The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-02-04
'anoerso1. JnteQlgerrfer+
:; ssattentions Without Intentions"

.ZE ssattentions Without Intentions.''
Young men who do not contemplate matrl-
mony are admonished Of the result OF recent
trialin New Jersey to be exceedingly clrcam- Gu
spect in their attentions to young ladies. Ihey
Enss not saw anything that can be construed
into declaration of love, no matter whether
the tender words are spoken in earnest or not.
The facts in the case in which this somewhat
alarming doctrine has been enunclateo "ere
substantially as follows :.-H -;
4s Charles w. Compton, prosperous j, uluer. ~:
taker Of Newark, became acquainted WIN AisI
Grace Plummer. a yonng lady of good soclal
position and fine personal accompllsnnents,
some five or six years ago: ehe ln:51ouuSsSS ~
him to the other members OF her iamiiy ahu
he became q. frequent visitor to her fathers ati 3
house. During his intimacy with the Plum,
ners be was engaged to another laay os WnGm nG9a
he married on the l7th OF ApIh, io!3' tais M
nanny union was dissolved BY the death OF the
wife two months afterwards. The Plummers
fieely sympashized with? the bereayed husband,
and the intimacy between him and them was
avain renewed. The evidence upon which the
promise to marty rested covered the whole
period of the acquaintance Of the parties, oosn
before his marriage 30 the otheg lady snd afsof
he became aIwiuower. ..s,s-
g Mss Pluaan,er brought suit for damages,
charging that Mr. Compton had promised TO
naarry her, but had failed TO fulfil his engage,
41ibiit. She proved by her own testimony and
that by other members Of her family that ne
called frequently at her fathers house snat
he sometimes remained as late as ten or eleven
.6cleck in the evening that MS sttentlons pe-
came 4ssparticularn iu January, 1873, when ne
5assn takins her out riding and sending her
an occasional bouquet. One day he offered to
purshase stand for her, she told him that she
did not want him to go to that expense. and ne
replied, "Why,.I live for you" On the 18th
es,fs March! 1873, while at the supper table, and
in presence Of the whole Plummer family, Mr..
Compton put diamond ring and sapphire
Sririe on-Miss Gtace's finger. She expostuiated,
but he said,i "Grace, do as tell YOU. He
then placed plain gold ring on another finger,
and told her to wear it one year. On the same
.eyeaing he wrote on themargin OF newspaper
these words: ,!"aHow little we know what time
may do for us. Is it possible to tell what one
wear may do for us :? We may possibly De on
trip to Europe or some Other gen7Iai g7s c1%e
newspaper, with the pencil marks on the mar
gin. Miss Plummer carefully preserved, and it
was exhibited as part of the evidence IN the
case.
After this came Mr.. Compton's marriage
which seemed to have provoked no resentment
at the time for soon after the death of his wife
he was Invited by the Plummers, in view OF MS
great bereavement, 'to make their house his
horns!nao He resumed his visits. and the whole
family regarded his attentions to Miss Grace as
aserious.'S Mrs. Plummer, frequently saw him
mt his arm around her daughters waist and
saw her daughter rest her head on his sheulder;
Upon this testimony Miss Plummer rested her
case. The only words or ACTIONS from .,which
the promise TO- marry could De inferred were
those given above. She! did not say that he
had.made 'sproposap at any other time or in
any other way.-On cross s-e1amination she adj
nifttea that when the diamond ring was puton
eher finger at the .supper-fabls she did not at
first think that it was an engagement ring; the
plain gold ring spoken Of was her own ring.
which Mr.. Compton playfully took off and
then put back in its place. Will, these expla1
nations the promise to marry rested entirely
upon differences drawn from his frequent visits,
his afectionate conduct, and the sentimental
trash written on the margin of a newspaper
When the defendant was put upon the stand
he admitted the frequent visits, but said that
he called upon other ladies quite as often before
his marriage, and that Miss Plummer knew
this fact.I4 After tie death ofShis wife he went
TO Europe, and while there sent letters to Miss
Grace and to other young ladies, written IN
precisely the same strain. lie sometimes
kissed her when he left the house, but ne also
Kissed the other ladies of the family. BE
offered to prove that, he had given presents to
other girls. but the court ruled that the testi1
mony was not admissible unless Miss Plummer
was informed at the time that Mr.. Compton
had been equally generous to his other lady
fhfasFsnds, and thus Pot on her guard against in,
terpretine the gifts as mark OF his special
regard for herself. He was allowed to say,
however, that he frequently took other ladies
out riding, and that he drove past Miss Plum!
mer's residence. His version of the affair at
the supper table was that the giving OF the
ring was in play. When he heard that re-
port had gone abroad that he was engaged TO
Miss Plumn1er, he went and demanded the
ring. She rushed ont of the room very angry,
and came back with the ring. At this inter-
view she fspfoached him forn calling to seq
her more frequent.
It seems very clear from the testimony that
Compton never intended to marry Miss riumi
fner. and never made any direct promise to
that effect The attempt to prove any promise
sas an entire failure! But the learned Judge
: IN charging the jury said that in cases of this
kind factions zpeak louder than words" and
that if the jury believed that Compton's cont
ductgwas such as to- convince Miss Plummer
of his affection for her, and his intention to
marry her, it made no difference whether he
made positive contract to that effect or not
If the woman believes that such q contract e1-
lists, and if the belief is founded upon series
of attentions and actions, such as were proven
in this case, she is entitled to recover in an
action for breach of promise to marry The
jury took this view of the case, and gave Miss
Pldmmer S. 900 damages. -rf5 -. I!
Young men who think that they are playing
.aninuocentp and unmeaning attentions to young
ladies had better take warning from the fate
Of this New Jersey undertaken. If gentle
man habitually visits lady, gives her presents,
GOOD night and sometimes hints at future
happiness" and the effect of these attentions
on her mind is such as to lead. her to believe
that troth has been plighted, it is no defence
for him in q court of law to prove that he never
l., di.act rarnrpise and that he was