Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-04-18
BREACHES OF PROMISE.

an Experience Did Calm and Lofty
1mpudence-A Sractical but Expen-
stve JOke-HOw u Tilted Honolulu
Maid Revenges Herself.
A sweet pretty little breach of promise
case was tried at Springfield, last week
Miss Hitchcock sgt. Mr.. Wood. The en-
gsgement OF these parties was youthful
affair, and was entered into when the man
was II and the maid Is. Year after year
went by, but though the parties kept up q
friendly intercourse both personally and
by letter, the false Merrick be-
came enamored of another damsel and
married her in October, 1871, tho ugh six
months before be had written to bis Henri
eta that s'he could never love any woman
but her." Her lawyer INDUCED, In the
course of bis argument, in a gush .of ro
nance not at ali upon the Coke upon Lyt-
Teton kind. BE protested against regard
ing the betrothal of minors as Ga boy and
girl affair" He was, be said, engaged
to the present Mrs. Sterns, his
wife, when he was only is
and their happy courlsh'p Of nine
years was the brightest spot in his life.
Sand row," CALAMITY cried Attorney Sterns,
after 20 years of happy life, l kiss my wife's
lips, although she is somewhat faded, with
the same fervor as in the early days of our
youthful eourtship." Such tender con-
fession as this could but work the jury up
the proper pitch, and they gave Miss Henri
eta $4 900 damages! These the miserable
Merrick must discharge. Gentlemen who
indulge in the luxury of q courtship for six
years and then marry another woman must
pay for so delicate and unusual an in
dulgence.
The calm and lofty impudence of man
vas never more beautifully shown than BY
a recent breach of promise case in an En-
glish court. THIS defendant was very re-
spectacle m;ddle-aged widower; the plain
tiff very respectable and attractive young
pickle-maker. To this lovely pickle maker
the widower proposed marriage, was ac-
cepted, and for some time behaved with the
requisite tenderness and consideration.
But presently and without cause his affec-
ton seemed to cool, and upon the wedding
day he did not appear. The pickle
maker Immediately called upon him,
when he sWeetly observed that he was still
honorably keeping to his engagement, and
also that the friends of his late wife had
suggested young lady to him, but he
didn't care at all for her. TO soothe and
entertain the sad pickle-maker, and show
her what treasure middle aged widower
could be, be urged her to remark show
fond the ladies were of him." and to prove is
kindly read her a despairing loVe-letter
from certain Polly" Having assured
her ofkis continued constancy, he instant
ly went off and married "Polly," and the
result was that the pickle maker put money
in her purse to the amount Of S3OO,
The London NelCs tells the story Of a
young gentleman in Lincolnshire, VINO be-
ing engaged to marry certain young lady,
came to her one day aud said be had bet
his cousin two bottles of wine that this
yonug lady would relieve him from his en-
gagement if be asked her to 90 so. 1t was
a bit of fun, he said: ard would she write
note giving linn up? The young lady in
question seems to have quite entered into
The spirit Of the joke; and, in order to pro-
cure for her lover the honor and glory of
winning the two bottles of Wine, she gave
him a sheet of paper, on which she had
written, "Desr Mr.. B, wish you to
discontinue paying your visits TO me. |
remain our well-wisher, A - h"
1t was certainly imprudent of this girl to
deliver any such formal order OF release to
her lover; but It has frequently been re-
marked That youUg folks who are engaged
are as ingenious in deyisiDg means for test
ing the confidence Of each other as are the
amiable persons who take country lad into
a tavern, proffsr him friendship, and get
him to give them twenty pounds to show
that he believes in their honesty. We have
no means of knowing whether this warrant
of release was not obtained as much as
proof fof affection and confidence as means
of carrying out joke. However, the de-
fendant in the suit carried ofthe document,
and did not return it. Moreover, meeting
the young lady on q subsequent occasion,
he got from her brooch and pair of ear
rings he had given Der, on the ignoble
pretence that be wished 10 buy her
bracelet TO match. After that nothing was
heard of him Furnished with a release
from the contract of marriage he had simp-
ly withdrawn himself, taking with him what
presents he could conveniently recover. But
here again, this very good joke was doomed
to have awkward results. The young gen.
tlemen in question found himself at the
Lincolon Assizss; and the jury would have
nothing to say to the bit of paper that be
obtained in such humors fashion. On the
contrary, they proceeded to assess the dam
ages done to the young ladies feelings just
as if she had been the victim Of insult and
injury combined; and we all know that
when dozen jurymen start with that no
ton, they generally make the defendant
pay pretty smartly. The young man who
won the bet, if there was bet in the case,
may have gJt his two bottles of wine, but
he had to pay f500 to the too trusting
young person who had furnished him with
a written release. He will avoid such dan
gerous Jokes in the future.
There are no breach of promise cases in
tbs Honolulu courts. No. When ayoung
natives affections are blighted, and lacerat
ed, and trampled on, and all that sort of
thing, and the faithless one goes off and
marries somebody else, she doesn't ask a
sympathizing jury for moneyed balm. Nor
does she merrily take pistol and shoot the
unappreciative wretch. Not she. She
simply hunts him out, sits down on
the ground before him, and eonsigns him
fervently to the care of the Hawaiian del
ties who are said to punish enemies. The
miserable man listens awhile with great
patience, then gives up eating and drinking,
and shortly pines away and dies, without
thought of resistance 10 this odd ''praying
to death" The only fault we see in this
noble proceeding is that the refined aud
heartbroken young woman neglects TO lee
ture about il aflerWard.