The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-12-27 00:00:00

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EXTRAORDINARY BREACH of PROMISE
CASE.—X3,OOO DAMAGES.

At the Liverpool Assizes a most extraordinary case of
broach of promise of marriage has been tried before Mr. Baron
Pollock, the damages being laid at £ld,00(1.
The plaintiff, a handsome lady of 22, is the daughter
of Mr. Nuttal, a Liverpool merchant and shipowner,
who died last January, leaving a widow and five
children, two of whom were daughters. In the spring
Mrs. Nuttal and her daughters went to stay for
some time at Buxton where they met the
defendant, Mr. George Henry Wilde', who was also
staying there with some friends. Mr. Wildes, who
represented himself as wealthy and of good social
position, was introduced to Miss Nuttal. and paid her
great attention, finally pr iposing marriage. He was
accepted, though he explained that he had been mar-
ried before, that he had two children—who resided
with his mother in Lowndes-equare, London—and that
he had procured • divorce from his wife. The proposed
marriage was approved of on all sides, and Mrs. Wilds.
wr 4e in the moot motherly and affectionate terms to
the plaintiff. Ultimately the wedding was fixed for
the 11th of October, but on the 3rd of that month the
defendant wrote to Miss Nuttal that he had had a
meeting with his divorced wife, that people had lied to
him about her, and that he loved her as much as ever.
In fact on the 11th October his re-marriage to his wife
was published in the newspapers.
Mr. Pope, QC., appeared for the plaintiff, and
having dated the above facts, said he did not wish to
say a hard word of the defendant, and much might be
said for him, while it might even be urged with truth
that tkfere was nothing in hiere-marriage with his first
wife, if he found his love for her still constant, to call
for any observation derogatory to his character as a
man of honour. Yet the blow to Mies Nuttal was a
very sad one. She at all events, had allowed her young
affections to be lavished upon him under the statement
that he loved her. The learned counsel then referred
to the prospect if social advancement and of settlement
which the plaintiff had lost, and for which she sought
compensation at the hands of the jury.
the plaintiff, her mother, and her sister were called,
and gave evidence to the above effe,A. Mrs. Nuttal
etated that the defendant had toil her he had an in-
dependent income of £1,400 a year, and that he allowed
£3OO a year to his divorced wife.
For the defence Mr. Charles Russell, Q.C., called
Mr. ltichar i W. liaise, of London, the defending
solicitor, who fasted that although the plaintiff's total
income was £lO5O a year he had to pay £3OO a year
to Lie wife, £2OO to his children, and other amounts,
which reduced his income to only I:450 a year.
Mr. Ituesell then addressed the Court on behalf of
the defendant. He had always thought it was most
In tengruous to talk about bruised feelings and blighted
affections and yet in the next breath to talk of money
damages as a solafiusi for it all. It was a matter of as
much pain to Captain Wildes as it waste Mies Nuttal
to come there. Granted that he had made the promise ;
granted that he had made it rashly, inconeiderattly,
and imprudently; granted that be had broke the
promise, what wnere the dlllllll,oe, he ought to pay? If
the jury thought he had broken his promise for a base
and eordiii reseon, even though he mioht not be able to
pay one tithe, still t them co ulut him in heavy damages;
but if they thought that it wan a poimise " noire
honoured in the breach than in the obeervance," better
a thousand tinier that it boil never been made, or that
being made it should be broken. No one could say a
permanent ehadow had been cast upon the young lady's
life and happineee ; sho was young, attractive,
fascinating, had all the spirit of health and the appear-
ance of those charms calculated to please the most
fastidious, and this was inly an episode in her life, an
episode of a painful and distressing character, but still
only an episode.
The Judge having summed up the Jury retired, and
after some deliberation returned • verdict of £3,000
damages.
The following letters were read during the progress of
the case :
" 2, Cromwell-place, S. Kensington, 3rd Oct, 1673.
"My Dear Annie,-1 fear the contents of this letter will
cause you great pain and sorrow, bat, nevertheless, I
must write It. I was greatly annoyed at hearing from
my solicitors that your mother had proposed to deity
the wedding because of the settlements, although no altera•
Dons had takemplace on my side In them. I came up to
town to see about this, and fully prepared to return to
you and make you a kind and good husband. You may
remember asking me 1114111 loved my wife, a. Mr.. Williams
told you she thought I did I saki no, I thought not; and
told you I loved you with wham, not so strong but • quieter
love ; and this I believed. I have never men my .lle for
two years and • half, and thought that all love for her was
now gone from me, but it is not ; I have seen her again.
