The Mysteries of the Court of London Vol. 4 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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« SS a RE EE] | oll i gas TS ee kone | | | | | a ee THE portunity of judging presently, when I show you the letter itself!” “The letter itself!” cried Lady Prescott, with @ perfect thrill: of astonishment in her accents. “ Yesa—the lettec itself,” repeated, Mrs. Bredal- bane, in a positive tone. “ You are net perhaps aware that Joux entered my service soon after the tragedy, and remaiyed with me for upwards of ayear. He told me e-rrything—he gave me the letter ——But I am anticipatine——” “Yes—pray proceed in due course, my dear friend,” said Lady Prescott; “although 1 am on the tenter-houks of curiosity.” i “You may cunceiye,” resumed tho Hon. Mrs. Bredalbane, “the amazement, the horror, and the consternation which seized upon the startled me- tropolis, when the mourning papcts of June Ist, announced that ‘the Duke of Cumbarlunt had been surprised while asleep by an attempted assussina- tion, made by one of his valets nimed Seilis, and who had put a perio? to his own existence? A thou- sand rumours were instantaneously in circulation ; and in many quarters the story of the suicide was utterly disbelieved—the viet was declared to have been murdered, and the darkest hints were thrown oat. A jury was summoned in the afternoon of the lst of June, to investiate the matter. But you may conce™™, the astonmhment of the jury, when the coroner began by informing them ‘ thai a long examination of the principal witnesses had already been gone into, and (hat of course ®w would only now be necessary tv huve the depositions then tuken read before them (the jury) to the wilnesses£* All the depositiuns which had been previously and privately taken, were therefure now read. The first was that of the Duke «f Cumberland. His Ruyal Highness deposed that i was awakened “uromoa profound sleep by the sensation of some blows being dealt upon his forehead; and at first he thousht there was a bat in the foum flying over his head. Bua by the light of the wax-taper he beheld the form of a man; and springing from his couch, he grippled with hin, wrenchiug away the sword which had been the weapon of attack, He then gaw the assassin escape, but without perceiving | who he was; and raising his voice he summonetl | Neale, who slept in the adjuining room. Neale | justantaneonsly hurried to his royal master; and | then they went to the hall together to give the | alarm in the manner I have already described, On | returning to the Duke's chamber, they instituted a search iu a closet opening therefrom; and in thaé : closet they found a pair of Sellis's slipperg. From this circumstance is was inferred that Sellis was the assassin—that he had concealed himself in the. closet previousiy to the Duke retiring for the | night—and that failingsn his attempt at murder, he had fled to bis own room aud committed gni- | cide. Neale’sa deposit®n confirmed that of the Duke in‘ every detail; and Neale gratuitously added his opinion that Sellis was a m rose, bad- tempered, discontented persou. I Will here ob- serve that every other person belonging to the du- cal household who was examined, deposed tu the very reverse in respect to Seliis's character and disposition, and described him as civil, in«ffensive, kind-hearted, and good-tempere!. The weapon Ge peered blinds @ Oe ale OR 6 ea =m © These words are quoted from the Zimes’ report of the Inquest, June 3nd, 1810 7 ; : ee ee ee ee = =o - — 7 w ag GP a I EI I PP De I PT OE SSA Gy a et EEE AGS B&B Q=e-S oe, ee ee 2 ee 2 ee = Ee Oe ee ee gy eee eee ee 2 To et ES PF eet. eevee Glas asae~ews, NMYSTERIRS OF THE COURT. with which the Duke had been attacked, was his own regimental sword, which had been left lying about in his room fer some days. The walls be- tween his Royal Highmass’s chamber and the hall were covered with blood-stains, caused by the Duke's hands when he went to alarm the porter. The medical evidence proved that hia Ruyal Highness’s wounds were most severe — thas ove of his fingers was nearly severed—and that his head was so much hurt that the arteries of the brain were laid bare. Having tisteucd to the read- ing of the principal depositiqns, the jury went to view the corpse of Sellis. The room had been ieft just as it was when the tragedy was first discovered, The newspapers described the body as ‘lyeng on a bed of matted blood, livid and loath- some, with a horrid gash from ear to ear; ancl over . all the features the disturtiun of puin was visible, up- parently struggling with the ghusily composure of death'* ‘Lhe back of the head lay against the de- ceased’s watch; anadwhe basin, with the blaod- dyed water and the fidyer-marks, wag still there. Ou returning to the room where the inquest was held, the jury heard the evidence of the surgeons who had examined the corpse. They deposed that the windpipe was cut completely through, and that the wound was six Inches in length and an inch and a half im diameter, The unhappy widow of the deceased depose to the effect that her husband was steady, abstemisus, and affectionate to herself eaud children—that he was in no pecuniary embar-. rassment—:and that he had never shown'the slight- est symptom .of mental aberration, The jury re- turned a verdict of elo de se 5 the corpse was put into a hearse at dead of nivht, and hurried to Scot. land Yard, when it was buricd in a holewith a stake driven through it., Thus terminated this melan- choly affair, so far as the public 1s acquainted with the parfculars; and of course Sellis has been branded as a cowardly assassin—-a midmght mur- derer—a miserable su:cide——” “But Joux — the Frencl. valet?” exclaimed Lady Prescott: “ wherefore was he not examined at the inqauvst?—and why was not the letter pro- duced ?” “ “Ah! those are the particulirs on which I am now going to enter,” observed the Liun. Mrs, Bredalbine. “The epistle —the half-finished pistie, penned by poor Sellis—-is in that writing. des; and 1] will show it to you. First, however, let me explain——” But at this moment an ejaculation of mingled amazement and terror struck upon the startled eurs of Airs. Bredalbane apd Lady Prescott. CHAPTER CXIL . 1. THE QUEEN. wy % Tue reader will be kind enough to remember that wlule Mrs, Bredalbaue was reciting her, narrativ +. of awful interest to Lady Presoutt, the Princess Chirlotte was enchained, a spell-boand listener, in the ante-chainner. But at the moment when Mrs Bredalbane seemed about to enter upon the most thrilling portion of her history, the outer door of that ante-rnamber opened suddenly; and cence a pantera ame ew * Times, June 2nd, 18)0, * ANICLOO© OL < S)