The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-04-11
A b, each Of Promise Cas- in Cleveland
..Heavy Damages for Plaintiff.

The Cleveland Plaimdea1er gives the fol.
lowing history OF breach of promise case
which has just been settled in the Cleveland
Courts
The case of Henrietta D. Collins vs.. Ru.
fus Paine, for breach Of marriage promise,
which had been on trial for some days, re
suited in verdict of $4,000 for the plaint-
ifC The evidence disclosed that Pane is
wealthy man living at Lima, Stark county,
Ohio, and that in 1860 he became acquaint-
ed with the plaintiff, young widow of
twenty, at a boarding house in Philadelphia,
be being sixty-seven years old, and proposed
marriage to her, stating that he was and
bad long been widower without children !;
was of good repute and of deep piety; be.
longed to the Friends or Quakers Society,
and was worth $4,000. The proposals
were accepted, and they were married in
Philadelphia and proceeded Immediately to
Lima, accompanied by young brother OF
the supposed bride. On their arrival there
Paine requested the boy to assume bis
name and not disclose that he was mar
ried to bis sister. This and other mysteri.
GUS conduct of Paine in not introducing
this woman as his wife to those who came
to bis house, and other circumstances raised
the suspicion in her mind that something
was wrong, and she wrote to her mother
that bis conduct rendered her unhappy.
The mother procured the Quaker Society
OF Philadelphia to write to that of Lima to
know the standing of Paine, and received
an answer that he was no Quaker at all,
but an Infamous old scoundrel, and had
wife and three children living within N le
of his house that be had been in the habit
OF keeping lewd women about him, aud the
neighbors supposed this one to be of like
character. The mother Mrs. Ross pro-
ceeded Immediately to Lima, and called on
wife No. l, who stated that she had been
married to Paine more than twenty years,
aud that he bad lived with her as a wife
until within two or three years, and that
these were their children. The mother
forthwith took away her daughter and came
to Cleveland for legal advice, when it was
decided that the daughter should remain
here until redress could be had and SER
vice was obtained upon Paine in this coun-
ty, and also petition fled for divorce.
ln January last, after the suit was com.
menced, this deluded and injured woman
died of grief, ana the suit was continued by
her sister as administratrix-a very inter.
esting girl of eighteen, Sarah Louise.
The evidence was conclusive as to the
pure character of the plaintiff, and of her
amlable and correct department.
The defense set up was that no marriage
had ever taken place between PAIGE and
Narsissa Aldrich, the woman that he had
lived with Tor twenty years and every way
recognized as wiie-and that he was Ca.
pable ard did perform the marriage contract
with Henrietta d. Collins. In this attempt
to render himself still more infamous and to
tastardize his children, be was repelied by
verdict worthy of jury of the county of
Cuyahoga.
The charge of Judge Coffinberry, who
has just entered upon his off -ial career, was
clear aud explicit--that the representatives
of Henrietta D. Collins were entitled to
the same verdict that the deceased would be
if in full lie /; that her relatives who stood
by her and smoothed her passage to the
grave, are entitled to all her rights; that
Paine could take nothing by her death and
that the protection OF public morals was
just consideration with the jury in assessing
damages.
The counsel for the plaintiff were Ran
ney, Backus and Noble, and well did they
fulill the trust. The closing argument by
Judge RanDey was never excelled, if ever
equalled at this bar in forensic eloquence.--
Counsel for defendant, M. Griswold and
McSweeney, of Wooster.