She has been living very quietly 1,11 i properly with her mother
and brother for a long time, and people have lied to me and
miuiated feet.. I Into, her as much as ever, and CILII only
thank God that this meeting did not take place after our wad-
ing Instead of before, so as to spars us much future misery.
Had I not come to London 1 could not have seen her,
and we should have been married, and I should have met
her afterwards and what would have been the result;
Eodleas misery for yen, her, and myself. You will see now
that marriage between us Is Impossible, and that our en-
gagement must end. Poor Annie ! how sorry I am for you,
but I shall never marry now, unless I take back my wife,
an I can only pray God to soften the blow for you, and let us
feel that It has been sent with • good cud lii comber upon
us now Instead of hereafter. I to abroad immedlakily, and
rem alu, dear Annie, still always your affectionate friend,
" GEO. H WILDEs."
Gwyu, SI. Asaph, August 16th, 1173,
My darling George,-1 have Just sent Re rato by Ampb
with • telegrtm, am now about to devote ten minutes
solely and entirely to your own big self ft am told, obaerved
Mr. Pope, that he is a floe big handsome fellow, likely
to all act the fancy of a glrit for I feel confident you
have not been able to make out two words consecutively In
that alarming specimen of my penmanship 1 favoured
you with yeaterday afternoon. And so you really think that
your mother will like me. Do you know Alto-? I feel half
afraid to see her for fear the original should mint imprers
her so favourably as the photo has done ; but you will
he with me will you not? And with you at my side
Ido not think I shall have very much to fear. By the
way, I must not omit to thank you for the eau de cologne
How good you are to me, and I—how am I to repay you
for all your kindness? I can only do it in one way, by
filling your life with sunshine, and with God's help, and not
Alice, I will do all in my power to make you forget
the bitter past, or at least look beck upon It without pain.
I should like photos of the children ; if you have coy to
spare, wiliyou bring them with you to-morrow? We have
not seen af ything of Aire Williams since you left, Coe
Germ, not being sufficiently attractive when ladles are Its
sole occupants. MACOMB sends her kindest regards to Cap-
tain Jones, to which kindest regirda tell him 1 add my
spinsters roils, and with dearest love to yourself, blieve
always your own, ANNIE NKTTALL.
16111 Sept, mber.
Dearest Atude,—Your luring letter Is irresiatti,L., and I
sincerely hope nothing will prevent my coming to your
marriage on the Mb of next month. Indeed, dear
Annie, from my own observaUon I feel convinced you
will make dear George • loving wife, and mate up to him
by • future domestic happy life for his past life ot
failure and disappointment I already love you for your
winulog manner towards myself, and feel that I shall
have an affectionate daughter, hereafter, and sincerely 'nut
no ql,pud will ever C 01219 between no. I am, as you know de-
voteUly attached to George, and his happiness is mins. I
shall look forward to our meeting with nation pleasure; and
now, dear, plasm Widow if you will like a travelling hog or
a cespatch box best, or if you have them alreadv.—Witb
love, believe me, yours affectionately, AGNES WILDEL
Niy dear Mrs. Nuttall,--I was sorry that my brief visit pre
vented more than a few words between you and me about
this important business. I gathered, however, from your re-
marks that you, equally with myself, deprecate the hasty
mantissa amusements proposed by George and Annie; In-
deed, 1, for one, cannot see how they are to be carried out,
'ustlemu, as you said, they are "to come together without •
definite understanding of their means, and that we can help
them afterwards." I think • marriage under such circum-
stances would be unwise. I understand from yen that Annie
will not have any thing at all to add to George's now limited
Income, His habits, in my mind, are too settled forties to
Iris In •prudent way ; but he thinks diderendy, and justly
says it concerns himself and Annie most; and we all epee to
leave this question to the lawyers. For myself, I have how.
ever, in order=ilvent ell misunderstanding, to say that,
on ills first I settled on my son as mush as I
could spare, and 't
goes to his two children. I have
since done what I could for him; and, U he marries, It
must be without any expectation of help teem me. This I
have thought it my duty to say to you. I hope, If they do
marry on each small moans, they will not be less happy ; and
1 WO sure your dear loving child is calculated to make the
happliese of any home. Times give her.'my love, and, with
kind regards to yourself and Kiss Mutts% I am sincerely
AGNES WILDE.% your.,