The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-05-22 00:00:00

A BREACH OF PROMISE.

At the Leeds Assizes, on Monday, Mr. Justice Cave
and a jury had before them an action for breach of
promise of marriage brought by Matilda Rosling, of
Leeds, against Wm. Bellamy, a clerk in the Midland
Railway superintendent's office at Derby. The plaintiff
was a saleswoman in a fancy shop in Leeds, and made
the acquaintance of defendant at the house of a,
common friend in the autumn of 1884. An attach-
ment sprung up between them, and though there was
no written promise, there was a verbal arrangement
that they should be married last Christmas. Soon
after the acquaintance began the defendant com-
menced to write most tender letters to plaintiff,
addressing her as "My darling," or "My dearest
Tillie," bewailing his lonely condition, in connection
with which he mourned the non-existence in Derby
of places of amusement, where he might for an hour
find entertainment to fill the void created by the
plaintiff's absence. He subscribed himself " Your
loving Will," and in one letter crosses for " kisses "
were supplemented by a couple of verses addressed to
"My dear, my only idol." The defendant afterwards
became cool in his letters, begged the plaintiff to con-
sider the deplorable condition of two people made
miserable for life, and asked her to release him. It
afterwards transpired that he had become enamoured
of another lady.
The defendant, in the course of his examination,
said he received £9O a year salary. He had no
houses—those which had been mentioned belonged to
his parents, and there was a mortgage on them. They
brought in 6s. 3d. per week each.
Mr. Firth: Now, tell me what is your explanation
of this vast mass of correspondence ?—We corre-
sponded merely as friends.
The question of engagement has been mentioned.
Did you ever ask the lady to share with you your
future weal or woe? (Laughter.)—Never.
By Mr. Middleton: Do you usually address your
lady friends as" My dearest Tillie" and" My darling
Tillie," and so forth ?—To her I did.
Did you ever address any other lady like that?—
One or two. (Laughter.)
His Lordship: All at the same time ?—No; one at
a time.

Mr. Middleton: Have you ever been threatened
with breach of promise ?—No.
And never kicked by a brother ?—No.
Have you ever said that if you lost this action you
would file your petition ?—Yes.
His Lordship: Don't rely upon that too much.
They make people pay now. (Laughter.)
His Lordship having pointed out the undoubted ex-
istence of a promise of marriage from the correspon-
dence, the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff for
£5O and costs.

DREADFUL BOAT ACCIDENT ON
THE THAMES.

A shocking boating fatality occurred at Bray on
Saturday afternoon. Three gentlemen and threg
ladies hired a boat at Henley with the intention of
rowing to Windsor. Near Bray Lock the strong cur-
rent carried them against the danger post, near the
weir, capsizing the boat and throwing all its occupants
into the water. The lock-keeper, Norris, saw the ac-
cident, and a punt was quickly pushed off to render
assistance. Further help was obtained and efforts
were made to rescue all members of the party. Three
of them were, however, drowned—namely, Mr.
Nicholas and Miss Slack, of Walthamstow, and Miss
Gregor, of Aberdare. The following details are sup-
plied by a correspondent: The boating party con-
sisted of three ladies and three gentlemen, who
used a mahogany-built randan, hired from Peachey
and Johnston, of Henley. They lunched under
the Cliveden Woods, and passed safely through
Boulter's Lock about 4.15. The first intimation of
danger came from a cabin boy on the barge Home-
side, close to Bray Lock. Ho shouted, "Look out;
they'll all be in the water." Morris, the lock-keeper,
his son William, and daughter Ada were instantly
on the scene, and found that the boat, at the entrance
to the lock cut, had caught athwart the " danger "
post, one of four or five stout piles driven into the
river as a guide into the lock. To this two of the
ladies and one of the men were clinging. The boat,
strange to say, did not capsise, but swung round into
the weir stream, which the late extraordinary rains
have rendered very fierce and rapid. As it drifted,
young Morris put out in a dingey secured to the bank,
and actually succeeded in catching the painter, the
boat being stern first. He had his head and arms
submerged by the strength of the current, and was
forced to let go his hold. Then the occupants, seeing
all hope was gone, stood up, and the craft, three
parts full of water, turned over. Morris, standing on
the weir star, grasped at a lady's head as she ap-
proached. He failed to hold her. He turned to the
other side as she went under the stage with a like
result. Then she was forced by the rush of water
through the ryrners and went over the weir into the
seething mass of bro....en water below. Some embank-
ing operations urn going on, and large lighters I`4.
or 15 feet from the bank are secured by heavy iron
chains. Across one of these the lady was thrown, and,
with great presence of mind, managed to draw herself
up so that her bead and shoulders were kept out of
the stream. Morris, seizing a heavy hitcher, went
down the steep and slippery bank and plunged into
the boiling treacherous eddying water, many feet in
depth. He was at once dragged under, but, struggling
to the surface, be supported himself on a floating pile,
and after one or two vain efforts, managed to hook
the drowning girl by her shoulder, and get near
enough to the bank to enable Ada Morris, with some
assistance, to get her ashore. Ada, who for a young
girl of 17 appears to have shown wonderful coolness
and resource, succeeded in getting her up the
dangerous bank and into the lock cottage, where,
after receiving every attention, the lady speedily
recovered. Meanwhile the two other ladies
who had clung to the danger - post were
forced from exhaustion to relinquish their bold
and were both drowned. One being also taken across
a lighter chain, some feet farther out, clung to it
tenaciously for a time, then threw up her arms, and
met her death. The eddy enabled her body to be re-
covered within a very few minutes. One of the gentle-
men was saved at the weir staging, the other was
rescued from the post to which he was clinging. The
third gentleman was carried over the weir and lost.
Morris, while still struggling in the water to escape
with his own life, after he had saved another's, burst
into tears. We learnt this was because he had not.
been able to rescue the hapless lady who, within six
or eight feet of him, he saw grasping at the chain,
and then swept away. His conduct, that of his son
William, and especially that of his courageous young
daughter Ada, is worthy of the highest admiration.
The names of the unfortunate deceased are Miss
Slack (of Walthatnstow), Miss Florence Gregor (a
youag lady on a visit from Wales), and Mr. Nicholas.