The Opelousas courier., 1904-04-30

SUIT against John KEGS s &4pIlS
wych, showing that he, theSE S'o4A=a1i
keche, had received a sum Of lsn !
on condition of his marrying the afo1
said Alice, and that lie had marris nj
Joan Bloys, ''ageyne all good reaS an
and conscience" breach of prom ~
suits have been recognized among II
English speaking peoples. Lord HOG
enforced it at ommo law, holdlt5N IL
that "the wounded spirit, the unny,SsSs
tied disgrace and the solitude W4F,Sf
would be the probable consequencet18
desertion after a long courtship, WI TT
considered as legitimate claims fora-tA
cuniary damages as the loss of r,dTa
tatiOn by SANDER or the WoB ss@zHhs
pride in slight assaults and battel.M. Il
These matrimonial contracts So
sui generis. No grim-yisaged w.
draws up a formal contract to ~ exu,
Gated; no notary prizes into thaNtentf
and purposes of the parties 2fl certt'
fies the same under his 81 gal sealN
no go-between PandarushT resent to
hold the hands of Troillf.sa IA Cressi-
da and solemnly pronol A1SHI
IA bargain made; sea- eS$8deal it; III
be the witness" A59
No-in the vine-ciad altaF, or behind
the protecting screens NSUarlor walls,
in some shady nook, k1in the dim
moonlight deep down S99e lonely dell,
far sunken from the healthy breath
of morn and ewes one star" there
these engagements + softly whis-
pered and the contract sealed with a
kiss.
For these reasonnwhile the making
of the contract is a question of proof, II
need not be proved in totidem verbs,
and is often inferred from the actions,
language and conduct of the parties,
and it is difficult to tell under what
circumstances the court would be JUS
tilted in finding that a promise had
been made. Many a young man, not
fatally bent on matrimony, would
sometimes be surprised to find that his
language, intended only as a compl:-
ment to some charming damsel, or his
conduct, meant solely as an act of gal
lantry, is sufficient in the eyes Of the
law to support proof Of a promise to
marry.
A gentleman once concluded that it
would be a very elegant and a very
funny thing to send to his dulcinea a
newspaper article entitled, Love, the
| Conqueror,'' marking it: Read this"
The lady did read it, and when the
funny gentleman declined to marry
her. she brought suit against him and
read the article to the jury, who gave
her $4,000 damages. The Supreme
| Court of Illinois, sustaining the yer
Dict said: 1.-The article may be re-
sarded as the defeneant's W letter.
It doubtless contained sentiment which
he sanctioned, couched in language
more choice than he could compose. II
was his appeal for marriage-it fore
told in clear and emphatic language
! his object and intent in his courtshil
with her. She doubtless placed this
construction upon it, as she wei
might do, and laid it aside as 4 rare
treasure"
In a New York case it was shown or
the trial that a widoWer, a pious elder
OF ffty-three years of age, soon after
the death of his wife, visited the plain
tiff, a maiden lady of thirty, and tax
ing out a memorandum book, from
which he read, or pretended to read
.4o4oa :, n confidential way that hf
had noted down some requests made
by his wife four days before hel
death; that it was something he "coult
not tell her now" but that she (th'
maiden LADY, would know some day.
darkly limiting, so the lady 0 1t
that the deceased wife had requested
the forlorn widover to tighten his grie
by marrying the plaintiff. 1t wa
proved that after this confidential tall
there were rides and drives together
frequent visits extending till late il
the evening, and, to cap the climax
the widower told the plaintiff that at
ter the lapse of a year from the dealt
of his wife (the widower's quarantine
it seems), he intended to marry, an
he then entered into a minute descril
ton of the lady he wanted to marry
which description was an exact phc
tograph of the plaintiff. While W
cannot but admire the shreWd dlplc
macy of this willy widoweT, counting b
dark insinuations and covert sugges
tons. and not committing himself b
an open ayowal, yet, as the Seque
shows. he ran amuck Of the doctrin
of estoppel.
The sanctimonious Proteus forge
his Julia and found him another swee
heart, and, knowing that he had b'
come somewhat involved in his ana
with the plaintiff. he diplomaticall
undertook to checkmate the lady.
told her that he did not want her pei
pIe to think that he wa paying he
the attentions of q lover so soon afte
the death OF his wife, and, in order
allay that suspicion, he drew up
note, in which the plaintiff was mao
to say that she regarded his visits
.simpIy evidences OF friendship IN
nothing more" and got her to sign
The jury found in her favor and Il
Court Of Appeals of New York uphe.
the verdict.
In a Connecticut case the defenda1
had been heard to remark On his ha
piness when in plaintiffs company ar
his utter misery unless in her ,%societ
The parties had exchanged daguerre
types. the defendant had taught Il
plaintiffs nephew to call him une!
III +ald the nIn;ntiM.s hrntiaer-i