic in the hands of the Jacobins and the Thermidorians ; — and the English armies, under the Duke of York, had reaped notliing but disgrace from the previous cam- paigns in the Netherlands. The memorable trial of Warren Hastings was then in progress : that of Hardy, Tooke, and Thelwall, the people's staunch champions, had recently termi- nated in a glorious triumph, Tlie Habeas Corpus Act was suspended : for de- mocratic opinions were spreading rapidly throughout England— and the doctrine of " the divine right of Kings" was falling to a miserable discount. The Ministers were demanding more money to carry on the war against France ; — Wilbcrforce was agitating the question of the slave-trade :— and the approachijig marriage of the Prince of Wales with the Princess Caroline of Brunswick had been an- nounced to the nation. This rapid glance at the state of political aiTairs will not only give the reader an idea of the interesting period at which our tale commences, but is likewise in certain points an indispensable preface to the in- cidents that are to follow. It was, then, in the beginning of Januaiy, 1795, and on a fine frosty evening, that a number of bag- men, or commercial travellers, were assembled round a blazing fire and sipping their hot toddy in the room especially set apart for their accommodation at the George and Blue Boar, Holborn. Some of them were about to depart that very night upon their joiimeys in various directions : others had just returned from long tours, and were felicitating themselves on tlie prospect of a few weeks' holiday. Those who were on the point of setting out, were already equipped to encounter the nipping chill of the weather, save In respect to their heavy great-coats which hung to the pegs in the apartment ; while those who had come home again, were indulging in the luxurious mdolence of dressing-gowns and slippers. The conversation was general : for the bag-men, fre- quenting that tavern, were all well known to each other —and even when a new-comer in the "profession"' appeared amongst them, their convivial heartiness of disposition and frank hospitality of character soon placed him on terms of ease and familiarity. For til ere is no class of men more generous nor more in- tellectual and enlightened, taking them as a body, than that of commercial travellers. It was between six and seven o'clock on the even- ing of which we are speaking, and the bag-men were in the middle of a warm though perfectly good-tem- pered discussion on some political subject, when the door opened, and a short, thin man, who looked like a locomotive mummy, so completely was he enve- loped m great-coats and " comibrters," bustled into the room. " Holloa, Page— old fellow— how are you ? " ex- claimed every voice simultaneously ; and the demand was made with a heartiness of tone and manner which indicated how welcome was the presence of this new arrival to the travellers already assembled at the George and Blue Boar. " As well as ever, and as hungry as a hunter," responded Mr. Page, who, by the assistance of the active waiter, immediately began to extricate him- self from the mass of upper clothing wliich he wore. " But it is a precious sharp evening, I can tell you ! The roads are as hard as iron, and the air ia what might be called quite crisp. Now, John," he continued, as he threw aside the large. woollen article that had enveloped his neck, turn- ing at the same time towards the waiter whom he thus addressed, " get me a nice steak and oyster sauce ; and send Boots with a pair of slippers." " Yes, sir," replied the waiter, immediately af- terwards disappearing to execute the commissions specified. Room was now made for Mr. Page near the fire ; and, having taken his seat, he held his lia->nds close to the cheerful grate until a genial warmth began to pervade his form. He was a man of about five- and-forty, with a thin, sallow, and angular counte- nance, small restless grey eyes, and a good set of teeth. His forehead was remarkably high, and liis head was bald on the crown ; but on each side the bushy iron grey hair stuck out, mingling with the whiskers which, of a somewhat darker hue, met underneath his chin. His entire appearance gave the idea of one of that bustling kind of persons who are remarkably shrewd in matters of business and know tolerably well how to take care of " Num- ber One." "Where do you come from to-day. Page?" in- quired the commercial traveller wlio had made room for him near the fire, and next to v/hom he was therefore seated. " I slept at Aylesbury last night, and started for town at nine this morning," was the answer. " Forty good miles is not such a bad day's work, I take it : but you know that I don't drive the worst bit of horse-flesh on the road. I've been out for the last four months, and have not been idle, I can assure you. There are few places in all the Mid- land counties that I have not visited ; and I think that my governors, Hodson and Morley, will be pretty well satisfied when I call upon them in Wood Street to-morrow morning with all the fresh or- ders I have got and the monies I have collected." " Any news up Aylesbury way ?" asked one of the travellers, " I am well acquainted