The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1908-11-28
FOR BROKEN HEART
VARYING LAWS IN BREACH OF
PROMISE CASES.
Not Easy for Tilted oarseI to Recover
Damages from Faithless Swain
Practical Arrangement Pre-
walls In Germany.


England is the best place-from the
plaintiffs point Of view--for a breach
OF promise action. All other countries
seem to regard with grave suspicion
any attempt to recover monetary com.
pensation for the loss Of a prospective
husband, and unless the plaintiff has
a strong case indeed 1t 10 never worth
her while to carry her grief into the
law courts, says Tit-Bits.
In France breach of 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 do
on the part Of the lady, especially In a
country where girl without a dot
that is a marriage portion-has a poor
chance Of finding husband. Holland
and Austria have adopted the French
system, and the result has been about
the same. Breach actions are rare,
the injured damsels or their relatives
usually taking the law into their own
hands.
Practical Germany, as might be ex-
pected, has perhaps the best method
for solving this problem. When a
young couple become engaged they
have to go through public betrothal
ceremony that ought to knock all the
shyness out of them In the local town
hall the pair declare their affection.
willingness TO marry. etc, ending by
signing a collection of documents that
apparently leave no loophole for es-
cape.
But IL either party to the contract
wishes to withdraw another journey is
undertaken to the town hall and an.
other collection of documents signed,
witnessed and sealed. Then the au.
thorities determine the question Of
compensation-should 1t be claimed.
In this connection 1t may be said that
the man can, and often does, claim a
solatium for his wounded feelings. The
usual award is one-fifth of the mar
yiage dowry. II Is easy to understand.
when all this is remembered, how
loath the young people of Germany
are to break their betrothal oaths.
As the law of Italy offers little or
no protection whatever to Tilted dam
sells and swans II is not surprising
that the stiletto should be the favorite
mode Of deciding breach of promise
cases. The Italian law demands that
the person suing for breach" shall
produce written promise to marry
from the defendant; otherwise the &C.
ton cannot proceed This difficulty
Is almost insurmountable, and che Ital.
ian judges are seldom troubled to ad
Indicate between one-time lovers.
To bring an ection for breach OF
promise of marriage against a reign
ing monarch is an achievement. but
1t has been done, and by an English
lady. It is now Is years since Miss
Jenny Mighell sued the sultan OF 10.
hore, and as there was doubt wheth
er the dusky one was actually reign.
ing monarch the case was allowed to
come into court But the Judge quick
ly disposed Of the action by ruling II
inadmissible for the reason referred to
and Miss Mighell was nonsuited.
1t is remarkable that one OF the two
actions which have brought verdicts OF
10000 each to plaintiffs should
have had for its defendant the editor
of q matrimonial paper. The second
case was between well-known
actress and the eldest son Of an earl