The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-10-25
COURT IN SEWER.
Widow Receives Damages For Blight
ed Affections.

Junction, Utah, Oct 22.-Judge Child
ester. after a ten days siege of the
hardest kind of work at Richfield, hold
ing court there night and day in order
TO get Sewer cOunty's court calendar
cleared before the opening of the Piute
county term, reached here yesterday,
one day late. A jury was on hand and
one of the longest calendars ever pre-
scented i'm this county on an opening day
of a term of court was before the
judge. However. in calling the calen-
dar numerous stipul8tiOns for contin-
uances and compromises were found
filed, and in a very few moments or
ders in accordance with the stipula-
lions being made, the calendar was
reduced to almost nothing.
In the criminal case of the state VS..
George r. Johnson, accused of carnai-
" knowing a female under the age OF
consent. 1t was found that the defend
ant within the past few days had mar
ried the girl and the case was cOntin-
Ued. but not dismissed.
In the befOuling waters case against
+. p. COrdOva, a Mexican sheep heTder
for Magleby Brothers. sheepmen of
Monroe. it was found that the COM
plant filed in the justice court was
imperfect. hence the case was dis
missed. Defendant was rearrested.
tried i'm the Justices court again and
fined $50 and costs. Another appeal Of
the case to the district court has been
taken.
The somewhat notorious breach OF
promise case was taken up for trial
yesterday afternoon The entire jury
panel was exhausted in the eXamina-
ton and only six members remained
who had not heard sufficient Of the
facts in the case to have formed an
opinion as to the merits. and the case
went to trial before those six men
The plaintiff is Mrs. Alta Benson. a
widow with five children. in very poor
circumstances. living at ParOwan. She
came 10 Junction In the summer Of 1901
and met ID. W. StOkeT. then a recent
widower with four children, standing
well socially I'm the community. and
reputed to he rich. She says that he
proposed marriage and she accepted
him. expressing a preference at the
time however, to be married in a Nor
mon temple first being sealed to her
dead husband, but that inasmuch as
Stokes said he could not procure tn
bishops recommend necessary to per
NIT him 20 enter the temple, she agreed
to marry him outside Of the temple
and trust to being able at some future
DAY 10 enter the temple and be sealed
To her first and dead husband. That
thereafter she returned 10 her home
with him and the fact Of their engage
ment became public. and she began
preparations for the wedding. Letters
passed between them till September,
and she heard nothing further from
him until December. when she learned
that he had married another woman.
That she was thereby Inundated ami
chagrinned 10 her injury in the sum Of
81 600. That in her conditions and
prospects Of life she was injured I'm
the sum of $1,000 in addition to her
actual outlay in preparing for mar
ria=e.
The defendant admitted the proposal.
but said thai at the time il was not
accepted except on the condition that
he would get n recommend and 50
through a temple. which, he says. he
told her at the time he could not and
would not do. he admitted, further,
vvooing and lOver-Iike conduct toward
the plaintiff but alleged that il was
always in the hope that she would
change her mind and relax on hes
temple proposition; that this she never
cid do. and. therefore. no actual and
complete marriage contract ever took
place between them, and he for that
reason. considering himself absolutely
free. married another woman. The
woman he married was young and
without children.
The testimony covered the conduct OF
I Mrs. Benson and Mr.. Stokes from the
time they met until ne quit correspond
ing and was at times somewhat racy
and at other times very pathetic. The
court room was crowded during all OF
the time Of the trial. and especially
during the arguments. which closed
this afternoon at 4 O'Clock. when the
Jury retired. In less than an hour Il
returned with a verdict in favor of TIE
. woman, Cor S-AA