The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-16 00:00:00

BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE.

ARBITRATION CASE.—SATURDAY.
ROGERS V. THOMPSON.
This was an action for breach of promise of marriage,
in which the damages were laid at 1,0001. The case came
on for bearing at the close of Trinity Tern, in the Court
of Exchequer, but owing to the singular revelations
which the defendant's counsel said he would be compelled
to make, as the basis of his defence, the Lord Chief
Baron suggested that it would be advisable to refer the
else to some gentlemen of the bar. This course was
adopted, and it was mutually agreed that this matter_
should be submitted to Mr. Serjeant Shee, for arbitra-
tioe, whose award has just be.-n prorntilgat,-d.
Mr. E. James, Q.C., who conducted the plaintiffs casa
at the trial, submitted tte.t if "injured innocence' was
to be protected, his client was justly entitled to full com-
pensation for the wrongs she had sustained. The plaintiff,
Miss Emma Rogers, the daughter of a deceased artist,
bad been re-king with her widowed mother at the vil-
lage of Oki Cliarlten, in Kent, aid by her skill iu paint-
ing fur papier mache work, she was enabled to acquire
the means of supporting herself and her parent in re-
spectability. In the exercise of her professional duti.s
sits had to come up to London for orders, and up ,n cite
occasion, in the course of last year, elle became accideet-
ally acquainted with) the defendant (Mr. Thompsoo),
who caries .1 the business ef a machine rule iiieuutac-
nrer, and who is also a bill discounter. Though consi-
derably older than the plaintiff, Mr. Thompson was fas-
cinated by the mental and personal charms of the young
lady, and after repeated interviews the defendant bee
came an accepted suitor, and the wedding breakfast was
fixed to take place at the house of Mrs. iirkland, in the
Westmi• ster-road, and it was settled that two of that
lady's daughters should officiate as bridesmaids. The
bridegroom. however, did not make his appearance, and
the plaintiff subsequently discovered, to her grief and
astenishmen/-, that he was a married man, having a wile
living and a large family of children. trader these cir-
cumstances the action was brought to irdetnnify the
plaintiff f.r the injury she had sustained. [Three letters
were put in fir the purpose of establishing the alleged
promise of marriage ]
Mr. Serjeant Wilkins, for the defence, in a strain of
withering sarcasm, denounced the claim of the plaintiff
as a vile attempt to extort money fr his client ;he
undertook to prove that the letters relied upon were base
forgeries, concocted by an artful and unprincipled young
woman, or, it not by the lady herself, by some injudicious
friends, under whose advice she had thus foolishly
asked for 1,0001., as the moderate cernpeesation due to
" injured Innocence." Let us see, said the learned ser-
jeaut, what are the real facts of this shameful case; and,
first of all, what is there so very atlrac:ive in the person
of my client that a young woman should fall so despe-
rately rately in love with him at first sight ? He is a litht'a
had
for•oeti man, so short of stature indeed that if be d t
look over twopence he would have to stand uopfon_ae
n.sheet. a
of paper. He bas, however, the reputations bi
8,
en
rich man, and possibly this gentle lady() havehZpenedi that
Thompson's vizage in his purse. It
first metB Miss Rogers,
my client had, on the day
and having drank more
been dining with two gentlemheeern;
nice rale pre,cribes, the
wine than regard to the tebrep.
When passing along the
party sallied out fora ram
Strand they saw a young and pretty woman looking in
at a shop window.
One of the gentlemen bet Thom-
son a bottle of wine that be would not have courage to
speak to her.
"Faint heart never won fair lady ;"he
did address her, was
not repulsed, and the lady ad-
journed with them to a tavern, wbere they had sundry
refresh me and, eventually, Thompson, who was the
longest Purseto,
of n
the party, so far ingratiated himself
into blissbliss,
Rogers favour that he had the supreme
felicity
of escorting her in a cab to the railway sta-
tion, and they continued to meet, on subsequent occa-
sions, by the lady's own appointment, for in one of her
letters she wrote thus :—" I will be at the corner of the
court at the u-ual time. We will go to Drury-lane
(Theatre), and I will atop." All this was, no doubt,
highly immoral—in a married man more especially, but
sail it did not constitute any claim for breaoh of promise
of marriage, as het out in the declaration.
From the evidence adduced before the learned arbi-
trator, it appeared that the defendant had frequently
given the plaintiff sums of money, but there was nothing
to sustain the alleged complaint, with the exception of
some letters which were proved to be mere fabrications.
The award was, consequently, for the defendant.