The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-08 00:00:00

Mr. Palmer and her husband for breach of promise of
marriage.

Mr. Sergeant Pigott and Mr. Brown were counsel for the
plaintiff—and Mr, Huddlestone, Q,C., and Mr. Powell for
the defendants.

Mr. Sergeant Pigott, in opening the case, stated that
actions of this description, by men against women, were
seldom brought, but this was a proper ono for a jury.
Plaintiff was in the employ of the Worcestershire and
Staffordshire Canal Company, and was stationed on the
canal at Coomb Hill, where his father also was agent for
the same company. Defendant, Mrs. Palmer (at that time
Miss Chandler), was the daughter of a farmer living in the
same neighbourhood, and there could be no doubt from the
letters which he read that an engagement had been made
between them, Subsequently, according to plaintiff's case,
Miss Chandler found a richer lover in Mr. Palmer, and
gave plaintiff up. There was a_litee flight of fancy in the
letters. The lady, in the latter part of the correspondence,
laid much stress on the "overruling of Providence" as an
argument for breaking off the match, and she said the en-
gagement was grieving those nearest her, and she feared it
caused bins (the plaintiff) many unhappy hours. IShe
therefore asked to have her likeness and letters returned.
To this plaintiff wrote on the 4th August, commencing,
"After two years and three months' correspondence this is
your conclusion ;" and asked to have an interview, as he
would not Le trodden under foot, adding, " Mind, I've not
said you are free, nor can I. I consider lam injured in my
temporal affairs, and cannot be treated in this way. You
ask me if you are free ? I answer, ' You are not.' " The
rejoinder to this letter was lost, but on the 12th August
plaintiff again wrote, " You ask for your letters ; know they
are in my possession and will remain."
The letters were put in and read. The lady's last was
written in October, and in November she married her hus-
band, Mr. Palmer, of Kempley-court, near Ross.
Mrs. Pitchford, plaintiff's sister, was called to prove the
intimacy between the plaintiff and Miss Chandler, who was
26 years of age. She said that Miss Chandler had spoken
to her of the ;engagement, but admitted, in cross-exami-
nation, that the engagement was never spoken of in the
presence of Mrs. Palmer's father.
Mr. Pitchford, husband of the last witness, said that the
plaintiff's salary was about £BO a year, but he had been
offered a better appointment in Staffordshire.

Another witness was called, and said she was present at
Mr. and Mrs. Palmer's marriage, on the 30th November.
Mrs. Palmer had spoken to her of the engagement with
plaintiff, and said it was in opposition to the wish of her
friends.

Mr. Huddleston addressed the jury. He said he could
unders and a woman suing for breach of promise of mar-
riage, but in a man it was despicable, he having suffered
nothitg for which money could compensate him. In this
case a farthing damages would be sufficient.

The judge said it was a clear c se of jilting. The jury
must estimate the damage plaintiff had sustained.
The jury, after a quarter of an hour's deliberatien gave a
verdict for plaintiff—damages £2O.

NORFOLK CIRCUIT.—NoRwicH, April 7.
THE INUNDATION IN THE FENS LAST YEAR.

The great case of "Coe v. Wise" was brought to a close
late last night before the Lord Chief Justice Erle. It was
commenced on Wedaesday last, and occupied the court and
jury five days. It is pretty well known that this is but one
of a vast number of actions brought against the defendant
in his capacity of clerk to the mid-level drainage commis-
sioners, and as the facts in all must bo identical with the
facts proved in this case, it is probable that as far as the
assize court is concerned the cases are so far decided. But
with regard to other courts the matter is very different, and
the jury having done their part with the facts, it will remain
for the defendant.to test the worth of the verdict in point
of law, and to that end no doubt the matter will eventually
come before the highest tribunal in the land, the House of
Lords.

Early in the case Mr. Keane (who with Mr. D. Brown and
Mr. Phear was for the plaintiff) intimated that he did not
rely upon the court in the declaration averring that the de-
fendants had not shown due care and skill in the making of
the sluice originally, but should ask the jury, if in their
opinion the damage was caused by the defendants not having
exercised due care and skill in maintaining the sluice, and
in not providing proper remedies when the disaster occurred;
and lastly, was there a proper puddle wall in the bank ?
All these latter questions the jury answered in favour of the
plaintiff.
In the course of the case a great number of witnesses were
called on both sides, persons resident in the neighbourhood,
and engineers of the greatest eminence. The case on the
part of the defendants was conducted by Sir F. Kelly (spe-
cially retained), Mr. O'Mally, Q.C., Mr. Metcalfe, and Mr.
Newton.

