The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-04-19 00:00:00

Ltgal.

THE PRICE OF A KISS.

COOPER AND RIPE r. DAWSON.

In this oase—an action for • kiss—which came on a•
the Court of Passage, Liverpool, on Saturday, before
Edward James, FAq•' Mr. Aspinall appeared for the
plaintiffs, and Mr. Brett for Coe defendant. Mr.
Aapinall, in opening the case, said the plaintiffs in this
case were Edward Cooper, and Louis., hiA wife, and
JAM. Edvard Dawson wee the defeat km. The decla-
ration was for an assault, to which the defendant
pleaded Out guilty, and there AltA 0., justification. The
plaintiff was a publican, and hie wife seeded him in the
public-house. Some time ago they were unfortunate
enough to have some lawsuits, one of which they had
the satisfaction of trying in that court. Mr. Dawson
was an attorney, and not a very yoang gentleman, and
he would not expresa any opinion as to his personal
beouty, because possibly they (the jury) would have en
opportunity of seeing him, and judging for theauseives
on that point.
Mrs. Louisa Cooper, a handsome woman, with curls,
and respectably dreamed, wpm then eilleit into the witneas
box. She said—l am one of the phiintiffs ; my husband
and me formerly kept • public-house in Earl-street,
Liverpool; I was not always in the public-house, I wee
occasionally; on the 24th of December last I happened
to be there ; at that time there were some legal proceed-
ings pending. in which Mr. Dawson was attorney form
Orpooo. • I did know hien before that day ; on that day I
remeinbe;ed biincomingtoour bon. along with Mr. Whit-
lock. I sent any daughter into thesnog, whir. Mx. Dawson

and the other gentlemen were, to wait upon them. My
.laughter is 15 year' and 4 ininth" 01d. My da-uliter
got sonic change, mid came to Inc t'i make a compiaint,
and said she rouhl not serve any I.ingm- in the how as
it gentleman had kissed tier. 1 then went into the snug
and spoke to the defendant about it, and said I did not
allow any such liberties to be taken with my daughter.
lie asked inc where the mistletoe WAS I said I ditl
not allow any there. Ile did not say any more, but
turned my head back and kissed use, and said it was the
" sweetest kiss" he had ever had. (Laughter.) I don't
know whether he inn married man. I said I would tell
my husband, and he then went off immediately.
Mr. Brett -What is the name of the public-house?
Witoess—" Non-uch." Mr. Brett--Was there any miss
tletoe in the suing? Witness— There was no mistletoe.
I would nig let. any mistletoe be put up, on account of
iny daughter. Mr. Brett Was there not something
hanging up? Witliess—There WAS none where I was ;
there was something up, but I took care there WY no
mistletoe, becans, my daughter waited there; my daugh-
ter was not in the room the same time as I was. Mr.
Brett—Did not you hear your daughter say to him that
she would slap liiin in the face as she did others ? Wit-
ness—She ii ii slap hini in the face after he took the
liberty. Mr. Brett—Did you slap him ? Witness—l
did not slap him. He Said it Wan the " sweetest kiss" he
had ever had, and I told him perhaps it would be the
dearest. (Laughter.) My little daughter clescribed him
to me by his whiskers, which are somewhat bushy. I
sin not aware that he boasts of being • handsome man,
I or a very clever WAIL
. .

Miss Louisa tilowinan Cooper, a pretty and very smart
little girl. the daughter of the last witness, was then
called. She said I am the daughter of the hod wit-
ness. I remember the defendant • outing to the bar on
the 24th of December. He kissed me --(laughter) —and
I slapped him in the face. (Renewed laughter.) I then
went out and 'old my mamma that a dirty old Jew had
kissed me. (Gr• at laughter.) When my mother went
in she said she did not allow gentlemen to take such
liberties with her daughter, and lie kitsed her ! Mr,
Brett—Don't you like to be kissed by Jews? (Laugh-
ter.) Witness—Not by any gentleman ; not particularly
Jews. (Great laughter.) I slapped his face, and pushed
hi,,, away violently ; I slapped him more than MCC.
This concluded the evidence on the part of the plain-
tiff.

Mr. Brett said this was the first that they had heard
of an attorney kissing. There were times and seasons
which might lend a particular zest to a kiss; and if any
of them had not tried, he would venture to say that •
kiss at Christmas was worth all the kisses they got the
year round. (Laughter.) There was s ))))) ething in the
weather that made it 1.0 agre• able --(renewed laughter)
—and. According to the opinion of his client, he had no
doubt that that was the nicest kiwi he had ever got in
his life. (Laughter.) They had Well this nice lady in
the box, and for the life of him lie did not see how
defendant could kiwi her without getting on the table.
(Laughter.) She must have been almost stooping down;
and although there was no mistletoe Mr. Daweon must
have believed there was, and the temptation was a great
one. The girl came in. and he kissed her jocosely. Mr.
Dawson might have been jolly on that evening. Poor
Mr. Dawson was overcome. (Laughter.) His cheek
was just tickled with Mrs. Cooper's ringlets, and lie
just tickled her cheek (laughter), and he had not taken
! the bloom off the peach ; she just looked as well now
as then. Her neighbours would be just as fond of her ;
in fact, be rather thought they would go the faster to
see her, because when the accouot of the trial appeared
in the papers everybody would go to the " Nonsuch" to
look at Mrs. Cooper, who •an kiased by Mr. Dawson.
The jury returned a verdict for the ifaintiff for £5;
the learned Assessor remarking that it was a "dear
kiss."