The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-07-03

and decrepid appearance, as he took the
witness stand, seemed TO show that he stood
almost upon the brink Of the grave.
Dallasburg, near the southern boundary
line Of the county, village so small and
peaceful that the stranger may have
thought II unaware Of the fact Of the ex-
istcnce of a town, If the words Dallas
burg post .office over the door Of the only
store should not attract his attention, OF
the sound of the blacksmith's hammer
reach his ears-was the home OF me
widow, who there possessed humble
abode, and made living by the needle.
Some miles away lived this old man VIII
liam, who, though old and feeble, was the
possessor of two farms and many goods and
chattels.
William owned q horse and buggy. II
happened one Sunday that Susan rode to
meeting in the grove with William and
home again. The old man became inte-
rested in the widow, fat and forty, If not
fair. He called to see her. She did not
discourage his visits; he came again and
again, at intervals of week or more. He
stayed late, and, we cannot doubt, loved
her; and she says promised to marry her,
This last the old gentleman on oath ex.
pressly denies, and says that tho most ne
had said to give rise to such fatal mistake
on her part was to say one night, as they
pleasantly conversed together, "Susan,
don't know but that l may conclude 70
marry some day, and # do, think you
will be the woman"
1t is not unreasonable to suppose, fol-
the purpose of reconciling this difie-
renee of understanding, that, in the EN-.
barrassmcnt resulting from a compliment
of this kind, the old gentleman, instead OF
emphasizing the little words italiclsed
above NAV have so hurried over them, and
witbal spoken so low and indistinctly, that
they were not heard by the ether party.
She further testified that it was arranged
that he was to sell one of his farms, while
the other was to be fitted up for their
home as soon as they were married. But
William said that he had only told her tilat
If he concluded to marry, then the lowe,
farm would be the one on which he would
live with his wife.
However this may have been, Susan
made preparations for the wedding. ohe
purchased q new dress, and went SO far as
to speak to q female friend in regard to
getting the wedding supper. When the
old man found that she haG bought we'd
ding dress, he reproached her, and told her
that marriage was impossible, and raising
his intirm arm, he said he was too old and
weak even to cut wood for the fire; but
Suse.. burst into tears and said that she
would cut the wood.
When the tears were found unavaiing,
and having waited some time, she brought
suit against the widower, claiming damages
to the amount of $4,000.
1t was proven that the old man was
worth about ten thousand dollars, and with
all the efforts Of counsel to arouse the SYM
pathics of the Jury in favor Of the aged de-
PENDANT, the jury would not pity the sor,
rows of the poor old man, hut determined
to teach him that proposals OF marriage,
whether made with an II or not, are not to
bc lightly regarded: and perhaps they
wished 10 teach him the lesson OF the elder
Weller 10 his son--to beware of widows.
They brought q verdict of two thousand
six hundred and sixty-ive dollars in favor
of the widow. The case has been twice
tried, the first verdict being for three
thousand dollars.