The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-05-04
SUING A PROPHET,

duu OF SO Hucn import 10 the legai pro-
fession and the world at large that i
may we'll command the interest and at
tention of all persons OF whatever wall
of life, professional, business or socia
standing.
1T appears that one Simeon G. Briggs
a well-to-do citizen. has brought suit to
recover $4,000 from a soothsayer and
foreteller of the future ON the ground
OF making an egregious error in look
ing into his future. According
to the prayer of the petit
titoner, one Nine. Cecilia Montmorency,
claiming TO be the seventh child of a
seventh child, and claiming also to have
had a long residence in Europe, where
she had foretold all the calamities that
had come to nations and crowned heads
Tor the past twenty years, undertook,
for hfiy cents, 10 tell Mr.. Briggs
what his future was to be, a
short deck of cards being the
medium of her divulgings. The
affidavit sets forth that on a certain date
the petitioner, Briggs, did call upon the
defendant, Montmorency. induced
thereto by the public announcements of
her ability TO accurately cast his or any
body else's horoscope, did deposit
the required fifty cents in the
prophets hand, and that then and there
the said defendant prophet did
make known to tue said petitioner
what purported to be his
future" And the affidavit further
sets forth that, acting with full conf
dence on the prophetic assurances thus
made, the petitioner, Briggs, did take
certain steps, as informed he should do,
ana that, as subsequently developed, the
results thereof were not in accordance
with the prophetic assurances accepted
IN good faith and for which the sum Of
fifty cents had been duly paid.
Wi hout entering upon minute review
OF the elaborate brief drawn up in behalf
II the petitioner, Briggs, the chief fea-
lures Of the prophecy which are claimed
70 have been violated may be referred
o i'll few words. 1t is set forth that,
citing under the advice of the sooth-
sayer, the petitioner Briggs did meet
ana marry blonde lady with yellow
air aud pale blue eyes," as directed by
he said Mime. Cecilia Montmorency.
That the said blond lady was, so the
petitioner had every reason to believe,
thc exact and particular blone lady
which the prophecy designed he should
meet HAIRY, It presumption whic1
ssustained by The fact that the petition
n, Briggs, ''met her by chance" that it
was " a case of love at first sight," that
q dark gentleman came between them
for a while, that the petitioner, Briggs,
" despaired,' hat he "had long sick
ness = but was subseq quently restored TO
bealth anu was successful i'm his suit 4"
with numerous other specifications
which are claimed to have tailed
with the details of the prophecy.
The petition sets forth furthermore that
the petitioner, Briggs, after marrying
the said blonde lady" lived happily
with her for the space of two years, but
hat the last, and to petitioner the
most important, feature of the prophecy
had failed of being fulfilled, although
The petitioner had given it ample op-
This feature was, briefly, that,
although the blonde lady would appear
70 be in only moderate circumstances and |
petitioner was to marry her |
for love- solely, she should prove to be |
lady of hirh social standing to whom
within year would come an inheritance |
mounting to ten thousand dollars TO be
eft her by rich and heretofore unknown
lncle who was to have been an English |
'aronet possessed of vast acres aud
of which was to come on
us death, which was warranted to occur
within the twelve hs aforesaid.
Petitioner having waited and watched
or the promised Inheritance, not
lone for one year, but fcr two
ears, aud the said inheritance not
aving arrived, petitioner therefore
ues the prophet for the promised sum
ogether with two thousand dollars ad-
tional to defray the cost of maintain
NJ the blonde lady as his wife, and to
hat effect will ever pray. II is clearly
ct forth in the petition that the petit
oner, Briggs, has been active in watch
~ the death roll of English
aronets. for the intervening two years,
nd a list of all such is appended TO and
lade a part of the petition. The. case
n the part oil the petitioner seems to be
.rong and well put.
Tho demurrer of, defendant, Mont
lorency, however, while it does not
eny the essential points made in petit
ouer's brief, aud indeed main
'ins the reliability of the prophets
,,-c,a. tl.t Al. |