The Press. — London, England, 1856-12-06 00:00:00

1162 of the plaintiff afterwards expressed was wholly immaterial. He submitted that this agreement was entered into con• sistently with the undisputed rules of law, and that the plaintiff was bound by the arrangement. The first formal repudiation was made as luto as the month of May, two months after the compromise had been effected. That could not be held to be within a reasonable time, when the Court of Chancery had decided that notice given in two days was:not within a reasonable time. Mrs. Swynfen ought to have stated earlier whether she intended to have repudiated the agreement or to have stuck to it. Mr. EDWIN JAMES followed briefly on the same side. Judgment will be given on the first day of next term. Tint INQUEST in the case of the collision on the Newport and Hereford Railway, after several adjourn ments, was brought to a close on Friday week, at tibergavenny. The jury, after deliberating two hours and a half, returned the following verdict : We are of opinion that the deceased parties, Edmund Henry Hands and Mark Hicks, came to their deaths near the Nantyderry station, on the Newport, Abergavenny, and Hereford Railway, on the 12th day of Nevember last, owing to a mineral train running into two carriages of the down express train, which had been thrown across the up line in consequence of the engine having lost her left hand leading•spring, and having run off the line at this place. We find a verdict of manslaughter against George King, the running -shed foreman, and also a verdict of manslaughter against Nathaniel Sargent, the driver of the down express train. We are of opinion that it is desirable that the loco motive superintendent should personally examine all can didates for offices in his department, and that reading and writing should be always considered as necessary qualifica tions for such candidates. Sargent is supposed to have absconded; King was absent, in attendance on his duties. Steps were ordered to be taken for the apprehension of both. The prisoners will take their trials at the next Mon mouthshire Assizes, to be held in March, 1857. THE BULLION ROBBERS, Pierce and Burgess, were again examined before the Lord Mayor on Tues day:— Mr. Bonxiti, addressing the Lord Mayor, said : Since the last adjournment we have ascertained beyond all rea sonable doubt that, by the next adjournment which must take place, the other man, Tester, who is alleged to have been an accomplice of the prisoners, will be here and in custody. Mr. Lewis : Are you in a position to state positively that Tester is in custody ? Mr. BODKIN : No, I cannot state that. Mr. Lewis : Then the question arises whether the antho• titles of the country in which he is said to be will give him up. Mr. Bomar; : There is no difficulty about that. Al! that is arranged. No evidence of any material importance was given, and the prisoners were remanded till next Wednes day. AN ENTERTAINING BREACH 07 PROMISE CASE, and one the result of which is most important to all ba chelors, and to young men suffering under acute or chronic engagements, was heard on Wednesday at the Court of Common Pleas before the Lord Chief Justice Cockburn and a special jury. The action was brought on behalf of Miss Crippen, a daughter of the London manager of Messrs. Walker and Parker's well-known lead-works, against Mr. Frank Fare brother, a son of Alderman Farebrother, and head partner in certain wax, oil, and sperm works, carried on at Stockwell, under the name of Farebrother, Bremner, and Co. The story of their love was less remarkable for romance than for its charming sim plicity. In a certain chapel of ease at Stockwell the young couple, from 1849 to 1852, had periodically met during the young lady's holidays. They were both assiduous in their religious duties ; this con. stant coming together grew into acquaintance, ac quaintance ripened into love, and in 1852, when th e young lady had reached th e age of seventeen, the young gentleman, who had arrived at twenty-six, in due form made proposals. The question was re ferred to the respective parents. They met and consulted. Alderman Farebrother disclaimed mer cenary motives ; he wanted no money ; he would set his son up in business, and, if the young people loved one another, why that was sufficient. After this the young people were recognised as affianced lovers, and were received on such terms at the re. spective houses of their parents and friends. The en gagement continued until May, 1856, during which time letters (to the number of hundreds) had passed between the " loving and devoted Frank " and his " darling Susy," all couched in the warmest and most affectionate terms. As specimens of the warmth of Stockwell affection, and the indifference of its gram mar, we will venture to give a few extracts from the letters of last year. The first is dated " 95, Bishops gate-street, Feb. sth, 1855," and is as follows. Mr. Farebrother was at this time clerk in a wholesale druggist's in the city, and was anticipating a speedy removal into a better position in the " sperm and works":Pil THE PRESS. My own darling precious beloved pet little Sue,—. . . . Now, my dearest darling pet, pray that I may not be dis. appointed in this affair, for I have had quite enough of that sort of work already. Dearest one, don't be impa- tient ; all will