Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1820-06-27

shown that The defendant bad paid his ad
dresses to the plaintiff for about thre.
years; that he accompanied her upon visit,
to her friends, and waited upon her a
their weddings; that he was received and
treated by the plaintiff, her friends and
family, as a suffer; that at the commence.
ment of his attentions TO the plaintiff be
resided in the neighbourhood, and for a
short time boarded 10 the family Of the
mother that he afterwards removed TO the
distance of about twenty miles from the
residence Of her mother and afterwards
commenced the practice of the law. After
his removal be was in the almost daily
habit of writing to her--a correspondence
was carried on between them for nearly
two years, quite up TO the time Of his mar.
riage with his present wife, his last letter
10 the plaintiff being dated about mouth
previous to the marriage. 1t was shown
that he had paid his addresses to bis pre-
sent wife nearly year previous to their
marriage. With this lady he became ac-
quainted upon bis removal before mention
ed. She was possessed Of those golden and
attractive charms, which are ant. in mat.
rimonial concerns, to have by far too pre-
ponderating an influence. The present
possessions and future prospects Of this
lady, it is understood, were considerable.
The plaintiff had no such weighty and
attractive qualities to recommend her--she
had nothing but her own personal charms
and excelency of character. His letters,
TO the number of twelve or fourteen. were
read to the court and jury: from them it
did not unequivocalIy and certainly appear
that promise of marriage had passed be-
tween the parties; but amidst the poetry,
and fanciful and romantic descriptions of
"trifles light as air." with which they
abounded, there we're passages from which
II was evident that they we're not written
TO pass away an idle hour, or that they
we're even mere letters Of friendship; but
that there was more understood than met
the eye, or than the writer wished to COM
init upon paper. Such effusions as the fol-
lowing were frequently occurring The
signs which we iG absence Breathe
Our interviews have been perpetual
sweet Of nectared bliss" As postscript
10 one of the letters, was this distich:
C Both rich and poor to Hymen's court repair,
:" Then why not you and H..
But expressions of a mysterious nature
concluded many of the letters, especially
those written towards the conclusion of
the correspondence, an explanation of
which could probably have been afforded
by the counterpart, but those letters we're
not produced. nor 10 any way accounted
for. To addition TO the above letters, in
order to make out promise OF marriage,
the plaintiffs mother proved a conversation
which took place between the parties, and
which she overheard; taking this CONVEX
sation to have been as stated By the mother,
II goes far 10 proving the promise. The
contents of destroyed letter were also
offered in evidence the contents Of this
letter, if truly stated, went. directly to re-
cognize promise Of marriage previously
made but there was considerable doubt
whether this was the same letter that was
proved to have been destroyed by the de-
PENDANT.
The defendants counsel relied upon the
insufficiency of the evidence TO support a
promise Of marriage. They also stated a
number of cases which would, 10 their
estimation, constitute complete justifica.
ton TO an action Of this nature, cases il
which, to use their own language, !" mar
would deserve applause for stemming the
torrent of public opinion" They con
tended that the present case was one o
those. Young Mr.. Freliughuy sen, brothe
Of the attorney general, one of the defend
ants counsel, in his address to the jur,
evinced considerable ability his addres
was very argumentative-at times he wa
extremely eloquent. We look upon thi
gentleman as one who ere long will posses
very elevated standing at the New-Jer
sey bar: as one of the orators and gres
men Of America, we doubt not he will, s
no very distant period, be considered.
The plaintiffs counsel relied upon tn
case as being clearly and fully proved
case of an aggravated nature, TO whic
there could be no justification, calm
loudly for heavy and exemplary damages
\ The jury were ont about two hour
when they returned into court with yer
dict in favour of the plaintiff, Of $l25C
1t is understood (in what way we knor
not) that the jury we're at first considers
bly, divided; that very respectable ouu
Der were in favour Of $4,000, while other
were for giving much less sum than til
amount of the verdict actually rendered
The Hon. John Holmes and Gen. job
Chandler, have been chosen Senators
Congress for the new State of Maine.