Authors: George W. M. Reynolds,James Malcolm Rymer
to the words of congratulation which issued from his lips."
"I believe you - I know that you are speaking the truth,"
cried Walter. "Pardon me, if for a moment I ceased to look upon you as a
friend."
Stephens pressed the hand of the too-confiding being, over
whom his dangerous eloquence and subtle reasoning possessed an influence so
omnipotent for purposes of evil; and he then again launched out into glowing
descriptions of the sources and means of happiness within her reach. This
reasoning, aided by the hope that in a few hours she should be enabled to quit
London for ever, restored the lady's disposition to that same easy and pliant
state, to which Stephens had devoted nearly five years to model it.
At length the hackney-coach stopped at the Bank of England.
Stephens hurried to the rotunda to obtain the assistance of a stock-broker, for
the purpose of transferring and selling out the immense sum which now appeared
within his reach, and to obtain which he had devoted his time, his money, and
his tranquillity!
Walter and the lawyer awaited his return beneath the
porch of the entrance. After the lapse of a few moments he appeared,
accompanied by a broker of his acquaintance. They then all four proceeded
together to the office where the business was to be transacted.
The broker explained the affair to a clerk, and the clerk,
after consulting a huge volume, received the documents which Lord Warrington
had handed over to Sydney. Having compared those papers with the entries in the
book, the clerk made a sign to three men who were lounging at the upper end of
the office, near the stove, and who had the appearance of messengers, or
porters.
These men moved hastily forward, and advanced up to
Stephens, Mac Chizzle, and Walter Sydney.
A deadly pallor spread over the countenance of Stephens; Mac
Chizzle appeared alarmed; but Walter remained still unsuspicious of danger.
"Those are the persons," said the clerk,
significantly, as he pointed to the three conspirators, to whom he observed,
almost in the same breath, "Your plans are detected - these men are
officers!"
"Officers!" ejaculated Sydney ; "what does
this mean?"
"We are here to apprehend you," answered the
foremost of these functionaries. "Resistance will be vain: there are
others outside in readiness."
"Merciful heavens!" cried Walter, joining her
bands in agony "Oh! Stephens, to what have you brought me!"
That unhappy man hung down his head and made no reply. He
felt crushed by this unexpected blow, which came upon him at the very instant
when the object of his dearest hopes seemed within his reach.
As for Mac Chizzle, he resigned himself with dogged
submission to his fate.
The officers and their prisoners now proceeded to the
Mansion House, accompanied by the clerk and the stock-broker.
Sydney - a prey to the most dreadful apprehensions and
painful remorse - was compelled to lean for support upon the arm of the officer
who had charge of her.
Sir Peter Laurie sat for the Lord Mayor.
The worthy knight is the terror of all swindlers, mock
companies, and bubble firms existing in the City of London wherever there is fraud,
within the jurisdiction of the civic authorities, he is certain to root it out.
He has conferred more benefit upon the commercial world, and has devoted
himself more energetically to protect the interests at the trading community,
than any other alderman. Unlike the generality of the city magistrates who are
coarse, vulgar, ignorant, and narrow minded men, Sir Peter Laurie is possessed
of a high range of intellect, and is an enlightened, an agreeable and a
polished gentleman.
It was about three o'clock in the afternoon when Stephens,
Mac Chizzle, and Sydney were placed in the dock of the Mansion House
Police-office.
The solicitor of the Bank of England attended for the
prosecution.
"With what do you charge these prisoners?"
demanded the magistrate.
"With conspiring to obtain the sum of forty-one
thousand pounds from the hands of the Earl of Warrington, and the Governor and
Company of the Bank of England."
"Is his lordship present ?"
"Your worship, he is, at this moment, unaware of the
diabolical fraud that has been contemplated and in part perpetrated upon him.