With this ended the business of the Norfolk Circuit for
the spring assizes.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.--LIVERPOOL, April 7.
(Before Mr. Baron Martin.)

WOODLAND V. LONDON AND NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY,

Mr. Woodland, vicar of Stone, in Staffordshire, brought
an action against the London and North-Western Railway
Company to obtain compensation for having been falsely
imprisoned. On 25th January last the plaintiff left Stone in
a second. class carriage of one of the defendants' trains, on
a visit to his wife, who was staying in Liverpool with a
friend named Proudfoot. He arrived at the Edge-hill sta-
tion, near Liverpool, at 10 45 p.m., and as he was not en-
cumbered with luggage, at once jumped out of the train
when it stopped, and after availing himself of accommoda-
tion for "gentlemen only," he went to the gatekeeper, de-
livered up his ticket, and was about to leave the station,
when he was detained by one of the defendants' servants (a
man named Thorpe), who said he had been riding in a first
class carriage with a second-class ticket. Mr. Woodland was
naturally indignant at Thorpe's insolence, and told him he
was a liar, and also refused to give his address. Thorpe then
gave plaintiff into the custody of the police, and he was
locked up in one of the cells of a police-station, although he
gave his address and denied the charge, until his friend Mr,
P roudfoot came and bailed him out. The day following he
surrendered at the police court to take his trial on the charge
of having travelled in
a first-class carriage when he had only
paid for a second-class ticket. The police charge stated in
the usual way that "the prisoner could read and write, had
a knife in his pocket," So. The magistrates presiding on
that day and the following one were shareholders in the
railway company, and therefore could not investigate the
case, but ultimately it was decided, and the plaintiff was
dismissed. It appeared that the ticket collector, Thorpe,
merely suspected some one of having been guilty of the
offence with which he charged Mr. Woodland, and as the
plaintiff left the train hurriedly, and did not immediately
leave the station, he concluded that he must be the offender.
The most conclusive evidence was adduced that Mr. Wood-
land did not ride in a first-class carriag., and the jury, after
they had been addressed by Mr. Overend, Q.C., intimated
to Baron Martin that they had agreed upon their verdict,
and that it was therefore unnecessary for his lordship to
sum up. A verdict for the plaintiff was then returned—
damages, £lOO.

Extraordinary Suicides in a Family at
Singsland.

An inquiry was held by Mr. Humphreys, at the
Lord Truro Tavern, Dalston, on Monday night, re-
specting the death of Mr. Thomas Shirley, aged 67
years, a wealthy tradesman, who committed suicide
by cutting his throat with a razor on Thursday
evening last.
Alm Sarah Shirley said that deceased had for a
number of years carried on business as a grocer at
Kingsland-green. He was latterly much depressed
on account of the extension line of the North Lon-
don Railway, which was to be carried through his
premises, as he thought the amount of compensation
which the company were to allow him for turning
him out of his house insufficient. The company of
fered only £4OO, and he found it useless to resist,
and assented, but the agreement had not been
signed. Witness was deceased's third wife. He
had chi'dren by his two former wives. Two of the
children by the second wife had committed suicide,
and inquests had been held upon them. One of
them—the son—had destroyed himself and the
young person to whom he was engaged to be mar-
ried. The daughter threw herself into the river
Lea and was drowned. There was no particular
reason for her doing so. There were two children
living with deceased at the time of his suicide.

Mr. Frederick Shirley, deceased's son, said the
spring alwayto seemed to have operated in a peculiar
manner on deceased, and made him more nervous.

The Coroner, noticing this remark. remembered,
as curious, that last spring he had to hold inquests
upon some of deceased's children who had committed
suicide. The son that destroyed himself was going
to be married, but the match was disapproved of at
home, especially
by Airs. Shirley, and on his going
to his lather's house with the young woman on one
occasion, the reception he got was such that he took
his intended to a coffee-shop in the City-road, and
poisoned her and himself with cyanide of potas-
sium. When he (the coroner) viewed the bodies
thsy were still locked in one another's arms. The
daughter filled her pockets with stones and leaped
into the river Lea, apparently from domestic un-
happiness. The deceased and his two unfortunate
children appeared to have been subject to an extra-
ordinary liability to depression, resulting in sui-
cidal mania.

The jury returned a verdict of " Suicide while of
unsound mind."

Importing Tea without colour on the leaf pre-
vents the Chinese passing off inferior leaves as in the usual
kinds. Horniman's Tea is uncoloured, therefore, always
good dike, Sold in packets by 2,280 agents.