The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-05 00:00:00

LAUNCESTON, ArXIL 2.

John Mortlake VAS indicted for burglarioualy entering
the house of Mrs. Banfield, of Falmouth, and stealing some
silver spoons, an:l other articles, her property.
The Jury found the prisoner Guilty.
The JUDGX ordered sentence of death to be rieorded,
and assured the prisoner, that transportation for life would
be the extent of mercy which he could pgesibly hope to
receive.

BURY ST. EDMUND'S, AVAIL 2.
BILOWN v. BOLTON.

This was an action for breach of promise of marriage,
brought by Mrs. Brown, who occupies the Angel Inn, at
Yarmouth, against the defendant, who lately occupied the
Norfolk Hotel, Norwich. Plea, the general issue.
Mr. KELLY opened the pleadings.
Mr.Roarrrsort stated the plaintiff's cue. He described
the contrast not as all engagement of early and romantic
affection, which could not be compensated when wantonly
broken, in a Court of Justice, but as a sober and dispas-
sionate agreement, entered into between two elderly per-
sons, the violation of which was a subject well adapted to
the investigation of a Jury.
Thomas Roe examined—Lives in the Angel Inv, at.
Yarmouth. Married a sister of Mrs. Brown. The inu
belongs to Mrs. Brown and her eldest son. Has known
Mr. Bolton for many years. He ie,rnow a=6 proprie
tor, living in a private house at Norwich. Did kety
Norfolk Hotel, the largest establishment of the kind at
Norwich. He lives in a very elegant house, and very
elegantly furnished. He gave up the Norfolk Hotel to
his son about a year ago. Mr. Bolton told witness that
his son pays him 6001. a year for the hotel, and a
house attached to it. Recollects Mr. Bolton visiting
the Angel Inn, on the 24th July last year, being the
Yarmouth races, where he stopped until the 27th. The first
two days he had some friends to dine with him, and then
had a private room, and paid for it; the remainder of the
time he was the guest of Mrs. Brown, and paid nothing.
He came again on the first of August with Mr. Sadler....
Witness was present when Mr. Bolton was making love to
the plaintiff, and saying that he wanted no money with
her; he had knows her a long while. When he left on
the 13th, he said he should be back in a few days. The
parties spent a great part of the day together. Witness and
his wife were in the bar together during that time ; the
parties appeared to be on the best terms.
Cross-examined—The house that the witness occupies
he rents of Mrs. Brown and her son. The Angel Inn is
the largest in Norfolk. Mrs. Brown is a very respectable
looking woman. Nature has not written many years on
her countenance. One would not suppose her above fifty.
—(A laugh.)—Has great doubt as to her being sixty.
Does not come provided with her exact age. She is not
so handsome as she has been.—(Laughter.)—She is a very
decent good-looking woman.

The Junox—lfilatever the Learned Counsel may prove
with respect to the lady's age, he will hardly be able to
show she has entrappe,d an inexperienced young man.—(A
laugh.)

