Iowa news. [volume] (Dubuque, Upper Mississippi Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1837-1841, 1838-04-07
DAMAGES FOR SEDUCTION.

Almost every paper we examine
contains among its items OF intelligence,
a ccrap like this:
"a case was tried recently in the
Middlesex court ofcommon pleas, New
York, in which Ann Brown was plain
tiff to recover damages Of the defend
ant, Gordon A. Sharp, teacher, for
the seduction Of her dcaughter. 1t
was proved that he had paid his adj
dresses to the plaintiffs daughter for
almost year, but, having destroyed
her character and abused her conf
dence. he left her. The child, which
was the fruit Of their intercourse, he
refurcd to maintain, and by some in
Formally in the proceedings managed
to avoid it. The jury returned ver-
dict Tor the plaintiff Of $1,000 damages.
A righteous verdict." p Boston lnvcs-
tigator.
And righteous verdict every one
would pronounce it were million
times the amount, it could not restore
purity to stained reputation. 1t is
strange that our ladies, generally, are
not more decided in condemning and
stunning the deliberate murderer Of
the female character-the libertinc.
The remedy for this evil, aud tits on
the increase, lies not in the publication
Of the penalty to which the seducer
subjects himself (for experience has
pronounced it inefficient), but in the
nice sense Of honor, the decided re-
prshensioa ind firm and u,conapro-
missing influence of females against
IL. 1t is an act which should be viewed
in its worst form, ard held up to pub
lie cxecration in its most loathsome
character. Ifthere is being on earth
who deserves the contempt and loath-
ing pity Of every honest mind-who
poIlutcs the very ground on which he
treads land care not how high his
station nor how low his rank )-it is
that thing Il will not call him a many,
who, dead to every dictate Of honor
and humanity, and deaf to every So
lemn obligation which cements society
together, regardless Of the ties of affec-
ton and the preservation Of moral puri-
ty and innocence, will deliberately
work the destruction and ruin of female
character and blast her prospects for
life; who will enter tn. social sanctua-
ry, sit at the social board, make one
in the same social circle around the
domestic hearth, and, for the gratifica-
ton of his debascd and beastly nature,
arrest the current Of social happiness.
and, in its stead, place the flowing tears
Of anguish, misery, and disgrace. We
know not in what rank to station such
a monster; the midnight robber APP
pears lovely by his side-the assassin
is honorable compared to him-the
wild, untutored savage would shrink
from his touch-explore the earth,
search its caverns, its mountains, its
cities, leave not spot upon its surface
UNEMPLOYED nor a living creature unex-
amined, and bring forth the most hide
Gus and loathsome speci en- of morali-
" in existence, and it would not call
such traitor, companion. Perhaps
this is the language of severity; we'll,
the subject will bear it. In fact, more
despicable being enters not into the
conception Of the human mind; he
should be avoided as the damning ex-
crescence of mortality-a monster
whose breath is poison and whose grasp
is death.
At an examination of the college Of
surgeons, candidate was asked by
Ahernethv. what he would do If man