He has given up to the prisoners certain documents, which constituted their
authority for transferring and selling out the sum I have mentioned. By certain
means the intentions of the prisoners were discovered some time ago; and secret
information was given to the Bank directors upon the subject. The directors
were not, however, permitted to communicate with the Earl of Warrington, under
penalty of receiving no farther information from the quarter whence the
original warning emanated. Under all circumstances, I shall content myself with
stating sufficient to support the charge to-day, so that your worship may
remand the prisoners until a period when the attendance of the Earl of
Warrington can be procured.
"State your case."
"I charge this prisoner," said the solicitor,
pointing towards Sydney, "with endeavouring to obtain the sum of forty-one
thousand pounds from the Governor and Company of the Bank of England, under pretence
of being one Walter Sydney, a man - whereas the prisoner's name is Eliza
Sydney, and she is a woman!"
An immense sensation prevailed in the justice-room at this
announcement.
The disguised lady moaned audibly, and leant against the bar
of the dock for support.
"And I charge the other prisoners, Robert Stephens and
Hugh Mac Chizzle, with aiding and abetting in the crime," added the
solicitor, after a pause.
The unhappy lady, yielding to emotions and feelings which
she was now no longer able to contain, threw herself upon her knees, clasped
her hands together in an agony of grief, and exclaimed,
"It is true! I am not what I seem! I have been guilty
of a fearful deception - a horrible cheat: but it was he -he," she cried,
pointing to Stephens, "who made me do it !"
There was an universal sentiment of deep sympathy with the
female prisoner, throughout the court; and the worthy alderman himself was
affected.
"You must remember," he said, in a kind tone
"that anything which you admit here, may be used against you
elsewhere."
"I am anxious to confess all that I have done and all
that I know," cried the lady; "and in so doing, I shall in some
measure atone for the enormity of my guilt, which I now view in its true
light!"
"Under these
circumstances," said the alderman, " let the case stand over until
to-morrow."
The prisoners were then removed.
In another hour they were inmates of the Giltspur-street
Compter.
And how terminated the 26th of November for Walter Sydney?
Instead of being in possession of an ample fortune, and about to visit a clime
where she hoped to enjoy all the blessings of domestic tranquility, and the
charms of rural bliss, she found herself a prisoner, charged with a crime - of
deep dye!
Oh! what a sudden reverse was this!
Still, upon that eventful day, there was one hope of hers
fulfilled. She threw aside her masculine attire, and assumed the garb adapted
to her sex. A messenger was despatched to the villa, to communicate the sad
tidings of the arrest to Louisa, and procure suitable clothing for her wretched
mistress.
But, alas! that garb in which she had so ardently desired to
appear again, was now doomed to be worn, for the first time, in a prison :- the
new epoch of her life, which was to be marked by a return to feminine habits,
was commenced in a dungeon!
Still that new period had begun; and from henceforth we
shall know her only by her real name of Eliza Sydney.
EXPLANATIONS
WITH the greatest forethought and the best taste, Louisa had
forwarded to her mistress the most simple and unassuming garb which the boudoir
contained, amongst its miscellaneous articles of female attire.
Dressed in the garments which suited her sex, Eliza was a
fine and elegant woman - above the common female height, yet graceful in her
deportment, and charming in all her movements. Her shoulders possessed that
beautiful slope, and the contours of her bust were modelled in that ample and
voluptuous mould, which form such essential elements of superb and majestic
loveliness.
Although so long accustomed to masculine attire, there was
nothing awkward - nothing constrained in her gait; her step was free and light,
and her pace short, as if that exquisitely turned ankle, and long narrow foot
had never known aught save the softest silken hose, and the most delicate
prunella shoes.
In a word, the beauty of Eliza Sydney was of a lofty and
imposing order;- a pale high brow, melting hazel eyes, a delicately-chiselled
mouth and nose, and a form whose matured expansion and height were rendered
more commanding by its exquisite symmetry of proportions.
