The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-24 00:00:00

tlewoman for that; but was he ever •talled so ? Wit-
3SS-rhave heard others call-hins so--u-monny e time."
—(Roars of laughter.)
This closed the plaintiff's case. •
Mr. Sergeant WiLarsis then addressed tbe jury for the
defence. He said after the doleful appeal which had
been made to their sympathies by his Learned- Friend
on the part of his youthful, broken-hearted, love-sick
swain, he hardly knew bow to address himself to the case
on the part of the defendant. So numerals and
morous were the facts that they reminded 4ini
once celebrated cat in a tripe;fhop—he: knew 0
where to begin.—(Laughter.) ,Barring tte' /
evidence
of the plaintiff's son, which calme shorrPa most tuts. rtre
picious and interested quarter, this-was the, most meagre 04
case ever presented to a juraki::- This was about the,
third time in the history of casesoatthis kind in which af'n6-
man had been booby enough--to.--bring—such--au- action. ---
Had they ever before, in the whole Ours° of their lives, • ,
heard of a man, 67 years of age—nearly' three score
years and ten—bringing such an action against a woman
of 57? What injury had the plaintiff sustained? How
was he damaged? It was clear that he was all but a -
pauper. Surely the plaintiff did not come into court to
complain that he could not be a pensioner on an old rIS
woman for the remainder of his life? He (the Learned .4?;
Sergeant) was strongly reminded when the son came into
the witness-box of what old Sam Weller said to his son
in "Pickwick":—"Sam," said he, "if there be a weak-
ness
that I have in this world, it is my affection Is r •
widdies, and especially if they happen to have
, th
alittle
e
blunt at the bottom." The plaintiff had .a great pen-
chant for "widdies," whether they kept the White Bear
at Manchester, or lived quiet at Bury, so long. as ,
was a little blunt at the bottom." lie could fancy the
plaintiff preparing himself for his first visit after de
widdy " was recommended" to him, pulling the grey hairs
out of his nose and tying his choker tight round his
neck, to puff the wrinkles out of his cheeks; and after-
wards going to visit her in her garden. They had read •
of Romeo and Juliet, and of youthful passion springing •
up in a moment; but in this case, an old man of 67; to
whom a widow had been recommended by a doctor, just
as he would recommend his medicine, had in some two
months perfected his suit, and they found his son talk-
ing to his prospective mother-in-law, and promising to
be'" a dutiful son" as early asNovember. The plaintiff
had evidently lost no time. His Learned Friend had
treated the letter which had been put in as a spark cal-
culated to fan into a flame the plaintiff's brilliant fancy.
Ile (the Learned Sergeant) did not see it in that light.
It began " Waterhead Mill." As his brother Murphy
observed, that was a cooler to begin with.—(Laugh-
ter.) [The Learned Sergeant then read the letter.)
Much as they might approve of the closing sentiment of
the letter, he certainly never read a less amorous one.
Then came the evidence of the scene in which the plain-
tiff's son expressed his anxiety to be a dutiful son-in-
law to the defendant. His Learned Friend had introduced
the plaintiff's son as a " fruit merchant," but he (the
Learned Sergeant) was fond of plain language. The
plaintiff's son was what they called in London a
" costermonger." He dealt "in taties, tarnips, yapples,
and sparagrass."—(Loud laughter.) The whole pro-
ceeding had been of the most business-like nature. Then
came the conclusion :
" Love they say is growing old,
Arithmetically cold,
Sells his favours now for gold."
The plaintiff began at the final meeting not with " I
hope, dearest Maria."—(Laughter.) He did not
address her, " Light of my life, charm of my soul, and
delight of my eye"—(Continued laughter)—but he
said, " I hope, Mrs. Cass, you have changed your mind?"
" Oh, no, I have not." " Very well, then," he says, "1
tender the ring—(Laughter)—if you don't marry me, I
have a son to come into the witness-box, and I will bring
an action for breach of promise of marriage against you."
Did they suppose the plaintiff cared twopence about this
widow ? His Learned Friend said, this was not one of
those cases in which " affection could be said to be like a
rose nipped in its bud." A rose nipped in its bud I—en
old worn out stump'.—(Loud laughter.)
" I am cold, I am worse,
I want a nurse
I want sweet wedlock's pleasure."
The plaintiff wanted this old lady's society on purpose to
keep his back warm—(Roars of laughter)—and he
wanted the old lady's purse to keep his stomach warm.
Burns had said—

" Oh gie me the lass that has acres of charms,
Oh gie me the lass with the weel stocked farms."
This history of the courtship of " the Widdy Cass"
would henceforth be memorable. The plaintiff's name
would live in old song.
"Did you hear of the Widdy Malone,
Oh-hone !

She lived in the town of Athlone
Alone.

She bother'd the hearts
Of the swains in them parts
So lovely was Widdy Malone.
'Till one Mr. O'Brien, of Clare,