The Case of Mary MATHEWS

  The misrepresentations in which a portion of the Irish press, as well as nearly all the anti-Catholic and anti-Irish journals of London, have indulged in reference to this case, renderes it necssary, for the sake of truth and justice , that we should place before the public the affidavits in full.  It will be seen from this documentary evidence, which is alone reliable, and from which a correct knowledge of the whole circumstance can only be avquired, that the case is not quite so striong or clear as the Times and other journals represent. There are two sides to every question, at least so we have been accoustomed to hear, and, inasmuch as the facts on one side have been very fully developed, and made the subject of unfair comment, it would be only just to suspend judgment until the facts on the other side had been set fourth with equal fullness. The documents are neither prolix or very numerous. Any unprejudicial or unbiased mind can form as correct an opinion of their veracity as the most expericence judge who sat on the bench. Without entering elaborately into the queatio in dispute, we subjoin a few of the affidavits from which the reader will draw his own conclusions:—
  Mary JORDAN, wife of James Jordan, of No. 13, Chancery Lane, in the city of Dublin, cabinet maker, maketh an oath and saith that she has read a paper-writing purporting to be a copy of an affidavit, made in this matter, by Maria MATHEWS. Deponent saith, Henry MATHEWS in said affidavit referred to, worked for ths desponent's husband for about nine or ten years as journeymen chairmaker, and saith she heard and believes the said HenryMATHEWS, after leaving the employment of this deponent's husband, about two years ago, went to the city of London, where he continued to reside, as deponent believes, until the month of December last, when he arrived in Dublin by the steamer as a pauper passenger with his two children, a boy and a girl, in said affidavit mentioned, and in great distress. Saith, that said Henry MATHEWS was them employed by deponent's husband. Saith the said Henry MATHEWS informed this desponent that his wife, the said Maria, went againest his will and consent to the West Indies, and that he was at that time very comfortable, earning 30s. per week at his trade, and that the said Maria carried off and secreted another infant child of his somewhere in England against his will and consent. Saith that the said Henry MATHEWS was taken ill in the Month of December last, and was admitted into Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital, in the city of Dublin, where he died in two or three days afterwards, viz., on the 10th of January last. Deponent saith that the day the said Henry MATHEWS went into hospital he gave his two children in charge of this deponentand beseeched her, in case he died, to have them reared Roman Cathoilcs, and if deponent could not otherwise provide for them to have put into the poor house and registered as Roman Catholics, at the same time stating that he left with his landlady a ticket for their admission, to whose affidavit deponent begs to refer, on which occasion also he exacted a solem promisefrom this deponent that she woul;d see his children brought up in the said Roman Catholic faith, and which this deponent pronmised to do; and deponent saith that said Henry MATHEWS told this deponent that so anxious was he to have Mary MATHEWS reared a Roman Catholic, that he was in the habit of carrying said Mary in his arms to the workshop where he was engaged, a distance of two miles, where he placed her on a bench during the time he was employed there, to prevent her being stolen from him. Deponent saith she supported one of said children (Henry MATHEWS) for about five months at her own sole expense, and at the end of that time, through her exertions, she procured admission for him at a Roman Catholic institution in Dublin, pursuant to his said father's dying request, deponent undertaking to make up herself any deficiency in the sum required by the said institution for the support of the said child, and saith that to this period no relative of said children inquired of deponent after them or contributed to their support. Deponent saith that the other child, Mary MATHEWS, was placed by this deponent with a respectable Roman Catholic lady, Miss Margaret AYLWARD, about two months ago, previous to any application made by the said Maria MATHEWS after said child, to be reared a Roman Catholic pursuant to the dying injunction of the said Henry MATHEWS, since which time deponent has not seen said child, nor does she know where the said child now is, but deponent is quite satisfied and convinced that said child will be well cared and provided for. Saith the said Maria MATHEWS left with this deponent a few articles of children's clothing which still remain with this deponent, and deponent admits she stated to said Maria MATTHEWS that she would send said articles to a charitable institution, but deponent denies she stated to the said Maria MATTHEWS that she had sent them to said institution, or that the Very Rev. Edward M'CABE had undertaken to provide for said child. Deponent saith that the said Maria MATHEWS admitted to this deponent she remained in London three months after her arrival from the West Indies, without coming to see her husband or children. Saith the said Maria MATHEWS also declared to this deponent that she never meant to live with her said late husband, Henry MATHEWS, and that she has no means of support but was solely dependent at present on her sister.       Mary MATHEWS
Sworn before me, at my office on the Inns-quay, in the county of the city of Dublin, this 4th Day of June, 1858
         James NAGLE, Clerk of the Crown
  Bridget BYRNE, of No. 69, Great Strand Street, Dublin maketh an oath and saith she was a nurse in Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital when Henry MATHEWS was admitted there: that deponent continued to attend him during the short time he was there, namely, from Monday till Wednesday, when he died, the 20th day of January last. Deponent saith the said Henry MATHEWS told her he lived unhappy with his wife, and that they lived apart for some time, and expressed great fear that if his wife or their family could get his two children they would be reared up Protestants; that he was constantly crying out, "my children, and my dearly beloved children," during the time he was in the hospital, and so loud as to be heard through the ward, and continued crying his children till he died.         Bridget BYRNE
Sworn before me, at my office on the Inn's-quay, in the county of the city of Dublin, this 16th Day of June, 1858
         James NAGLE, Clerk of the Crown