The morning journals published an account of the
extraordinary attempt at fraud detected at the Bank on the previous day; and
the utmost curiosity was evinced by an immense crowd that had collected to
obtain a view of the prisoners, especially the female one, as they alighted
from the separate cabs in which they were conveyed to the Mansion House for
re-examination. Eliza's countenance was flushed and animated, and the
expression of her eyes denoted profound mental excitement: Stephens was ghastly
pale:- the lawyer maintained a species of sullen and reserved composure.
The police-office at the Mansion House was crowded to
excess. Sir Peter Laurie presided; and on his right hand was seated the Earl of
Warrington. Mr. Pakenham was also present, in company with the solicitor of the
Bank of England.
The moment the prisoners appeared in the dock, Eliza in a
firm tone addressed the magistrate, and intimated her intention of making the
most ample confession, in accordance with her promise of the preceding day.
She, was accommodated with a chair, and the chief clerk proceeded to take down
the narrative which detailed the origins and progress of this most
extraordinary conspiracy.
Alas! that so criminal a tale should have been accompanied
by the music of that flute-like voice; and that so foul a history should have
emanated from so sweet a mouth. Those words of guilt which trembled upon her
lips, resembled the slime of the snail upon the leaf of the rose
When the confession of Eliza Sydney was fully taken down,
and signed by her the Earl of Warrington's solicitor entered into a statement
which placed the magistrate in full possession of the facts of the case.
We shall now proceed to acquaint our readers with the
complete history formed by these revelations.
"The late Earl of Warrington was a man of eccentric and
peculiar habits. An accident in his infancy had rendered his person deformed
and stunted his growth, and, being endowed with tender feelings and acute
susceptibilities, he could not bear to mingle in that society where his own
physical defects were placed in strong contrast with the fine figures, handsome
countenances, and manly forms of many of his aristocratic acquaintances. He
possessed a magnificent estate in Cambridgeshire; and in the country seat
attached to that domain did he pass the greater portion of his time in solitude
"The bailiff of the Warrington estate was a widower,
and possessed an only child - a daughter. Letitia Hardinge was about sixteen
years of age when the Earl first took up his abode in Cambridgeshire, in the
year 1790. She was not good looking; but she possessed a mild and melancholy
expression of countenance, and an amiability of disposition, which rendered her
an object of interest to all who knew her. She was fond of reading; and the
library at the neighbouring mansion was always open to her inspection.
"The reserved and world-shunning Earl soon became
attracted towards Letitia Hardinge. He found that she possessed a high order of
intellect and he delighted to converse with her. By degrees he experienced a
deep attachment towards a being whose society often relieved the monotonous
routine of his life ; and the gratitude which Letitia entertained towards the
Earl for his kindness to her, soon partook of a more tender feeling. She found
herself interested in a nobleman of high rank and boundless wealth, who was
compelled to avoid the great world where the homage shown to his proud name
appeared to him to be a mockery of his physical deformity ; she ministered to
him with all a woman's devotedness, during a tedious and painful malady which
seized upon him shortly after his arrival in Cambridgeshire; and at length her
presence became as it were necessary to him.
"They loved: and although no priest blessed their
union, they entertained unalterable respect and affection for each other. That
dread of ridicule which had driven the Earl from society, and which with him
was a weakness amounting almost to folly, prevented the solemnization of his
nuptials with the woman he loved. She became pregnant
and the day that made the Earl
the father of a daughter, robbed him of the mother of that innocent child who was
thus born in sin!
"Letitia Hardinge, the Earl's natural child, grew up in
health and beauty. The father was dotingly attached to her, and watched her
growth with pride and adoration. She was sixteen years of age, when Frederick,
the Earl's nephew and heir presumptive to the title and vast estates of the
family, arrived in Cambridgeshire to pay his respects to his uncle, on his
emancipation from college. The young man's parents had both died in his
infancy, and he was entirely dependant upon the Earl.
