The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-08 00:00:00

continued, and on the 26th of June, 1839, he
again expressed, by letter, his intention of marrying
her, and he hoped that he should soon arrive
with joyful tidings. On the 15th of April, 1840,
he again wrote a letter, in which he promised to
purchase the ring and the license at the earliest oppor-
tunity. He did purchase the ring at Storey's.
in Regent-street ; he did purchase the license,
for he should put in the affidavit, he made on
obtaining it ; he applied to a milliner to make her is.
tended wedding clothes, and went with Miss Darbon to
319, Regent-street, where he ordered a bonnet for her,
and behaved as if she was already his wife, instead of
about to become so. He continued writing to the prain-
tiff, and deluding her with false hopes until the three
months for which the license lasted had expired, and in
the month of October, 1840, he wrote to her desiring
to putan end to the connection, and offering to settle an
annuity of 401. a-year on her as a proof of his affection, and
stating that nothing should again tempt him to enter the
marriage noose. This proposal she rejected, and determined
to appeal to a Jury. of her country against one who had
stolen her affections, and induced her to believe
that it was his intention to raise her to station
and to wealth. Up to that period, he did
not complain of the tone of Mr. Rosser's letters ;
but he had since written letters which he (Mr. P.)
thought he must be sorry he had put his hand to.
On the 7th of May, 1841, after the plaintiff had con-
sulted her legal adviser, he addressed a letter to her,
beginning, " You little ingrate ;" and after stating
that he had received a letter from a lawyer, who
stated that he had been the friend of herself and family
fur years—added, " you never mentioned him to me, and
if this be so it must be another of your sly secretions?'
The letter then went on to threaten plaintiff with
an exposure if she persisted in her action, and
to say that, in self-defence, he should be obliged to
say all he knew of Kitchen and the Northumberland.
Shades, the Opera Parade, and her being driven one
night from the Northumberland Shades, because the
lodgings were occupied by.some other person, and her
paramour, when she had to throw herself upon his pro-
tection, he had to get a post-chaise, and take her home
at twelve o'clock at night. Of the meaning of all this he
(Mr. Platt) was utterly ignorant ; these stories were
fabrications from beginning to end, and he declared that
any insinuations against the character of the plaintiff
were utterly and completely false. Mr. Rosser did
riot seem inclined to heal the wound he had
inflicted, for, on the 17th of March, 1841, he wrote
her a letter, stating that—Auld Robin Gray—and he
(Mr. Platt) wished that the defendant had followed Auld
Robin Gray's example—that Auld Robin Gray thought
he should die shortly, and before he did so, he wished
to provide for a certain person ; but before he did so, he
must be sure that she had given up all her intentions of
Pickwicking him, and warning her not to spend
her money on law or she would ruin herself.
He would recommend her to beware of the fangs of
the law ; such proceedings would in the result do her
no credit. That, said the Learned Counsel, was evi-
dently held out to preVent her from coming into Court,
and challenging inquiry. On the 29th March, he wrote
that, wishing at all events once more to bid his favourite
protegee farewell, he would see her at her own house,
or wished to see her at his, adding, that she had still
Old Robin's best wishes for her health and hap-
piness. On the 12th of April, 1841, he wrote that he
had received some rent on her account, and said he had
before expressed a 'desire to know how her sister was,
but had not been gratified ; so that there were threats
on the one hand, and wheedling on the other. Proba-
bly, he said, she would be soon coming to receive her
dividends. He would be glad to see her, accompanied
either by her mother or by her sister Elizabeth, to settle
money and other matters. She might, 'ere long, have oc-
casion to say that Old Robin Gray was very good to her ;
she knew his affectionate heart towards her. First
they had a threatening letter ; then a wheedling letter
in reference to money matters, hoping to get the
affair settled in that way. By and bye, it
would be said that the parties had relinquished each their
claim upon the other, and, therefore, that no claim could
be set up now on the part of the plaintiff. But, in addition
to these, a letter was written addressed to the mother of
this lady. In that letter he said that on his return to
town from Gloucestershire, to him a very wearisome
journey, he had learned that Sophia was promising him
a very indelicate, iniquitous, and Pickwickery suit again.
He could not believe that it had originated with herself,
and wished to prevent her from being hold up to ridicule
for aiming at an old man such as he was fur a
husband against all causes and reasons on his
part. He then went on to allude to the connexion
between the plaintiff and a Mr. W. E. Kitchen,
who, he said, lived in Northumberland-court, which
had written upon it at both ends " Beware," and
said that in case she persevered in her present conduct
all the circumstances would be exposed. His confidence
in Sophia had, he said, sunk materially ; but still he had
a kind feeling towards her, pitied and sympathised with
her, and although he thought she had dealt unfairly
by him, he was rather more inclined to rescue her
from the terrible fangs of the laws than to hold her
up to ridicule. If she chose to pursue her Pick-
wickeries, he would take back the monies which
he had placed in her name, to enable her mother to afford
her more comfort, and to make her less of a Cinderella
or drudge to the family. He had acted under the belief
that she was an innocent and artless girl. Ile wished
the mother to read Mr. Kitchen's letters attentively.
The engagement had, he believed, been broken
off; because Mr. Kitchen could not afford the
match. If he found Mr. Kitchen an eligible
match he would do something towards removing
that difficulty. It was then suggested that her
object was to unite with him because stie knew he could
not last long, and she could then unite herself to Mr.
Kitchen. lie was truly sorry, lie continued, for the
trouble which Mrs. Darbon must have experienced, occa-
sioned by Sophia's pursuit of him against all his ream'',
.itranccs. This letter, said the Learned Counsel, as a
most artful and designing one. It was addressed
to the mother, who of course had the most tender regard
for her child, who would be„particularly desirous that the
breath of slander might not sully in the least degree the
reputation of her child. On the one hand he held out to
her the chance of an exposure, and on the other lie made
an offer of compromise. An attentive perusal, however,
of those three letters seemed to have changed his mina.
Oa May 11, 1840, there was a letter in his hand-writing
addressed to Mrs. Darbon. In this letter, he said he sent,
by Sophia's request, three letters of her's, of the 3d, 9th,
and 15th of October, 1836,. which he had again perused
with attention. He did not; he said, attribute the least
blame to her, but he considered it a misfortune to
her that she should have been connected with a per-
son of the description which she mentioned. Ile
begged, in conclusion, that she would give his very
kindest regards to Sophia, showing, that upon that
date he had passed a deliberate judgment upon those
letters. On the 20th of July he addressed another
letter to the mother. lie said he had yesterday
received information from the family attorney,
that she hail sent him his confidential letter,
totiss quoties, or neck and heels." He (the attorney)
seemed in great anxiety lest the Pickwickery scheme
should be frustrated, by his calling upon and seeing
eiophia, and getting her to unriddle the scheme which
she had brought upon the tapis. To release them from
any further trouble on that score, he assured them that
he did not intend to intrude any call upon them but
with their entire approbation, and he (the attorney)
need not hold himself in readiness for meeting
him at their residence. The Learned Counsel said the
Jury would know that this matter, having been placed in
the hands of an attorney, it was altogether unprofessional
for the defendant to send a letter to the parties
interested. It was to a complaint made in conse-
quence of this unprofessional conduct that the letter
alluded. When speaking of the anxiety of the
attorney, " Mine and Sophia's," continued this
letter, will be a tidy little farce, and may be entitled " A
Timely Discovery and Lucky Escape. On the 4th of
October,. 1841, Mr. Rosser, continuing his course of in-
sult, addressed a letter to the plaintiff. In this
letter he said he lamented much for her sake that she

