Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-09-17
A LONDON CASE.

~ pIhloC VI anu PAtSihOAA
was man. the defendant woman.
And what was more. the latter was ut
least old enough to be the mother OF
the former.
The plaintiff story was simple
enough. He was a young man OF
twenty-eight. 1t was in a second class
carriage of the Inner Circle railway
that he had set eyes on the defendant.
She asked him on that occasion to di-
rect her from the Mansion House sta
ton to the Bank of England. He had
offered his escort thus far, his own
destination being in that direction.
During the journey and walk she had
confided in him that amongst other
things, she was unmarried, had an in
come Of two thousand year, and was
very fond OF handsome young men. In
the end, Miss Mumpany had proposed
that they should meet again, and they
had done go continuously for the space
OF six months.
He did not for moment suggest
that this was q reversal of the DID, old
story of wonan's love and base mans
deception.
8 On the contrary. he declared in the
coolest manner possible that he was
man Of eXtravagant tastes. with n mar
row income. and that he preferred
stalls at tho theater and nice little din
ners at the Cafe Royal or the Berke-
ley. in company with and ut the ex-
pense of Miss Mumpany, to solitary
seat in the pit and shilling dinner in
the basement of q coffee-hOuse. In
due course, he asked her to marry
him purely for the sake of having con-
troll Of so large an income. She had
consented. and he had three letters
from her produced full of the most
cxtravagant terms of endearment, and
containing repeated references to the
time when she should be his loving
wife. He had not kept the envelopes.
And. finally. he had thrown up his
business at her request, so as to be
more constantly her companion. and,
when every preparation had been
made for the marriage, she had in
formed him that she was u married
woman living separate from her hus-
band.
Flora Mumpany was an old lady of
sixty. separated from her husband. an
Indian civilian, childless and possessed
of private fortune of two Thousand
year She was prominent member
of several philanthopic associations,
and consequently spent much of her time
from home. She denied all knowledge
ofthe plaintiff. although she didremem-
Der on one occasion being directed by
a civil young man from the Mansion
House Station to tho Bank or England.
He offered to accompany her, and very
possibly she mentioned her name to
him on the way. That young man
might have been the plaintiff. but she
could not swear one way or the other
ut that distance Of time. Beyond that
she believed that she had seen the
plaintiff but twice in her life, and then
not to speak to.
Now came the truly remarkable
part OF her story.
At the-time Of her alleged intimacy
with the plaintiff, she was, she said
on very friendly terms with young
Australian art student certain Miss
Gertrude Gaylord, who lodged in the
dining-room set OF No. 80 South Ebury
street. where she herself, occupied the
drawing-room floor. They very fire.
gently spent their evenings together
and amused themselves by spelling
games. word competitions, conse-
Quences and other similar past
times. On one occasion she remem-
bered distinctly proposal being
made that they should carry on an i'm
aginary correspondence between
lover and his mistress. Miss Gaylord
taking the part Of the former, she of
the latter. She did not know what
became OF that imaginative cores
pOndence. The letters produced bv
the plaintiff. Edward Constant. were
written by her on that occasion. She
had tried to discover the whereabouts
of Miss Gaylord, but without success.
How any person could have so utterly
disappeared she was at a loss to UNI
derstand. She alleged that the whole
charge was gross and monstrous
conspiracy. and that Gertrude Gay
lord had in the manner aforesaid, OBJ
tanned these discriminating letters
from her
In addition she said that she had
twice met that young lady in the
street IN company with a young man,
and she believed. though she could
not swear positively. that it was the
plaintiff with whom Miss Gaylord was
walking.
This was the astounding case for the
defense.
The evidence had been concluded
the previous evening, and the solicitor
general. who appeared for Mrs. Mum
pany. was just rising in his place to
make his final address to the jury,
when a commotion was heard in the
back OF the court A young barrister
was fighting his way in. amid the
curses and objurgations of the already
oYerpacked throng about the doors.
Gaining temporary elevation, he adj
dressed the Judge:
If your lordship pleases, l would
ask your lordship to allow me to ad-
dress you as amicus curia."
III -, - -,