Extraordinary elopement

Extraordinary Elopement. - Some time since, a young lady of Bath, possessing a very handsome fortune, being in Wales, wrote to her brother and sister, who reside in London, informing them she was about to leave Wales, and should come to London, but did not fix any time when they might expect her; observing, they need not expect her till they saw her. However, two months elapsing, and not having heard from her, they began to be alarmed, fearing she had altered her mind, and had gone with the family she was with to Ireland, and they had been lost in their passage. They, in consequence, wrote into Wales, to inquire after her, and received for answer, that she had left Wales for two months past, with her uncle, of Bath.

On further inquiry being made, it was ascertained that the uncle had left his wife and family about the above time, and was supposed to be in London. The young lady's brother and relations in London made great exertions to find the uncle, in hopes to learn some tidings of the young lady; and at length, by great exertions, discovered the uncle, who lodged in an apartment in Blewett's-court, Fetter-lane; and on Tuesday morning the brother and the sister's husband went there, when, to their great surprise, they found their sister living with him, and learned that they had been living together, as man and wife, for about two months.

The brother was overjoyed to find his supposed lost sister, and after expressing his happiness at meeting her, remonstrated with her on the impropriety of her conduct, and entreated her to leave her uncle, and go with him; and that her conduct being only known to her family, it should be buried in oblivion. But all his affectionate entreaties had no effect upon her; for, callous to what he could say, she preferred continuing in the most horrid and wicked state of life with her uncle, under pretence of affection towards him.

She is only about twenty six years of age; her uncle sixty; a little grey-headed man, without any personal charms; has a wife, and two children about the same age as the young lady, whom he has deserted at Bath, to cohabit with his niece. The grey-headed uncle also assumed the character of a young lover to his own niece; professing his affectionate regard for her.

Her brother, however, being sensible of the disgraceful connexion, declared, if his sister would not quit the connexion with her uncle by mild means, she should by legal; and set off to get a constable, leaving her brother-in-law to take care of them. But while he was gone for a constable, they, by force, and in defiance of the brother-in-law, left the house.

After a vast deal of flight and pursuit, the frozen enamorato and his prize were traced to the house of a valourous son of the thimble, where, assisted by Adkins, the Bow-street runner, a battle-royal took place; the young lady, her uncle, and a niece of the tailor, on one side, and the young lady's brother and brother-in-law on the other.

The wife of the tailor attacked Adkins, and beat him most unmercifully about the head: the officer, of course, did not return the blows, but endeavoured to prevail upon the young lady to leave her uncle, urging his having a wife, and a daughter as old as herself. Snip, the tailor, took no particular part in the affray, except abusing Adkins for not keeping the peace.

At length all the parties were on the floor together, fighting for the young lady: they contended for her till nearly all her clothes were torn off; when her brothers, finding it her determined resolution to continue to cohabit with her uncle, left the shameless woman to her own course.