Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1908-12-16
BREACH OF PROMISE.
Manner In Which the Law Treats 1t
In Different Ccunsrioe.

In Different Ccursgioe.
England is the best l,ls.re from the
plaintiffs point of. II x. for Il breach
of promise action. y! other coun-
tries seem to regard with grave sus-
picion any attempt, 10. recover none
tary compensation fer the loss Of
prospective husband. and uniess the
plaintiff has very strong ease indeed
it is never worth her while to carry
her grief into the law cou-,s
In France breach sc promise cases
are rare, for the simple reason that
the law requires the plaintiff to prove
that she has suffered pecuniary loss.
Now this is not an easy thing to Go
ON the part of the lady especially N
a country where a girl without dot
that is. marriage por;ion-has poor
chance of finding husband. Holland
and Austria have adopted the French
system. and the result has been about
the same. Breach OF promise actions !.
are rare. the injured dariSels or their
relatives usually taking the law into
their own hands.
Practical Germany. as might be ex-
PNNeSo' Aoo pei ldpS ti1S OSSt CSISu
for solving this problem When q
young couple become engaged they
have to go through a public betrothal
ceremony that ought to knock all the
shyness out of them. In the LEGAL
town hall the pair declare their affcc-
ton. willingness to marry. etc. ending
by signing collection of documents
that apparently leave no loophole for
escape. But if either party 10 the con
tract wishes to Withdraw another Jour
ney is undertaken to the town hail
and another collection cf documents
signed. witnessed and sealed. Thea
the authorities determine the Question
Of cOmpensatiOn-shoCi i lie claimed.
In this connection it r.ay lie said that
| the man can and often does claim q
| solatium for his wounded feelings.
| The usual award is 0nn-Efth Of the
marriage dowry. 1t is easy to Under-
stand when all this is remembered
how loath the young people of Ger
many are to break their betrothal
oathS,
As the law of Italy affords little or
no protection whatever to Tilted dam
sells Or SWANS, it is uot surprising that
the stiletto should be the fav0ri.c mode
OF deciding breach of promise cases.
The Italian law demarf,s That the per-
son suing for the breach shall produce
a written promise to i-larTy from the
defendant; otherwise the action cannot
proceed. This difficulty is almost in
surmountable. and the Italian Judges
are seldom troubled to adjadicate be-
tween one time lovers
To bring an action for breach OF
promise of marriage against re:gning
monarch is an achievement but it has
been done, and by an English lady.
Miss Jenny Mighell sued The sultan Of
JOhOre. and as there vas doubt
whether the dusky one was actually 4
reigning monarch the case was allowed
to come into court, but the judge quick
~ disposed Of the action by ruling it
inadmissible for the reason referred to,
and Miss Mighell was nonsuited
1t is remarkable that one of the two
actions which have brought verdictS
for 10000 each to the ftaintiTs should
have had for its defendant the editor
of matrimonial paper: The second
case was between a we'll known actress
and the eldest son of an earl-Loudon
Tit-BitS.