The Case of Mary MATHEWS

  We continue the publication of the affidavits in this case:—
  Essy QUINN, of No. 14 Chancery-lane, in the city of Dublin, maketh an oath and saith that she has heard a paper writing read, purporting to be tha affidavit of Maria MATHEWS, and saith that Henry MATHEWS, came to deponents's room to lodge immediately on his return from England with his two children, and continued to reside there till he wenmt to hospital. Saith that the last words the said Henry MATHEWS uttered when leaving the room of said deponent, were to exact a promise from deponentto look after his said two children and see that they should be reared up Roman Catholic, and at the same time handed this document a ticket to which deponent refers, marked A, for the admission of the two xhildren, and added that he would prefer if this deponent could have said children admitted into a Roman Catholic school, and at same time pressed deponent's hands as if confimatory of said promise. And deponent further saith that the convesation of said Henry MATHEWS, during the month he lodged in said room, was constantly about rearing his children Roman Catholics, ant that he left London and came over to Dublin for that purpose, as he said if he consented to the daid children being reared Protestants, they would be well and comfortably provided for.   John KEEGAN of No. 47. Patrick-street, in the city of Dublin, cabinet-maker, maketh an oath and said, he has read two paper-writing purporting to be copies of the affidavits of Maria MATHEWS, filed the 26th day of May last and 10th day of June instant, respectively. Saith that since the year 1852, when deponent became first acquainted with Henry MATHEWS, the husband of said Maria MATHEWS, and referred to in said affidavits, deponent was on the most intimate terms with the said Henry MATHEWS to the time of his death. Deponent saith that said Maria MATHEWS, at the time of her marriage with the said Henry MATHEWS, was a Roman Catholic, and that she was married by the Rev Denis MURPHY, in a Roman Catholic chapel, in Meath-street, in the city of Dublin, as by the marriage certificate, marked by deponent with the letter "m" to which deponent refers, will appear. Saith that the said child Mary MATHEWS was born in the month of April, 1854, and baptized on the 8th of May, 1854, a Roman Catholic, in Francis-street Roman Catholic chapel in said city, as by the baptismal certificate marked by deponent with the letter "N," to which the deponent refers, will appear, ant that the Rev. Mr CARR, of the Roman Catholic chapel at Whitefriars-street, attended her at that time. Deponent saith, said Henry MATHEWS frequently caomplained of said Maria MATHEWS being so careless at home, and that he did not know what became of his wages, which he regularly gave her, and how persons with smaller wages than he had were comfortable at home, and not as he was. Deponment saith that said Henry MATHEWS xcalled at deponent's residence on several occasions since he returned to Dublin in December last, and his principal conversation was respecting his wife's conduct to him, and how he could rear up his children Roman Catholics. Deponent saith that the said Henry MATHEWS compliained how the said Maria MATHEWS went to the West Indied in direct opposition to his wish, and against his consent; that his wife the said Maria MATHEWS, had changed her religion since she went to England, and became a Protestant, and that the lady who engaged his wife, the said Maria MATHEWS, had come to the workshop where the said Henry MATHEWS was employed, to induce his employer to interfere with the said Henry MATHEWS and have the children of the said Henry MATHEWS reared uo in the Protestant religion. That said Hennry MATHEWS told deponent that he made every effort to have his daughter, Mary MATHEWS, takn into a Roman Cathgolic orphanage in London, and would have succeeded but for the death of a lady connected with said institution, and who took great interest in his case, and in corroboration whereof deponent refers to the following letter written by said Henry MATHEWS to Mr James MOORE as follows, on which deponent has marked the letter "l":—
          London, December 8,
  Dear James—You must excuse me for giving you this this (sic) trouble, I trust Mr. JORDAN will look over me for not attending to his most kind letter at the time he told me that he would give me a job when I go to Dublin, but my friend, I was promised by a lady, one of the committee belonging to Sommerstaon Catholic school, that when the ladies would sit, she would do all in her power to get in the two children, which would be a good job for them and me, but this morning, I got a letter fromthis lady, stating that she had done all in her power; the rule of the school was, that I should give security, and the to children would be got in for five shillings a week. So, my long waitingwas of no use. I have a hard card to play with, left with two children in a horrid city such as London without a mother. Those poor children I put out of my head altogether, for she promised me a letter when she wouuld land, and she is gone two months, so if she intended to write I ought to have a letter three weeks ago, for I asked what time it took her to go to Nassau, in the West India Dock, and they told me three weeks to go there, so she is the worst woman ever left Dublin. I knew all along she never would go to that distance only she was goiung for a bad purpose. Even the baby, that was as fine a child as could be got, she took it so as I should not find out where she is; The lady that took her out is as bad as herself. Well, I hope Godwill leave me as as to do for them, and at the last moment my mind will be easier that hers. So, if you please, let me know is any job for me if I go over. I hope all the family is all well amd poor Willy, if you please write by return of post:—No. 4, Bishophead-court, Grasin lane, Holburn, London"
Deponent saith that said Henry MATHEWS told this deponent that the mother of the said Maria MATHEWS appeared most anxious to get said Henry MATHEWS' son into a Protestant school, and that said Henry MATHEWS was afraud his two children would be carried away from him and reared Protestants; and to obviate that, the said Henry MATHEWS often complained of the manner his wife, the said Maria MATHEWS, left him and his children to go to the West Indies, and she never communicated with him directly or otherwise, since the time she went out there; and that said Henry MATHEWS said he thought his said wife went to the West Indied for the purpose of deserting him altogether. Deponent saith that said Henry MATHEWS consulted with this deponent how he might get his two children into a Roman Catholic institution, the daughter in St. Clarre's, Harold Cross, and the son into the Magdalen Orphanage, so as to secure them against his wife, the said Maria MATHEWS, who would rare them protestants, as also place them out of her reach; and deponent saith that said Henry MATHEWS told deponent that he knew if his wife, the said Maria MATHEWS, ever returned from the West Indies, that she would come over from London for the purpose of stealingh his two children away and have them reared Protestants; and that he the said Henry MATHEWS, would die easy if he was certain of his two children being reared up Roman Catholics.