Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1868-05-15
A Queer SIander Suit.

A suit for slander is soon to be tried
1t New York, which promises some rich
and novel developments. A sketch of
the situation is as follows:
A lady brings an action for slander
against gentleman, on the ground that
he on divers occasions has said, She is
my wife, and / can prove it." This Ian
guage the defendant admits using, reit-
crates the words, and affirms also that he
is regularly and legally married to the
and that they have cohabited for
many months. The couple became ac-
quainted, as he afiirms, in the spring of
1868, at time when the complainant
was teacher in public school, and the
defendant member of a state volunteer
regiment. In 1864 he was ON duty in q
quaitermaster's depot on one of the ad-
Joining islands. In the interim Of that
period just mentioned, they had appar-
emily become much attached to each 9TH
er, and an engagement of marriage was
mutually agreed upon. In the year last
noted, it was supposed that the young
man was soon to be ordered to the front,
and as they feared they were about being
separated, possibly forever, immediate
marriage was resolved upon; but, owing
to the young lady's desire to retain her
situation as a teacher during her hus
bands absence they determined to keep
the marriage a secret. A few days after
this course had been settled on, heyoung
soldier came to the city to make suitable
arrangements for the wedding. 1t was
concluded that they should depart from
her house, for the ostensible purpose of
visiting the theatre, and the marriage
should take place during their absence.
This was all carried out; they called at
a Methodist clergyman's house, and the
ceremony was performed in the presence
of his wife and other witnesses the
young school teacher receiving the mar
riage certificate, and the young soldier
paying the clergyman's fee. They sub
sequently went to the theatre and spent
the remainder of the evening there, re-
turning home at seasonable hour. But
the new-made husband was not ordered
into active service, and the war termina-
ting, was honorably discharged, and re-
turned to mercantile pursuits. He then
went to the house of the young lady's rel
atives to board and, although they re-
sided under the same roof, the marriage
was still kept secret. This continued for
some two or three years, when, for some
reason, the wife took dislike to her hus-
band, and has since refused to recognize
him. The affair excited considerable
comment, not, as may be supposed, of a
fiattering character, and the trustees Of
the school in which the lady was employ
ed, hearing of the clandestine marriage
and conduct of the wife, sent for the hus-
band to obtain an explanation, the result
of which was request that the teacher
resign her position. She then retaliated
by visiting the mercantile house where
the husband was employed, and obtained
his discharge, following this by the com.
mencement of suit against him fol
slander. All these allegations by the
defendant and his friends are positively
denied by the complainant and hel
/. friends. The lady vehcmently denie,
that she was ever married to this or an,
other gentleman, and says that she onl,
knows the young soldier by an acquain
tance, and nothing of the kind described
by him has ever occurred between them
that it is case of mistaken identity il
regard to the occasion in the clergyman
!, parlor, that she never was there on tha
or any other occasion. The clergyman
involved distinctly remembers the gentle
man, but is not certain as to the lady
and the counsel on either side are deter
mined to make the civil suit merely pre-
liminary to a criminal Indictment of tn
, opposing counsel's client.
; One ought to remember kindnesse
= - c.---.. 49, L. L. l.