The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-22 00:00:00

BEALE V. WHIFFEN...-OR/21. con

This was a writ of inquiry to assess the damages in an
action brought in the Court of Common Pleas, to recover
compensation from the defendant for the seduction by
him of the plaintiff's wife. The damages were laid in
the declaration at 10,000/. The defendant had suffered
judgment to go by default, thereby acknowledging the
fact of his having had criminal conversation with the
plaintiff's wife.
Mr. Forsyth appeared for the plaintiff; Mr. Kerslake
and Mr. Morgan Lloyd for the defendant.
The learned counsel for the plaintiff, in opening the
case, said that the peculiar form in which it came be-
fore the Court—that of a ;writ of inquiry—relieved
him from the duty of adducing evidence of the faot
of the wife of the plaintiff having committed adnl-
tery with the defendant, such being admitted by the
defendant not pleading to the action, and therefore de-
tails of a painful nature to the parties concerned, and
scarcely fit to be made public, would not have to be
gone into. The only object the plaintiff had was to ob-
tain such fair and reasonable damages as a jury should
think hiss entitled to; and he (the learned counsel) should
only adduce such evidence as would show the terms
on which the plaintiff and his wife lived formerly, and
go lightly over the case, avoiding anything which might
be offensive to decency. The plaintiff, Mr. John Samuel
Beale, was a surgeon practising in London in the neigh-
bourhood of Paddington' and the defendant was in 5011341
capacity in the service of the London and North-Western
Railway Company. In the course of his professional
practice the plaintiff became acquainted with the defend-
ant, that acquaintance subsequently became an intimate
one, and eventually the defendant took advantage of it,
and seduced his wife. The plaintiff was not aware until
November last of the dishonour which had been cast
upon him by his supposed friend ; he discovered it in
that month, but previously he had not had the slightest
reason to suspect his wife's fidelity. They had been
married about ;three years ' • he was a man of an affectieu-
ate disposition, And they had lived well together. There
were degrees o' (damage sustained in such cases accord-
ing to the peculiar circumstances by which they were
surrounded, but in this no circumstance of any kind dis-
paraging to the plaintiff could be adduced against hint,
and the jury no doub t would give him ample damages for
the injury which had been done to him by the defendant.
The defendant's counsel said his client had not re-
sisted the action, anal he was instructed to offer at once
to consent to a verditet being given for the plaintiff for
100/. The defendant was but a clerk at a salary of
something like 130/. a-year, so, •f course, it would b.
utterly impossible for him to pay any large amount of
damages. He admitted the adultery, and had nothing
to say in mitigation of ;his conduct, but his position was
such that rendered it impossible for him to pry but a
moderate sum as damages, and a verdict for anything-
beyond that would brittle him to ruin. He the
offered 1001. as the utmost he could pay.
This was consented to owe the other side, and, sc cord.
ingly, a verdict was taken for 1001.
The learned Under-Shoriff observed to the jury that
dveerrndicinteyebnyticoonns7
ntTinhea
;et s for crim. con. were " .
ed to be nothing of the gni t
when he first presided there.

ATTEMPTAD SUICIAII BY A LIKERPOOr
MERCIEANT.

owna,s Thur
thrown into the greatest consternation
ExchangeL Ba--ay.—The neighbourhood of the
this forenoon, by the announcement that one of the
merchants of this port had made an attempt upon Lie
life in the Exchange News•ro
Upon inquiry • ,it was found that the report was too
well founded, and that the person who committed the
rash act was Mr. William Tatham, of the firm of
Messrs. Hill, Tatham, and Co., brokers, Lanoasta,r-
buildings. It appears that the unfortunate gentlemsu•
went into the water-closet, under the bar of the news.'
room about half-past ten o'clock this morning, and
shortly afterwards one of the porters going for coals
saw blood issuing under the door of the closet. Ili tried
the door, but found it fast. Ile thereupon refe the
alarm, and Mr. Warburton, the master of the room, at
once broke open the door, when to his horror he dis-
covered the unfortunate man sitting on the seat with kis
throat cut. He was-not dead, and midi"' gentlemen
were at once called in. Ile was kept in a vault under
the news-room all day, being too weak to be removed.
Upon examination it was found that the wounds were
inflicted by a razor, one being found on the floor and
another in a case on the seat of the closet. lt present
hour (four p.m.) he lies in a very precarious state, and
no hopes aro entertained of his recovery.
The melancholy event is said to have been caused by
heavy losses, the firm with which he was connected suf-
fering severely by the failure of an extensive soap-boil-
ing house here, which suspended payment yesterday,
and also by a Bristol house in the African trade, which
( also stopped payment yesterday. He is a young man,
most respectably connected, and has only been married
a few months. Unbounded sympathy was expresso('
for the unfortunate young man on 'Change, ends very
perceptible gloom overhung the countenances of
every one.

.......
NORTHERN AND EASTERN RAILWAY.-At the hall'
yearly meeting of this company, held
yesterdays
t the
Bishopsgate-station, Mr. Paterson in the chair,husual
dividends, at the rate of 5 per cent and 6 per cent. pet
annum on the guaranteed shares, were declared for tli•
half-year ending the 31at of December last.