Chronicles of Newgate, Vol. 2: From the eighteenth century to its demolitionGriffiths, Arthur
History
Chronicles of Newgate, Vol. 2: From the eighteenth century to its demolition
Griffiths, Arthur
Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England); Prisons -- England; Punishment -- Great Britain
At Manchester, however, the carriage stopped at the Albion Hotel.
Miss Turner was shown into a private room, where Mr. Wakefield soon
presented himself. Miss Turner, not knowing him, would have left the
room, but he said he came from her father, and she remained. Wakefield,
in reply to her inquiries, satisfied her that her mother was well,
and that the real reason for summoning her from school was the state
of her father's affairs. Mr. Turner was on the verge of bankruptcy.
He was at that moment at Kendal, and wished her to join him there at
once. Miss Turner consented to go on, and they travelled night and
day towards the north. But at Kendal there was no Mr. Turner, and, to
allay Miss Turner's growing anxiety, Wakefield found it necessary to
become more explicit regarding her father's affairs. He now pretended
that Mr. Turner was also on his way to the border, pursued by sheriffs'
officers. The fact was, Wakefield went on to say, an uncle of his had
advanced Mr. Turner £60,000, which had temporarily staved off ruin.
But another bank had since failed, and nothing could save Mr. Turner
but the transfer of some property to Miss Turner, and its settlement
on her, so that it might become the exclusive property of her husband,
"whoever he might be." Wakefield added that it had been suggested
he should marry Miss Turner, but that he had laughed at the idea.
Wakefield's uncle took the matter more seriously, and declared that
unless the marriage came off Mr. Turner must be sold up. Miss Turner,
thus pressed, consented to go on to Gretna Green. Passing through
Carlisle, she was told that Mr. Turner was in the town, but could
not show himself. Nothing could release him from his trouble but the
arrival of the marriage certificate from Gretna Green. Filial affection
rose superior to all scruples, and Miss Turner, having crossed the
border, was married to Wakefield by the blacksmith in the usual way.
Returning to Carlisle, she now heard that her father had been set
free, and had gone home to Shrigley, whither they were to follow him.
They set out, but at Leeds Wakefield found himself called suddenly to
Paris; the other brother was accordingly sent on a pretended mission
to Shrigley to bring Mr. Turner on to London, whither Wakefield and
Miss Turner also proceeded. On arrival, Wakefield pretended that
they had missed Mr. Turner, and must follow him over to France. The
strangely-married couple thereupon pressed on to Dover, and crossed
over to Calais.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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