The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-20
Story Of a Woman Who Loved
Well But Not Wisely.
TRUSTED, WAS DECEIVED
THEN DESERTED IN THE HOUR
OF HER DISGRACE.
A SUIT ON rRiAL FOR DAMAGES
Her Father Asks the Jury for S5,OOO--
Miss Rester's Pitiable Story L he
Love Sick Letters Written
by the Betrayer.

10y the SGtrayeS.
my place is gone, my heart is sore
1t was the old story-with it's tears and
pity. And pitiably enough it was told
told by a woman in black in the court
house yesterday.
A story it was of a womans love and Il
mans perfidy: q woman's fall and Il
mans desertion-the old story Of Faust
and Margaret. All the characteristics
of Geothe's famous poem were IN hef
story-except the culture, polish and re-
pentanca of the Faust and the suicidal
ending of the life of the Margaret.
There were the lying tongue, the per-
6dious promises, the wealth, position and
power on the one side. On the other
hand there was the simple, modest coun-
try maiden-bright-eye rosy-cheekeu'
red-lipped.
She loved, loved above her station. her
lover became her tempter BY means Oh
threats and promises Thomas Robertson
succeeded in blighting the me
of pretty Julia Hester. Having
wrought her ruin he fled to Texas.
Then as time passed, he wrote-wrote
to protest his uudying love in one me
and tell her in the next that he was
hired TO desert-wrote to acknowledge
his responsibility for her disgrace but
never to Ter once any amelioration for II
wrote to stamp himself a man unwor-
thy of the name.
The suit now on trial in Wake county
Superior court is brought by
Abram Hester against Thomas Robert
son for the seduction of his daughter,
Julia Hester, under promise of marriage.
Mr., Hester asks for $1,000 damages.
All tie parties live in Neuse River
township. in about one mile of each
other. and much feeling has been en-
rendered hy the case. The whole neigh
horhood has been summoned as witnesses.
thirty-three witnesses being sworn in by
tho plaintiff and ten by the defendant.
The hearing of the case Consumed all
the day yesterday and. if all the witnesses
are examined. it cannot be completed to-
day. Nearly two hours was consumed
in getting the following jury: W. u.
Redford, w. III. Atkins. W. II. Mann, >.
D. Dennis. William Grimes, Gideon Al
len, G.. E. Upchurch, G. A. Allen, Il. IL.
Pendergrass, j. u. Maynard, Chas. At
kris, J. I'll. Parker and }. L. Ii. Adams
Only one witness has as yet been eS-
nmined-that is Miss Julia Hester. Shr
told her story simply, plainly, sorrow
fully. There was no special display OF
feeling in the first part Of 1t, except fhat
one could see she was laying pare
one of the real tragedies of life. ANA that
. wonan's ruined life and broken heart
were in every word she spoke.
So truthfully and candidly did she re-
Iata her story that the cruel. inslnuatln@
cross questioning of opposing counsel
failed TO discomfort her. The jury be-
levad her. the court believed her and the
defendant had not, outside of his own
family, a friend in the room.
She said she was twenty-three years
old and had known the defendant, Thom-
as Robertson, for about SIX years anu
lived only about a mile from him. she
was engaged to him in tEc ring OF 1871
md YVES TO be married ti.at fall. LII.
wedding was postponed till the next fal,:
because his father would give him moth
ing to live on. In the fail of 1897 the
wedding was again put off till the fall or
1893. In the spring of 1893 the witness
said the defendant made his first attempt
at familiarity. trying to put his arm
around her. They had quarrel about
this but made it up and in September
or October following the seduction 90
CURED under threats from the DEFEND
ant of killing himself and the witness
and promise Of marrying her.
This continued, under similar promises
and threats of exposure until FASTER
1894. when the defendant, Robertson, at
tempted to get the witness to submit
to = criminal operation by taking some
medicine procured by the defendant
from a Raleigh physician. Failing in
this. the defendant ran away, going to
Texas. The child was born October IL,
1894. For nearly two years the witness
was unable to leave the house and most
of the time was confined to her bed. The
child lived only one year and seven
months.
After this the defendant returned to
b;s home and married a young girl in
Durham.
The first display of feeling was when
Jydoe Whitaker asked the witness If
cbo didn't haye this suit brought TO take
what the defendant had. Miss Hester
burst into tears exclaiming, mo, not
chat though he has taken all in the world
that have" Again when Judge Whita-
ker asked her is she had not been on as
intimate terms with others as she had
with Robertson, the tears slowly trickled
down her face as she looked him bravely
in the face and said, 81 swear before the
GOOD Lord that that is not true
And there was not a disinterested per-
son in the court room but believed her.
At the conclusion Of the young lady's
testimony, the following letters, written
by the defendant, Robertson, after h'
had run away to Texas, were offered in
evidence.
They were written on small note paper
with a lowered design in the corner
Though in spelling (Which is given be-
howl, punctuation and capitalization
they are not models, yet they may give
some points in the matter Of endear-
ments. These letters follow:
White Write, Texas, June LIST, 1894.
My dear little Girl;
I will tonight take the greatest pleas
ure in writing you a f"w lines and l
dearly hone chat this will find you veil