Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1883-01-20
GOTHAM GOSSIP.
Special Correspondence Independent.
NEW YORK, Jan. 18th 1888

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unquestionably the suit for $75. 900
damages for breach of promise of
marriage, brought against Henry
Fleming, young millionaire, by
Miss Mary A. Livingston. The
details as developed in the course
of the trial were puriant in the
extreme, and of course the court
room in Brooklyn was packed to
repletion with curiosity seekers.
The trial resulted in verdict for
the plaintiff for the full amount
asked for, the heaviest amount
ever awarded in breach of prom
Use case in the history of legal
practice. Now, there Is no doubt
that such verdict would have
been given in any other city in
the Union save Brooklyn. That
city has not It's like in the country.
1t has more scandals to the square
yard than other large cities have
to the square mile. 1t combines
the peculiar friskness Of Chicago
with the outward occurrences of a
Quaker town. Everybody goes TO
the church and yet everybody
looks like he or she had history.
Outside of that however, Mr..
Fleming's case was grossly mis-
managed. ~ His lawyer, Mr..
Howe, who is very good at saving
criminals from the gallows. seems
to have been at sea in this case
He attacked the girl in the most
brutal manner. He called her a
cyprian and the daughter of a cy-
prian. On the-statement of a de-
tective who seems to be paragon
of asinity, he charged her with
having kept an improper lodging
house ten years ago. Now the
girl is not yet twenty-one and the
detective simply ascribed to her
the doings Of woman by the
name of Livingston, who for ten
years prior to 1874 was fashiona-
BILE notorious character in metro
politan shady life OF course the
jury had to sympathize and side
with her.
Said lawyer to me, q man who
at one time filed the position Of
Judge In one Of our leading State
Courts, and who has gained many
iaures by his pleadings at the
bar, "the day Of bullying a plain
tiff or heaping vile abuse on him,
and treating him or her in such a
method will not alone lose his own
cases, but will make himself liza
BILE to prosecution. The spirit of
the age is in favor of moderation,
and it was high time that this
spirit made itself felt.
An appeal has been taken from
the virdict, and additional evil
dence against the character of the
woman has, 1t is claimed, been
discovered. During the trial it
was charged tn at Miss Livingston
had been Intimate with her moth
er's coachman, one Alexander
Cornelius. This person has now
came forward and produced the
letters alleged TO have been writ
en- to him by the girl. This of
course will open the sluice gates
again. The spectacle is not edi-
flying. And yet, strange are the
workings of q woman's mind, this
girl even now would marry Elem
ing were he willing. lam 80 in
formed by person who knows
both parties.
A Catholic priest of my ac-
quaintance had an amusing adj
venture in a street car the other
day. He is one of those very few
clergymen of modern days who
remain poor because they find SO
much misery to relieve. He was
riding in a street car on his way
to a sick call. In his overcoat he
carried large memorandum
book. Beside him sat a gentle
manly looking man who was
busted with q newspaper. All of
a sudden the man arose and went
to the back platform as il to leave
the car. Not long afterward the
priest left also. AS he arose he
quickly found his pocket book
was gone. Much chagrined, yet
he could not help feeling amused
over the prospective discontinue
OF the thief, for he knew the book
contained not cent. He turned
into the street, when much to his
surprise man who followed him,
tapped him on the shoulder, and
handing him his book, remarked:
'sir, excuse my friend, here is
your book. 1t was all = mistake.
There is nothing in it, and a0-
ruptly fastened away.
Shaefer the billiardist has a re-
markable dog in his rooms. He