The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-25
VALUE OF A
HUSBAND.
Is Fixed by Circuit
Court Jury at
$500.
|NON SUIT IN LAND
CASE BEFORE LITTLE
breach of Promise Suit of Brown
VS.. Bannister Was Tried Be.
fore Gear Yesterday.

A Honolulu jury yesterday set a
price of $500 as the value of hus-
band. 1t took but few minutes for the
Jury to arrive at this conclusion in the
case of Asiu Brown VS.. Andrew Bannis-
ter, wherein $1,000 damages had been
asked for breach of promise of mar
Iriage. To aggrayate the situation the
parties to the suit had been living as
man and wife, because of these prom
Uses, and their two children with the
wife were deserted upon the marriage
:of Bannister to another woman. The
Jury, a very sensible one, by the way
wished to have the amount of damages
placed in trust for the children, but this
naturally could not be allowed by the
court under the terms of the suit.
The plaintiff is a rather good looking
half-native woman, of probably twen-
ty-fve, and the defendant is big and
strong, with demeanor on the Witness
stand which told very much against
him in the minds of the jury. He made
mo defense. aside from a simple state
ment, that he had never promised to-
marry plaintiff, and that the witnesses
who testified that he did Tied"
PLAINTIFF ON THE STAND.
Miss Brown went on the stand I'M
her own behalf as soon as the jury
had been selected. She was entirely
self-possessed, though withal still conf
scious of her position, and her answers
were barely loud enough for the inter
prefer to catch their meaning.
When did you first meet Andrew
Bannister?" asked Attorney Peters.
Tt was in July of 1897. just outside
the gate of my house on King street.
He was passing and asked. How areI
your Pretty WELL 1 said, and he rel
piled, I am very fortunate in meeting|
you at this time.
Was there anything else?'
Yes, he said I often pass this way,
and often wanted to have some con-
versation with YOU Then he said heI
would like to meet me again." contin-
ued the plaintiff.
When did you meet him again?"
In few days at the same place,
he told me he wanted to talk with me,
He said that since the first meeting his,
mind had been somewhat upset andI
overturned; that the memory of me;
was floating about in his mind. He.
met me often after that"
Did he ever speak of marriage?"
Yes, he used to say, I want to mar-s
ry you, so 1 can have some one toS
look after me-
And did you consent?"
Il told him that if he had fully made
up his mind to have me for his wife, /
to ask my mother On September 6,
1897, he came to the house, and 1 in-s
troduced Andrew to my mother, and
SAID he was the son of William Tell
He said, / suppose 1 am a stranger
to you; l haven't been at your houseS
before My mother said yes, he was
a stranger Then Andrew said, II
came to you because 1 wanted to take
your daughter for my wife, and mys
mother asked Andrew if he was sin-I
sere. He said yes. and she gave herS
consent then"
And did you say anything?"
also gave my consent, and An
lrew returned home. Andrew then told
ne about wanting me to live with
aim, and l went to the home in Ma
get married, and he told me bye and
oye."
Witness then told of returning to
Ter mothers home with the defendant. l.
Until he built a house upon an adj
dining piece of land. She also related
In incident at a luau given by her
husband, at which her aunt asked him
lbout the approaching marriage, and
lie told her he was raising pigs to be
aten at the wedding feast. She told
-lso of many subsequent requests that q
lie carry out the promises of marriage, s
'ut in every case he put her off on
ome pretext or other. Finally, after q
wo years of mated life, he came toA
Ter one night and said he was going
way to stay. tHe came back about &
o'clock continued the witness, "and
old me he-was going to marry Helen g
3ertelman right away, October LIST, q
md intended to go to Molokai on hisE
honeymoon. 1 could hardly realize it. Is
That was the last night he stayed at u
he house, but afterwards he came&
Jack and told me he was going tor
marry this girl to please his sisters, y