The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1810-06-19 00:00:00

L. 11,/ INTELLNIeferi,

COUKt OF KING'S BENCH,Wettioietea, /wit 11.
Sittings at Ni i "'ruts. before bird ELLIN-
and a Special Jetty.
SEDUCTION.
strrrom v. STKPHENS.

This was an action brought by the Plaintiff, to
recover damages for the loss or the senices of his
daughter, by her being seduced by the Dermtiant,
and also to recover the expetctes of her lying-tu,
and the maintenance of her child.

Mr. GARROW stated, that the Plaintiff, the
father of the unfortunate seduced, hail been a
grocer, at Havant, near Portsmouth, but failed, end
recently was in the einploy of • grocer at Ports-
mouth. He left his wife and six children at
Havant. The wife, from ill health, WA3 unable to
assist him in supportiog his faintly, but his eldest
daughter, who had fallen lry the wile. of the Defeo-
dant, kept a SIII3II school for the education of fe-
males ; the profits of which she gave to the Plain-
tiff. The Defendant Was an Attorney, residing in the
same town. In June last he first addressed the
unfortunate girl, unknown to the Plaintiff; he Was
so professed in the art of seduction, that, by the
3d of July, lie had accomplished hie purpose. The
reset of the guilty amour was a child, who
the Plaintiff had-not wily to support, but to pay all
the expenses of the aecnrechement. This was not
the only loss; for, besides the hearl.rendcig pangs a
virtuous father must feel, he, by her unfortunate
seduettno , lost treTroflut 'fit thei.chturt, a 4.
lfrren s,
after his daughters disgrace. would not entrust
their children to her care. He corer riled that this
was a inset aggravated case, anal ale damages could
be too grey' fur t:m jury to give. If he was in-
structed right. the conduct of the daughter had
been most exemplary until she becanie acquainted
with the Defendant; that she had receiv..ll u most
religious and moral education ; that however un-
fortunate her father. the Plaintiff, had been in
trade. yet Ins conduct, and that of his wife, was
irreproachable. Ile then proceeded to call his
witnesses.

Mary Sutton, the seduced. a hand3ome-looking
female. 21 years of ag •, dressed wore as a bride
than as • witnessing elicit an oc:iss rot, without !he
least ensbarrassmeht, d nosed that the Plaintiff
lived at Portsmouth, but formerly at Playsuit ; that
ha had sit children. three sons end three daugh-
ters. of whom she was the eldest; her mother ass
in very bad health; .he (the witness) did the
wort of the house. and presided over the
nniteti ; ehe hod between 20 mild 30 fentele
the profits of which she u•eil to ray over to
the Mint& In June. 1809, as she won walking
in the-Substebs of the town. the Ihlcinlaitt accost-
ed her; I' had known hint by sight be lore on the
evening .. .le 9d of Judy, she; was seat by her mo-
ther to . cut her sisters. and to bring them 'tome;
the meet the Defendant ; they walked some time to-
gether; they came to the end of a lane. when the
Defendant said. if she would go into the field. he
would spew her a new road that was waking, whirl)
was a short cut home. and that lie would &tiro she..
her • beautiful prosiwet. She did not believe wit t
he asserted to be true ; hint, however, hr enticed
her over the gate. and the erdociian ass completed
in the fit Id ; the couseqn, .ice of which vitas,
,thei
she was delivered of t tot• I lit t:te eisi or ~; it
months. The Plaiot:lT the expense of her
ereen7hessinsi, VIM had maiutaincd her and the child
ever since.

0 . her . rois.eximittatino, by Mr. Jetortt., she
said .1, • . itl waked too ur three tins's, at right
•k oith the IJefeuJant, before
the 3.1 of July ; he ..,c,l to w•lk past the house,
and give a 5!,41,;41, by b..•knuing. when she (the
wanes.) writ.l.l up the lane. She bad
known Mr. I.o.l4eroft three or four years; hie was
an articled clerk to the D-leioloot; she bed never
met him ... it 111•Vel, but frequ.ittly in a Witt he
had nitro taken liberties with i.e.,. such us putting
his hand usher bosun), and others, of tvo indeli-
cate a suture for us to report. She had educated
fens de children, but not in that way. She never
complained of nit SCI'S slot loiying her 74. er Se.
when they became due. There never had beets an
improper coesurc between her and longrroft ;
he had pearl lu, address to her. but the courtship
lied been broken off f, months.

In answer to a question put by Lord ELLEN-
toanuom, she said the family lived at Havant, but
the Plaintiff paid the expenses. The Defendant
was the oily wrson that hail hero criminally con-
iseetwil with her; Loweroft never pro"eeded to, far.
although he might ; but lie intended to marry her.
Mary Toogood deposed, that she lived in the
Plaintiff's family eighteen years. had known the
feat nitwit,' limn her infancy—always considered
her as a srell.condected girl. until the affair with
the Defendant. She attended her iu her accaadie-
reissit, and the Plaintiff paid the expenses.

Well aral Sharpe also spoLe a% to the griortatl good
diameter of thefluilitilf and
.1s;/,

Win.llyard, Esq. knew the fketitily of the Plain-
tiff far tweuly years, and, as far as he knew, their
coiwinci heel been irreproachable.

On Ins erar•examuwUun he admitted he had
heard that Mary Sutton had been guilty of great
levity of cooirio. t.
Tina elu,ell the Plaintiff's ease.

Mr. J[loll.ll, then rose, for the purpose of ad-
dressing the Jury, but was interrupted by Lord
Es.t.unionounit, who observed, that it would be
unnecessary to detain the Jury by any thing the
Learned Counsel could say. It had been proved
that the Plaintiff's daughter had been put in • 111•••
filiation by the Defeisilaist to deprive the Plaintiff'
of her cervices, and that he hail otherwise been put
to rnnsidereble expense ; the Jury would therefore
give him a fair compensation for his loss.
One of the Jnryrnen inquired from his Lordship,
whether, in essessing divulges. they were to pro.
ode fur the future support of the chili?
Lord Et.l.Runottousai—" Certainly nut ; if she
chose to get a child, she must keep it."
The Jury, after • few in tes consideration, re-
tained s verdict of 501. damages.
Lord Et.t.isnottounit—." I hope I shell see no
more of those actions brought from the country.
tinder the idea of gaining excessive damages. I
fill sorry for the father, the Plaintiff, hut the daugh-
ter has not sustaiited injury to the value of vue