with all that part of Buckinghamshire, and feel an interest in it." " Then perhaps you know Sir llichard Stamford — eh ?" exclaimed Page, becoming suddenly excited, as if he had something of importance to communi- cate, and which was at that moment revived in his memory. " I can't say that I ever saw Sir llichard, to my knowledge," answered the individual who had pre- viously spoken: "but I know him by name and nil about him, as well as we may be aware of everything in the life of King George himself, without ftver having seen his Jlajesty." "Then you doubtless consider Sir Richard Stamford to be a very wealthy man ?" cried Mr. Page : " and may be you have heard that he is a good husband and deeply attached to his beautiful wife?" "Those are precisely the opinions I have formed of him," was the reply. " His country seat is about three miles from Aylesbury ; and I never wfus in that town without hearing the people speaumg about him— aye, and most favourably too. lie is reported to spend a deal of money in the place, and to do a world of good in the shape of charity. Besides, he has a large share in Ramsey and JNlar- tin's bank, which is noted for the accommodation it aftbrds the tradesmen of the town and the far- mers in all that district of Bucks." " Is n't it wonderful," exclaimed Page, his salloj THE MYSTERIES. eountenance assumiug a mysterious aspect, while fdl his listeners gazed upon hiin in mingled curi- osity and amazement, — " is n't it wonderful," he repeated, "how the world may be deceived by outward appearances — and how a man may pass off for years as a saint, whereas in his heai't he is a very demon all the time ?" «' But what has all this to do with Sir Richard Stamford ?" demanded several voices. « What has it all to do with him V cried Page, casting a still more solemn and mysterious glance around upon the company : " why, just this — that when 1 came down to breakfast in the coffee-room at the inn where I put up at Aylesbury, I heai'd that the whole town was in consternation ; for such a complication of crimes " " Crimes !" repeated several of the commercial travellers, di-awing their chairs nearer to the speaker. " What ? — and in connexion with Su* Richard Stamford ?" demanded the individual who had pre- viously expressed his interest in all that concerned Aylesbury. " Yes — crimes, and in connexion mth Su' Richard Stamford," resumed Page : " for this baronet who, as our friend here just now stated, was famous for his charities and was a sleeping -partner in the principal bank in the place — this gentleman of whom every body entertained such a high opinion ^ " Well — well ; what has he done ?" cried several impatient voices. " Rather ask me what he haa not done," said Page : " for surely all possible crimes are summed up in fraud — forgery — murder — and arson !" " Good heaven !" ejaculated the bag-men, literally bounding upon their chau"S ; while the sentiments of horror, amazement, doubt, and curiosity con- gealed into lines on aU their countenances : " you cannot be in eai'nest !" " I never was more in earnest in my Ufc, friends," responded Page, emphatically. "But explain— tell us how it happened," exclaimed one. " So many crimes !" observed anothei'. " And all to be perpetrated by one man J" cried a tluid. " It is scarcely prohable !" remai-ked a fourth. " You will cease to be sceptical when you sec to- morrow morning's newspapers," said Page, shalung his head solemnly. " I tell you that Sir Richard Stamford, baronet," he continued in a measured and decisive tone, " has taken in every tradesman at Aylesbury — committed endless forgeries on the bank in wliich lie is a partner — assassinated his beautiful wife— and set fire to his own splendid country-seat." " God help us !" cried many voices. " 1 did not succeed in obtaining many particulars relative to this fearful catalogue of crimes," con- tmued Mr. Page ; " for the persons with whom I conversed in the coffee-room at Aylesbury, were all talking at once, each giving ijs own version of the complicated affair, and every one of these tales differing from the rest. But the outline of the dreadful tragedy appeared to be sometliing in this shape, — that Mr. Martin, one of the banking-firm being absent, ili'. Ramsey, the other partner, dis- covered last evening the forgeries wliich Su- Richard Stamford had committed, — that he went straight off to Stamford ^lanor to demand explana- tions, but that the baronet being out at the time, he communicated the object of his visit to Lady Stamford, — that a little after midnight Sir Richard returned home, and was assailed by violent re- proaches on the part of Mv. Ramsey and bitter up- braidings from her ladyship, who was half distracted at the terrible discovery of her husband's guilt, — and that in his rage the haronet forcibly expelled Ramsey from the house, killed his wife in a pa- roxysm of fury, and having set fire to the Manor, doubtless for the purpose of concealuig the deed of blood, immediately absconded." i " The man must be a perfect monster !" ejacu- lated the commercial traveller who was so well ac- quainted with Aylesbury. " I have often seen Mr. Ramsey at tlie bank : he is a handsome young man of some eight or nine and twenty, and very affable. At his father's death he became head of the firm, and is universally beloved in the town and dis- trict." " I suppose there will be a reward offered for the apprehension of the baronet .