had been placed, or been driven into the trammels of the
instead of accepting gratefully his philanthropic
future boon ; induced purely by compassion tOr
his circumscribed means, and relying' upon his as-
surances respecting W. E. Kitchen ; but, as she had

chosen to pursue her suit against him, he had been
under the necessity of ;searching out those who had been
able to iteerpret Mr. Kitchen's three letters. He had
been informed, he said,. of many of her adventures, and
amongst the rest of her accepting an invitation from an
East ndian Captain, and the offence given to Mr.
Kitchen by that act. He left it to her whether she would
ithdraw her abominable action, or submit to an exposure.
The defendant next tried the persuasive powers
of. his poetry upon the plaintiff. But he (Mr.
Platt) could not say whether his verses were iambic or
trochaic, or of that peculiar style which the writer him-
self described them " doggrel."—(A laugh.) One epistle
ran thus_

“ I_}y,iootutlreilSooypinll,
lle'tvteernso, tanf(oir\gvohta t
not,
,11:3:(ue)etettl,rnissr_.:(i)vn_oigt,;.trrtpti,le.,,,,([d7s,,e over your long epistles,
tliowlllonvoitnagbiunsies,siles ;
you
called
foriltlr
honey being
and of mighty use;
bar)tic.,,, of beinw gone,
that ere long,
.I:lldeari !”
, own you that all you do is ,„•,„
What cheats of all degrees there
And China talk is earthenware
are'
Your conduct it is most provoking
And Pickwick 's driven beyond joking.
These lines are doggrel, I allow,
But yet will think they meaning show ;
But if you come with due subjection, -
You shall have all my kind protection?'
(The reading of these verses was frequently interrupted
by bursts of laughter.) He (Mr. Platt) conld not doubt
that the Jury would perceive that all the object of the
letters and epistles was to insult and terrify the plaintiff
They were a gross aggravation of his previous conduct.
He, therefore, did not doubt that when he had shown
them that the character of the plaintiff was irreproach-
able, and that the defendant had no excuse for his inju-
rious conduct towards her, they would give her such
damages as would satisfy. the world that she had not
merited the treatment she had experienced.
Mrs. Sarah l)arbon was then called and examined by
Mr. Wright. She said she was the widow of Mr. John
I)arbon, who died in 1812. His father did not die until
1821, witness having succeded to her father-in-law's bu-
siness in 1814. In 1822 she gave up the business, hav-
ing met with some losses in it. Each of her three daugh-
ters, Sophia, Sarah, and Elizabeth, had been left legacies
by the will of their grandmother. Her daughter Sophia
had always been brought up at home. She had never been
absent from home, except for about three weeks, when
she stopped with the Countess Montalembert. - The

-- -
property to which she was entitled by the will of her
grandmother was a little wider 401. a year. Witness