The Portland daily press., 1897-10-01
with her wishes, and incurred other larg
expenses preparatory to said marriage. TO
wit, ono thousand dollars.

with her wishes, and incurred other iarg
Expenses preparatory to said marriage. W
wit, ono thousand dollars.
Contlnulng, Judge Wing addressed bhe
jury and said that Mr.. Melcher was q
well-known business man. The defendant
was woman of the most respected par
entage, her father being a well-known
man of affairs and highly esteemed. Her
mother is sister of the wife Of Congress
man Dingley: Mr.. Wing further de-
fendant and Congressman Dineley and
family, enlarging upon the fact. A year
ago, the last OF May, the plaintiff lost
his wife, and Immediately the defend mt
began writing the plaintiff letters, ex-
presslve of her love for him. With her
mother she began making calls at his
house on Drummond street. Later she was
there almost constantly. In August. she
asked him if he was under any obliga-
} tions to any woman; that she loved him
as nobody else. Soon after that while
Mr.. and Mrs. Dingley were at Harpswell
Mrs. Hadley invited Mr.. Melcher Up to
dinner Fone Sunday. She said it WAS at
her mothers request. At the dinner she
asked him il he would consent to mar
riage He replied that he couidn' t
promise at that time, but they would
wait till January and then If she felt the
same toward him he would marry her.
He declined at that time on account OF
the recent death Of his wife. In January
he consented to the alliance, with the
understanding that the wedding should
not take place until more than year
after the death of his wife. Mr.. Wing
detailed how the wedding was set for
June, and how the date was inscribed on
a ring, which the plaintiff gave the defen.
dant. The engagement was announced
and became the talk of the community.
The courtship continued, Miss Dingley
/ mn hi Qt MllChar
home, ETC. The letters which she wrote
about that timo were full of expressions
Of love and esteem for the plaintiff. Her
| will In her fathers house was law; what
ever she wanted, had to be done. The
last of June she had been taken sick.
Previous to that she had been to Boston
and had bought dresses and had made all
preparations for the approaching we'd
ding. She had even bought her silver
brushes, which she had marked with the
name of Melcher, which name she ex-
pected to bear. Beside she directed the
fitting up of the Melcher house. Mr..
Wing detailed about Miss Dingley in
they sent for Mr.. Meicher, how be took
her to ride. etc. Saturday night before
she left Melcher was at her house and
that she kissed him and Rugged him and
gave other demonstrations of her regard
for him. The next thing MIR. Melcher
knew was an article in the Lewiston
Journal announcing the wedding to Mr..
ly circulated. In was in all the papers in
the country. Scare head lines were over
the articles. Melcher Tilted, +" and SINH
lar sensational lines were in the head
ings, greatly to the humiliation OF the
plaintiff.
Continuing, Mr.. Wing gave other facts
relative to the courtship Of the plaintiff
and the defendant. It was held that the
contract to marry Mr.. Hadley was made
while Mrs. Dingley, her mother, was out
riding for q few moments with htr. Mel
cher, but that upon the return of Mrs.
Dingley and Mr.. Melcher, Mr., Melcher
went to ride with the defendant. Mr..
Wing spoke of the worldly advantage
coming to Mr.. Melcher is in matrimo-
nial contract with the defendant.
The court interrupted Mr.. Wing to say
to the ladies that they could not have SO
much whispering. 1he talking must all
be at that end of the room. lie pleaded
with them to keep quiet:
Mr.. Wing finished his opening at 10
clock. 8
Arthur S. Melcher, the plaintiff, was
called and said he had lived with his
| mother at 23 Drummond street. He said
that he lived near the defendant Is OR
20 years.
The plaintiff here introduced some
letters, 29 in all, which the defendant had
written to him. The first one was writ ton
immediately after his wife's death. 1t is
as follows:
Saturday
My Dear Arthur-It was pain and grief
that learned this morning of the death
of your dear Mary Though no words of
mine can bring comfort to your sorely
tired heart, yet cannot refrain from
writing to you to express my deep and
heartfelt sympathy in your at1liction:
Knowing Mary so we'll, can undertand
what blow her death Is to you. She
was q woman whose place will not be
easily filled In the world. How impossi-
BILE to fill in her home. You have this to
comfort you. You have the hope OF meet
| ing her one day in better union than
bound you here on earth. She waits for
you, and reunited there you will know
DO more parting. / pray God to temper
your affliction and give you that peace
| that will enable you to wait with patience
until He shall call to meet your dear
Father in heaven.
Sincerely yours,
LOUISE NJ. DINGLEY.
May 23, '96.
Another letter dated few days later
to the same effect was put in. A third,
among other things, said:
Sunday, Auburn, May 81, 1896.
NV Dear Arthur was made to feel
YOUR letter and was more than pleased be-
cause it was written voluntarily: What
lonely day this has been. particularly
for you.
1t doesn't seem possible that it is a
week tomorrow since you laid your dear
Mary in her last resting place. l thank
you again for your sweet note and assure
you you do not know how much 1t Is APP
preciated Arthur, dear, will DO all
can to fill an aching void. ! am rather
blue today. Guess it comes from feeilng
lonesome. You don't know the feeing,
do YOU? It comes to me once in while
when I get to thinking too much and
longing for some one to love.
(Letter 4.
Auburn. Me-, Sunday, June IL, 1895.
NV Dear Arthur-Your sweet and low
ing letter of Wednesday was handed to
me Thursday.
When 1 saw you at Mary's grave last
i Tuesday, with tears that moved me beyond
compare, 1t is not meet that should say,
! 1 never expect to fill Mary's place. No
one could, my dear. All 1 will say is, l
- Ioro -, c1, Il n