*"' observed another of the bag-men, "Of course there will," responded Mi-. Page ;— "and a full description of his person will be pub- lished." " Have you ever seen him ?" inquired the pre- vious speaker. "Two or three times," answered Page. "He bears a remarkable likeness to the Royal Family ; and people do say that when his Gracious Majesty was Prince of Wales and so mysteriously connected with the beautiful Quakeress Hannah Lightfoot " The remainder of the sentence was interrupted by the sudden entrance of the waiter laden with the dimier which Mr. Page had ordered ; and as this worthy gentleman had been rendered ahuost ravenous by the sharp frosty air, he desisted from farther ob- servations in order to address himself to the succulent steak, rich oyster-sauce, and smoking potatoes which were now served up. The presence of the waiter reminded those bag-men who were to set out that evening of the necessity of calling for their bills without delay ; and the con- versation relative to the tragical occurrences near Aylesbury was accordingly interrupted by the bustle attendant on settling scores, remimerating waiters and chamber-maids, putting on great-coats and com- forters, filling flasks with brandy, lighting cigars, shaking hands with those who remained behuid, and all the usual ceremonies attendant upon departure. At length the room was cleared of two-tliirds of the commercial travellers ; and as some of those who had just returned from their journeys were compelled to retire to their chambers m order to prepare their accounts and papers for inspection by their employers on the morrow, Mt. Page shortly found liimself left with only two companions out of a dozen- ■ With those friends however he presently renewed the conversation, one of them havuig asked liim what he was about to say when the appearance of the waiter had mterrupted him. "Oh! I remember the topic on which I was speaking," exclaimed the talkative Mr. Page, push- ing away his plate after having made a hearty dinner: " I was going to observe that when his Majesty was Prince of Wales, he became connected with a certain Quakeress, named Hannah Lightfoot. Some say ho privately married her ; and it has also been rumoured 4 THE MTSTERIES. that there was a son born. This child — according to the same vague authority — was secretly removed to the house of the late Sir William and Lady Stamford and adopted by them, her ladyship's own infant happening to die at the period. All this I heard at Aylesbury — but of course I don't pretend in any way to vouch for it" " I should think not, indeed ! " exclaimed a gentle- man who, enV3ring tlie apartment at the instant, but unperceived by the commercial travellers, had caught the latter portion of Mr. Page's observations. The bag-men started as those words, uttered in a tone of mingled imperiousness and contempt, fell upon their ears ; and turning round they beheld the new-comer from whoso lips the disdainful remark had fallen. He was an individual of remarkably imposing ap- pearance. His features were handsome, though his countenance was now evidently flushed with wine : his figure was tall, well proportioned, and command- ing : — and in his gait and gestures there was an easy elegance combined with a nobility of air vvhicli be- spoke the polished gentleinan. The intellectuality of his face would have however been somewhat marred by its roundness, the gracefulness of the oval being destroyed by the fatness of the cheeks, — had not the high and open forehead redeemed the fault. His hair was of that uncertain colour which appears of a dark chesnut in some lights, and auburn in others ; and it was naturally curled and wavy. His age seemed to be a few years over thirty ; and his attire was neat, good, but unpretending. Such was the individual who made the above-men- tioned remark as he entered the commercial-room at the George and Blue Boar; and taking off his hat, cloak, and warm gloves, he seated himself at a table. Almost immediately afterwards the waiter made his appearance with a steaming tumbler of nim- piinch, which the gentleman had ordei'ed as lie passed the bar. But from the first inetant that tlie stranger had met the eyes of Mr. Page, this worthy individual had not ceased to stare at him. It was not however with the offensive gaze of impertinent curiosity ; nor was it the rude survey of coarse vulgarity : — but it was the fixed contemplation of one who is suddenly struck by a resemblance, and who fancies he knows the ob- ject of his scrutiny, yet on the other hand feels almost certain that he must be mistaken. At lliis juncture the other two commercial travel- leis, rose and retired ; and Mr. Pa£-o was left alone with the stranger. CHAPTER II. THE FLIGHT AND THE PURSUIT. We should observe that hitherto the gentleman whom we are still compelled to denominate " the stranger," had not noticed the searching earnestness ol'gaze with which the bag-man regarded him: in- deed, no sooner ha