"Letitia Hardinge passed as the niece of the Earl of
Warrington. Frederick was acquainted with the real history of the young lady ;
and, previous to his arrival at the mansion of his uncle, he was not prepared
to treat her with any excess of civility. He was brought up in that
aristocratic school which looks upon pure blood as a necessary element of
existence, and as alone entitled to respect. But he had not been many days in
the society of Miss Hardinge, before his ideas upon this subject underwent a
complete change, and he could not help admiring her. Admiration soon led to
love :- he became deeply enamoured of her!
"The Earl beheld this attachment on his part, and was
rejoiced. An union between the two cousins would secure to his adored daughter
that rank and social position, which he was most anxious for her to occupy. As
the wife of the heir presumptive to the richest Earldom in the realm, her
origin would never be canvassed nor thought of. But Letitia herself returned
not the young man's love. By one of those extraordinary caprices, which so
often characterise even the strongest female minds, she had taken a profound
aversion to her suitor; and being of a high and independent disposition, not
even the dazzling prospect of wealth and title could move her heart in his
favour.
"There was a farmer upon the Earl's estate, of the name
of Sydney. He had a son whose Christian name was Stanford - a handsome but
sickly youth, and by no means comparable to the polished and intellectual
Frederick. Nevertheless, Letitia entertained for this young man an affection
bordering upon madness. The Earl discovered her secret, and was deeply
afflicted at his daughter's predilection. He remonstrated with her, and urged
the necessity of conquering her inclinations in this respect. It was then that
she showed the temper and the spirit of a
spoiled child,
and declared that she would follow the dictates of her own mind in
preference to every other consideration. The Earl swore a most solemn oath,
that
if she dared marry Stanford
Sydney, neither she nor her husband should ever receive one single shilling
from him!
"Reckless of this threat -
indifferent to the feelings of that father who had cherished her so fondly, the
perverse girl one morning abandoned the paternal home, and fled with Stanford
Sydney, on whom she bestowed her hand. The blow came like a thunderbolt upon
the head of the old Earl. He was naturally of a delicate and infirm
constitution; and this sudden misfortune proved too much for his debilitated
frame. He took to his bed ; and a few hours before his death he made a will
consistent with his oath. He left all his property to his nephew, with the
exception of forty-one thousand pounds - the amount of his savings since he had
inherited the title. This will ordained that his nephew should enjoy the
interest of this aunt ; but that, should Letitia bear a male child to Stanford
Sydney, such issue should, upon attaining the age of twenty-one years, receive
as his portion flue above sum of forty-one thousand pounds. Such was the
confidence which the old Earl possessed in his nephew, that he left the
execution of this provision to him. It was also enacted by that will, that
should the said Letitia die without bearing a son to the said Stanford Sydney ;
or should a son born of her die previously to attaining his twenty-first year,
then the sum alluded to should become the property of Frederick.
"The old man died, a prey to the deepest mental
affliction - indeed, literally heart-broken - shortly after making this will.
Frederick, who was honour and integrity personified, determined upon fulfilling
all the instructions of his uncle to the very letter.
"The fruits of the union of Stanford Sydney and Letitia
Hardinge were a daughter and a son. The name of the former was Eliza: that of
the latter was Walter. Eliza was a strong and healthy child ; Walter was sickly
and ailing from his birth. Shortly after the birth of Walter, the father, who
had long been in a deep decline, paid the debt of nature. Letitia was then left
a widow, with two young children, and nothing but a small farm for her support.
Her high spirit prevented her from applying to the Earl of Warrington - the man
whose love she had slighted and scorned ; and thus she had to struggle with
poverty and misfortune in rearing and educating her fatherless progeny. The
farm which she tenanted was situated in Berkshire, whither she and her husband
had removed immediately after the death of the father of Stanford. This farm
belonged to a gentleman of the name of Stephens -a merchant of
respectability and property, in the City of London.