'Witness did not think the lore scene in the bar very ri-
diculoue. The parties were talking and laughing, and
doing nothing else.---(A laugh.)
Lucy Boast—ls wife of Mr. Jonathan Boast, who keep
the Bear Inn at Southtown, near Yarmouth. Has known.
the plaintiff and defendant many years. In August last
Mrs. Brown and the defendant were at the house of witness.
Mr. Bolton and Mrs. Brown came in the evening. In
, consequence of what the waiter told her, she went into the
room where the parties were. Mr. Bolton said he wanted
to see her husband, and that he had brought Mrs. Brown
to speak to him. Told witness he was going to take her
to Yarmouth. Asked him for what purpose ; he said to
marry her. He said he should like very much to sec her
husband. When her husband came home he was shown
into the room. Mr. Bolton before that said there was a
widow whom his friends wished him to marry, and who
was a person of property, but this " old lady (meaning
Mrs. Brown) always stood before the widow." Mrs.
Brown said, " I think it the greater compliment, for I
have not any money." When her husband came, she told
him Mr. Bolton wished to sse him, as he was going to take
Mrs. Brown away. He asked whether as wife or house-
keeper. She said as wife. Witness said to Mr. Bolton,
" As you have brought the subject forward, pray when is
this wedding to take place?" He said, "at Michaelmas."
Cross-examined.—The words that Mr. Bolton said,
when he spoke of a widow that his friends wished him to
marry, were " But this old lady always stood first," mean-
ing Mrs. Brown. Witress is on friendly terms with Mrs.
Brown. Thera is no marriage between the parties. It is
uncertain whether any is about to take place. When the
parties came to the Bear inn, it was about nine o'clock in
the evening. It was not a dry meeting.—(A laugh.)—
The defendant called for a pint of wine. He paid for the
wine as a regular customer.
Frances Brown.—ls a daughter of the plaintiff. Saw
Mr. Bolton in the month of August last. He called upon
her on the 12th of August. Asked her if she would take
a tide with him the next day in his gig, far he had Borne-
thing particular to nay. During that ride he said, "I am
going to marry your mother ; have you any objection ?"
She said she had not ; but asked if his friends had any ob-
jection. Ile replied that they had not, and Mrs. Durant,
his daughter, told him he must do as he pleased. Ile said
be was to marry at Michaelmas. lie could Rot before,
because his housekeeper would not leave till then. He
asked witness if she would go to church with them as
bridesmaid ; said the marriage was to be at Yarmouth ;
she was to make the wedding-dresses ; and he asked if she
would go to Norwich with them after they were married.
Cross-examined—Her mother had been with the de-
fendant at Norwich before this conversation. She stayed
two or three days at his house. It was about the 27th of
July. He did not tell her who was to make the wedding-
cake.—(A laugh.)
The marriage of the defendant with his present wife, a
younger lady, was admitted.
Mr. STORE:FS (with whom was Mr. Asrnßevss) made
He an animated speech for the defence. said his Learned
Friend had rightly described this contract as having /lotting
of ardent or romantic feelieg connected with it. There
was here neither passion nor sentiment—no subject for pa-
thetic eloquence, or for the melodious sorrows of the amatory
lns
burningtlesert ed lover. There were no breathing
epistles—no
muse--here was no flying Cupid breaking his bow in anger
shrine of
lo'nlltio
; n°
allin was quiet at this perfidious conduct of his votaries, or weeping at the
terchanigeet,
of
o magic
tokens of a fond affecticold,
and businesslike. There were no wounded feelings to be
repaired ; no blighted sensibilities with which twelve sober
with great frankness, and the action which arose out of it
Englishmen must sympathise. The contract was described
.bth,e r,
..
was as much a question of value as the Jury would have to
try (lovers would pardon the allusion) in a horse cause.
(Laughter. )---The widow, it could not be disguised, was au
old lady—lie was sorry he should be obliged to call any lads'
ionldp,rboteiut
procuring
unhappilythecor.ii
for was—.arid
eitatubl
itihshninaoelndtloandywhhaievhinsteligiitf
the object was money throughout the whole affair. He
would not
ohtadd
ecnoymtebianttobCoisucrlitentot
were, in fact, a pair of old fools, who, when they found
h
s
they could not bring their courtship to a happy termina-
tion, ought. ge
hadt a a
acted Iu
c foolishly; sshhl ey
could;
tl y;
to have hushed it tip and said nothing about it.
That it was a perfectly ridiculous affair was evident. Could
even the witnesses for the plaintiff keep their countenances
while they were giving their testimony? Even the daugh-
ter tittered when she spoke about the wedding dresses, and
Mr. Roe could not suppress a smile when he told of the
lore scene in the bar. The plaintiff and her family had
conic into Court, to make the most of it, in that way_
there was no character wounded—no feelings embittered.
The old widow having once caught the old gentleman in
her snare, was resolved he should not. escape without pay-
ing dearly for talking of love. to her in the bar of a public
The Jury
inn, and under the enlivening influence of a pint of port.—
(Laughter.) Nor WAS it to la. wondered at, that the lady,
the sober tnne of sixty, was capable
of making a conquest, for she united to the arts of youth
though bordering
iv,?uld be very thankful to them for any sum
the experience must, certainly, in point
of law, give her a verdict—but as to the damages, lie be-
lievedwould give her.
they
Mr. Justice Gaszerr, in charging the Jury, commented
Severely on the conduct of the defendant--he observed, that
relerionigaogne.
it was clear he had entered deliberately into the engagement,
and without any artifice having been practised on the other
side, had abruptly violated it. lie believed the plaintiff to
be respectable, Judging from those of her family whom he
she
saw in Court, and a more well-behaved and modest young
woman than her daughter he never saw examined in a Court
of Justice. He thought that under all the circumstances of
the case, the plaintiff was entitled to serious compensation.
The Jury, after consulting about a quarter of an hour,
returned a verdict for gm plaintiff'....-Damages 400/.