Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-07-19
Breach OF Promise.-.TriaI

marriage. F. Van Buren, and f. Quinn, for
plaintiff: ID. Rumsey, jr., and w. Barens, for
defendant. As is usual in such causes, there
was considerable anxiety manifested by the
spectators to catch glimpse of the parties, par!
ticularly the uggricved. They undoubtedly
expected TO see some blooming maiden, signing
like o furnace for the loss of her faithless lover,
tcct her injured innocence. and render her
some little compensation in dollars and cents
for The irrcparable Injury and last, though not
least, teach all gtacelcss scamps to be careful
in future how they make promises but to break
them.
BIT no, the plaintiff, though maiden lady,
was not young, nor was she strkmgly beaut.
tul, although she might have been at the age of
"eweet sixteen" in the eyes of very passion.
ate lover, but now, alas the mischicvous fing-
crs OF Time had stolen many charm, leaving
unlnis,akabe and indelible evidence upon her
features, that she was several years, at least.
the blind side of thirty. thirty and upwards
Her appearance was respectablc-her manner
ing tiyedness of purpose, not to commit sui
eide or die ola broken heart-but to make her
recreant lover pay roundly for trfIng with her
affections.
The defendant was widower, we should
Judge, about forry.fye, plain sort Of farmer,
with nine children, worth some S5,0Op-which
counsel alleged was an important considera-
ton with the plaintiff in bringing her suit, as
well as listening to his on the start.
1t appeared in testimony that the defendant
soon after loosing his first wife, began to think
about getting another, talked to the old women
ofthe neighborhood about being lonesome
wanted a housckecper-couldn't stand it so,
&c, which, n matter OF course, enlisted their
sympathies. lie finally stated his case to q
Mr.. BoIt-tod him he wished 10 get married.
did not like 10 marry woman with family,
because he did not wanttwo kinds of children,
and for reason not altogether dssmilar, he
was unwilling to wed maiden Iady, unless OF
a certain, or rather Of an uncertain age.
Upon this statement, sand Bolt ntimated that
Miss Mary Ann Rhodes, or Polly, as he called
! her, would be Just f, and consented to be-
come proxy, or sort Of conductor OF mutual
| love and affection between the two; saw Miss
| Rhodes, made known his business 10 her, she
! excaming, with some surprise and regret,
'why couldn't have known this bciore,' fnr
alack and alas, she was engaged to be married
To another man in about week. No time
was 10 be lost. personal interview of lovers
was thought advisahlc-was had: when and
where it was agreed by and between the sad
| lovers that the said Miss ,<hodes should mos'
unfcelingly and ungrdcously sack her former
beau, AFTER which, she aud the defendant were
To- become one flesh. This was accordingly
d,ue-we .ncan the fellow was sacked and he,
like true philosopher 10 show that there was
n" love lost, also that he was punctual IN oil his
business TRANSACTIONS wooed, won, and wed an
other damsei in about week thereafter st
tina, he was married at the time first appointed
though nut 10 Miss Rhodes.
TIME passed on Miss Rhodes carefully pre-
| serving the wedd,ag dress prepared for the first
,rcasiun. for the SECOND, and making some other
preparations, bat Mr.. Miller, in the mean time
becomng enamored OF more youthful and
booming maiden. in turn gave Miss Rhodes the
"mitrrn," inr which she Brings suit, &c.
The proofs o' the contract and the violation
there, by the defendant, were clear and conclu
siye B,lt and certain uld ladies' cognzant oi
The facts. being quite efficient Witnesses is an
sdmon,,ion 10 all widowers and bachelors 10 do
their couri'ng in propra Porsond and be care
lu how they trust their secrets To others keep
ing,
The defendant alleged, by way of dctsnce'
that the plaintiff came iutn the court with bad
| grace tn recover damages OF him tor practising
unnn her what she had played oti'uP1n another
ard attempted to show in mitigation oi damag'
cs il no, in bar Of the acton the plaintiffs gen,
eral bad character IN the neIghborhood IN
which she lived, that an improper intimacy had
existed between her and the witness Bolt fur
wears but the proof of these allegations was
not very conclusive, 1t seems, TO the minds ui
the Jury, it being a little more thana repetition
of neighboIhood gossip anu various surmlses
and inslnuations of garulons old women, after
having regaled themselves with Young Hyson.
One witness, however, was brought upon the
stand. who swore to enough, but the jury, it
seems. would not believe him. His testimony,
if true, showed most shameless v,'lain-it
false, very dangerous one and # the Jury
J enleIlained any doubts d his having i.npeached d