The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-15
FOR WOUNDED AFFECTIONS.
MRS. CARsON's SUIT AGAINST Ex-
STATE SENATOR ROBERTS.


To-day to Award Her S25, 900 For
Breach of PrOmfse-It Is Expected
Some Interesting Testimony VIII
BE Brought Out-She Charges Him
With DesignedIy BIightIng Her
Happiness.
One Of the most interesting, II not the
most interesting, case that win be heard
at this term of the United States court is
that Of Mrs. Charlotte b. Carson against
william Roberts, Sr., for breach OF prom
Use, in which she asks at the hands of the
court and jury the sum of $4,000 damages.
Mrs. Carson alleges in her petition that
she is a resident Of Auburn, Ala, though
up to September, 1895, previous to the FL
ing of her petition, she was a resident of
Cordele. William Roberts Sr., the de
PENDANT, Is a resident of Valdosta,
Lowndes county, and was at the time the
suit was filed, the state senator from his
senatorial district She alleges that the de-
PENDANT began TO pay her marked atten-
lions in the autumn of 1894 while she was
i'm thei"peaceable and quiet enjoyment of
happy home, surrounded by friends,
where petitioners exemplary conduct had
won for her the respect and esteem of a
large circle of acquaintances."
Roberts, she says, endeavored to
win her love and to induce her
to become his wife. She says he
was man of fine appearance and
also man Of considerable wealth and
prominence in his community, he being "a
widower and past that period of life where
petitioner might have expected him not to
be subject to the fickleness of youth" She
had a right. therefore, she says, to rely
upon his earnest, continued and vehe-
ment expressions of his undying love and
affection to which she finally yielded, and
about the latter part of December 1894,
accepted proposal of marriage from him.
The date Of the marriage, she said, was
fixed on April 4. 1895, whereupon she made
known her engagement to her friends
and relatives and set about making prep
aratlons for the marriage. Designing and
intending TO wound her feelings and to
destroy her peace and happiness and ex-
pose her to the ridcule of the public, she
says, under the pretense of having a good
excuse, he sent her a letter in which he
stated that on account of the backward
ness of his farm and for other causes
he would have to postpone the date of the
had continued to grow stronger. and
wound up with the statement that he
could not tell which day would suit him
best.
April IS and April 80, she says. he wrote
her letters expressive of his continued
love and affection for her. She states.
however, that all of this time he was pur-
posely Withholding from her his design
to break his promise, and afterward on
May 10, was married to a Miss Cook of
Boston, Ga. She says he left her in total
ignorance of his action in the premises
and that she suffered and continues to
suffer great mental anguish as we'll on
account of the great wrong done her
trusting heart through this perfidious
course pursued by the defendant by
which her love and affections received so
terrible blow, as on account of the in
dignity so wrongfully put upon her by
the defendant, and the modification to
which petitioner was subjected b reason
of the false position In which the defend
ant had left her after his marriage, and
up to the time when she learned of his
said marriage.
On account of her wounded feelings and
loss of happiness, which would have been
hers had the promise been kept. she says
she is entitled to damages in the sum of
$25. 600.
The defendant has filed plea 10 the juris-
diction of the court in which he states that
Mrs. Carson is not a resident of Auburn
Ala, as she states in her petition, but of
Cordele, Ga, and that the contest involv-
ed being between citizens of the same
state, should not come before the federal
court, but before the superior court Of
Lowndes county, of which Judge A II.
Hanseli is judge.
In addition to his plea to the jurisdic-
ton of the court the defendant has also
filed an answer without prejudice to his
plea in which he denies many of the aver
ments of the plaintiff. He admits having
visited her upon three occasions, and says
he was captivated by her appearance,
manners and charms. She being a widow
with four children however he said it
had been distinctly understood that they
were not to be married without the con-
sent of their children, for he knew they
could not live in happiness unless that
consent was secured. All of his statements
made to her he said, were upon this CON
dition. He had hoped at one time that
the objection to the marriage on the part
of his daughter, who was then keeping
house for him, would be removed, but it
was not possible.
He denies positively that he Intentional
ly or desgnedly kept anything from her or
intended to wound her feelings, or to ex-
pose her to public ridicule He denies also
that he is a man of any particular promi-
hence or wealth. He became convinced,
he says, that the conditions precedent to
his marriage with her could not be remov-
ed, ''and he felt that his highest duty was
to his motherless daughter. who had given
the best years of her life to his comfort
and happiness, and he then and there
stated to his said daughter that without
her consent he would contract no mar
riage." lie admits having married Miss
Jessie ]. Cook of Boston, Ga. Practically
all of the other allegations against the de-
PENDANT are denied, and he demands that
strict proof be submitted of the letters
claimed to have been written expressing
his continued love and affection.
The plaintiff, Mrs. Carson. is represent
ed by Messrs. Allen Fort of Americas and
Marion Erwin of Macon. while the defend
ant is represented by Messrs. Erwin. du-
Bignon & Chisholm. The testimony will
undoubtedly be lengthy and interesting
and It is probable that the court room will
be pretty well filed by those who enjoy
hearing the details of such cases.
THIEVES SWIPE BICYCLES.