| Item | Subject | Facts & Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Robinson Stoney | Lies | The life of Andrew Robinson Stoney was the basis of William Thackeray's The Luck of Barry Lyndon, later adapted by director Stanley Kubrick who portrayed a much more sympathetic character in his film. Andrew Stoney was most noted for his marriage to Countess Mary Eleanor Bowes.Calling himself 'Captain' Stoney — although he was in reality a mere lieutenant in the British Army — he insisted on fighting a duel in Mary's honour with the editor of the Morning Post newspaper which had published scurrilous articles about her private life. In fact, he had himself written the articles that criticised her, as well as those defending her; and the duel between Stoney and the newspaper's editor was probably staged. Pretending to be mortally wounded in the duel, Stoney persuaded the countess as his dying wish to marry him. He was carried to the altar on a stretcher for his marriage to the Countess on January 17, 1777. Staging a miraculous recovery immediately after the marriage, Stoney took his wife's surname (as stipulated by her father's will) and was styled Andrew Robinson Stoney Bowes. Follow Wikipedia to read how he proceeded to abuse the countess and steal her fortune. A liar, cheat, swindler, and con artist... he did no differently than our own intelligence agencies have been doing nationally and worldwide for decades. |