"It was in the year 1829 that Robert Stephens appeared
at the farm-house, to announce the death of his father and his inheritance of
all the landed property which had belonged to the deceased. The widow was
considerably in arrears of rent Stephens inquired into her condition and
prospects, and learnt from her lips her entire history - that history which,
from motives of disappointed pride, she had religiously concealed from her
children. She was well aware of the provisions of the late Earl's will; but she
had determined not to acquaint either Eliza or Walter with the clause relative
to the fortune, until the majority of the latter. Towards Stephens she did not
manifest the same reserve, the revelation of that fact being necessary to
convince him that she possessed good perspective chances of settling those long
arrears, which she was in the meantime totally unable to liquidate.
"Robert Stephens was immediately attracted towards that
family. It was not the beauty of Eliza which struck him - he was a cold,
calculating man of the world, and considered female loveliness as mere dross
compared to sterling gold. He found that Walter was an amiable and
simple-hearted youth, and he hoped to turn to his own advantage the immense
inheritance which awaited the lad at his majority. He accordingly treated Mrs.
Sydney with every indulgence, forgiving her the arrears already accumulated,
and lowering her rent in future. He thus gained an immense influence over the
family; and when a sudden malady threw the widow upon her death-bed, it was to
Stephens that site recommended her children.
Stephens manifested the most paternal attention towards the
orphans, and secured their unbounded gratitude, attachment, and confidence. But
his designs were abruptly menaced in an alarming manner. The seeds of
consumption, which had been sown by paternal tradition in the constitution of
Walter, germinated with fatal effect and on the 14th of February, 1841, he
surrendered. up his spirit.
"Scarcely had the breath left the body of the youth,
when Stephens, by that species of magic influence which he had already begun to
exercise over Eliza, induced her to assume her brother's garb; and she was
taught to believe, even by the very side of his corpse, that immense interests
were connected with her compliance with his wish. An old woman was the only
female attendant at the farm-house; and she was easily persuaded to spread a
report amongst the neighbours that it was the daughter who was dead. Eliza did
not stir abroad: Stephens managed the funeral, and gave instructions for the
entry in the parish register of the burial of Eliza Sydney; and, as Eliza
immediately afterwards repaired to the Villa at Clapton, the fraud was not
suspected in the neighbourhood of the Berkshire farm.
"Stephens duly communicated the deaths of Mrs. Sydney
and Eliza to the Earl of Warrington, and obtained an introduction to this
nobleman. He called occasionally in Grosvenor Square, during the interval of
four years and nine months which occurred between the reported death of Eliza
and the 26th of November, 1835 ; and invariably took care to mention not only
that Walter was in good health, but that he was residing at the Villa. His lordship,
however, on no occasion expressed a wish to see the young man: for years had
failed to wipe away the impression made upon Frederick's mind by the deceased
Letitia Harding!
"When Stephens introduced the disguised Eliza to the
nobleman, as Walter Sydney, upon the morning of the 26th of November, the Earl
entertained not the least suspicion of fraud. He knew that Stephens was the son
of an eminent merchant, and that he was well spoken of in society; and he was
moreover anxious to complete a ceremony which only recalled painful
reminiscences to his mind. Thus, so far as his lordship was concerned, the
deceit was managed with the most completer success; and there is no doubt that
the entire scheme might have been carried out, and the secret have remained for
ever undiscovered, had not a private warning been communicated in time to the
Bank of England.
Such was the complete narrative formed by the statement of
the Earl of Warrington, through his solicitor, and the confession of Eliza
Sydney. The history excited the most extraordinary interest in all who heard
it; and there was a powerful feeling of sympathy and commiseration in favour of
Eliza. Even Lord Warrington himself looked once or twice kindly upon her.
The examination which elicited all the facts detailed in the
narrative, and the evidence gone into to prove the attempt to obtain possession
of the money at the Bank of England, occupied until four o'clock in the
afternoon; when the magistrate, committed Robert Stephens, Hugh Mac Chizzle,
and Eliza Sydney to Newgate, to take their trials at the approaching session of
the Central Criminal Court.