14. The Husband From Hell
Mary Bowes finally escaped from her husband in 1785 and filed for divorce, but Andrew Stoney was not about to give up on his meal ticket. So he tracked Mary down, kidnapped her, and took her to northern England, where he tortured her, and threatened to rape and kill her. He also forced her to ride around the countryside on horseback during an extremely cold winter, hoping she would sicken and die so he could inherit her wealth.
She was eventually rescued when a hue and cry was raised, and Stoney was tracked down and arrested. The divorce case, along with the criminal charges against Stoney, captivated Britain for years. Stoney and his accomplices were eventually convicted of abduction and sentenced to three years imprisonment, and Mary finally got her divorce in 1789.