yet, I trust, be settled to our comfort, and our little house of happiness will yet, 1 trust, be estab- lished near mamma. My hearty ! you were very cross yesterday when I told you that I had not had an opportu nity of speaking to my father, and I sin rather glad, now, that I did not get to speak with him yesterday, for perhaps it would only irritate him, as the thing now stands, and it is quite evident to me that he is arranging the thing for me as fast as ever he can ; so, my beauty, you must have patience, and mind, do not say a single word to our folks at home about it. I cannot write more just now, as lam very busy to-day, having a great many orders to enter. I hope, my darling one, that your cough is better today, and that you feel very jolly indeed. Do not say anything to anybody about this until I tell you more about it. I think I am sure of it this time, at all events, and I hope it will not be long before I receive permission from my father to give these gentlemen here the slip. Ido not care how soon—to.morrow,if my fatherlikes, I am willing tocut. . . . I will be with you as soon as I possibly can, and spend another happy evening with my little darling pet Sue. Only three more hours, and then I shall see you. My pet and precious one, how I love and doat upon you. Time will not allow Lie to say more, therefore with most affec tionate and truly everlasting love, Believe me ever, my own darling pet, Your truly, devoted, affectionate, and loving, FRANK. The next letter is tinged with a religious sense of the responsibility of marriage extremely touching:— May 11, 1855. My own most precious and always dearest and darling Sue, I hope, my own darling pet, that the time is not now far distant when, joined together by the holy bands of matrimony, we shall live happily and comfortably together until death do us part, according to God's holy will and ordinance. My beauty, Ido hope that you will not fidget because we are separated, as it were, for a season. You shall hear from me every day, you little darling, and I will always send you as long a letter as I can find time to write Believe me ever, my own darling Sue, Your ever affectionate and truly loving, FRANK. In the next Mr. Farebrother attributes much to Providence : War, Sperm, and Oil Works, Stockwell, June 29, 1855. My own darling Pet,— My own darling little Sue, you do not wish more to see me than I to see you. We certainly were made for each other, and God in His infinite mercy has brought our wishes to pass, and I shall only be happy when the day arrives that 1 can call you my own loving wife Believe me. ever, my own darling pet, Your truly, loving, attached, and affectionate, Early in this year the defendant was made senior partner in the family waxworks, and appears forthwith to have quarrelled with his father, and, to use a professional phrase, to have become at "sixes " and "sevens " with everybody else. He " split " with his fellow-partners, ill-used his brother George, and mismanaged the alderman. Soon after wards he evinced towards the young lady symptoms unmistakeable in their tendency. fie forgot all about Providence and the "holy bonds," on some oc casions wrote short and hasty replies to letters, and none at all upon others. The promised " little house of happiness near mamma" was as heartlessly put oft' as if the" devoted Frank " had recently attended a repre sentation of the farce of My Wife's Mother, and ap• plied the moral to his own future. Difficulties and troubles pricked him on all sides. He got into his father's debt and out of his good graces. The wheels of the waxworks became hopelessly clogged, and a dissolution of partnership nearly ensued. In the midst of all this the " devoted " writes to his "pre cious pet," she must really excuse a long letter ;" he hopes she will buy "a nice dress" and a "pretty parasol ;" he has not yet succeeded in obtaining " the pot of lilies," but "with fondest, deepest love " he is " ever the devoted and affectionate Frank " of his " beloved Sue." A few days afterwards, on the 22nd of April, the young lady replies with the fol• lowing sensible letter, which, by the way, betrays no very high opinion of her " devoted Frank," or of his respected papa, and shadows out the coming crisis. Frank is "no long er what he used to be." W e a ll know what usual ly follows this change : A few lines I will wr.te this evening in reply to your letter just received. I am glad to think you thought it worth your while at last to write to me. You are very different, Frank, to what you used to be; all here are not a little surprised and annoyed at your proceedings at Stockwell. I think, without exception, it is one of the most ridimilous, thoughtless affairs I ever heard of. You may think it all the better for you, but I will not believe it, and papa and mamma are quite upset about your en gaging George (who consequently gave up his situation), and then allowing your father, who had nothing in the world to do with the business, to put him out. Now lie may be .nonths out of a situation. Of course you are answerable for his salary until he obtains one ; at that, of course, you will not scruple. What are you thinking of to dissolve partnership as soon as you have entered it? Why, every one will laugh at you, and just because your father heel threats and makes promises, neither of which, SATURDAY, I dare say, he will either keep or perform. I think you must be as mad as he is ; it has quite upset me and made me as wretched as is in your power to make me, and mamma will, I expect, be laid up through it. 1 will not say any more. I dare say you will not read half what I have already written, and will not answer it for a week; for that I do not mind, as I am quite miserable, and shall be so for a long long time, unless the business be settled as before. Good bye. Yours, as ever, Sum No answer was sent to this note. " Susy " wrote again, but no longer as " Slimy," or even " Yours as ever." That dreadful "Mr." was put in force, and the Christian name signed in full : Monday, May 5. Perhaps you will be kind enough, Mr. Farebrother, to send me word whether you intend writing to tee again, or whether it is your wish to break off our correspondence altogether; if so, let it be settled at once. Rhoda will call for your answer in the afternoon. I beg you will have one ready, as it is not only my wish (which is considered nothing by you), but it is mamma's particular desire to be satisfied on this point. Yours. itc., SUSAN. The inevitable result of such a note was to bring matte's to the crisis the young lady did not desire. The "devoted Frank" the next day replied as follows: Moat-house, May tl. 1858.1 Mr. Frank B. Farehrother agrees with Miss Crippen in thinking that all further correspondence between them had better cease, agreeably to her note of yesterday. Mr. F. will tomorrow send down Miss Crippen's presents and letters, and will feel obliged to her to return his through the same channel. The presents and letters were accordingly returned by both parties by means of a carman, and the plaintiff sent the following note, which closed the correspondence : Miss Crippen begs to inform Mr. Farebrother that it was quite unnecessary taking the trouble to send a list of his presents, as he need not fear she would keep one. If any are forgotten, perhaps he will send word. The salver will be forwarded to Mr. Etberedge. The defence set up was, that the young lady in this case was the real aggressor, and that her letter of the sth of May virtually released the plaintiff from the engagement. '• Not so," said the Chief Justice in summing up. The letters of the young lady either amounted to a mutual release—in which case the verdict should be for the defendant ; or else they were written in anger and from a wish to bring her lover back to a state of submission, with a desire at last to know his intentions. In such case they could not possibly amount to a release, though their tenor ought to mitigate the amount of damages. The jury considered for a few minutes and returned a verdict for the plaintiff—damages 4001. The obvious inference to be drawn from this result is, that a young gentleman cannot be permitted to accept trifling changes in the feminine temper as a release from a solemn engagement. The point is worthy of notice and recollection. AN ACTION FOR LIBEL against the proprietors of the Daily News, brought by the Earl of Lucan, was tried at the Court of Exchequer on Wednesday, be fore the Chief Baron. Sir Frederic Thesiger ap peared for the Earl of Lucan ; Mr. Edwin James for the defendants. The libel complained of ap peared in a leading article in the Daily News, of the 26th of July last. The article in question was upon the report of the Chelsea Commission, and stated that Lords Lucan and Cardigan, not having found in Lord Raglan " a firm, vigorous commander, whose will they respected and feared," had given full play to their natural and acquired vices and defects, and had introduced into the military history of their country an episode of the most discreditable descrip tion, which was not to be shuffled out of : No (continued the article), the Lucan-Cardigan scandal still remains undiminished in real gravity, at once a warn ing and an instruction to the Duke of Cambridge as to the heavy responsibility he has assumed at the Horse Guards. His first, his imperative duty, will be to throw himself upon the young and energetic officers of the army; to seek out and elevate to places of trust true ability and zeal ; to in troduce into the service a deeper sense of responsibility, a more earnest sense of duty, than the truculent insubordina tion of the two whitewashed peers and the frivolous tone of the repot t upon which we have been commenting proves to prevail among the senior members of the profession. Sir FREDERIC THESIGER in opening the case al luded to the unrestrained liberty of the press in this country:— There was no power to check its progress and to say, " Thus far shah thou go and no further." There was no public censor, and the only way by which it could be checked was by an appeal to the law for protection, and that law will punish the press when it exceeds the license which it has of commenting fairly on public men. There was a danger, indeed, to winch the press was exposed, but it was one found within itself. if the press exerted its power and freedom tyrannically, the time would come when such a state of things would raise a cry which the press could not withstand, and the consequence would be the introduction of a censorship. The learned gentleman then read and briefly ad verted to the libel complained of. The Earl of Lucan was then examined by Mr. Lush, and cress•