The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-10-15
FOR BROKEN HEART
VARYING LAWS IN BREACH OF
PROMISE CASES.
Not Easy for Tilted Damsel to Recover
Damages from FaithIess 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 prospective
| husband, and unless the plaintiff has
| strong case indeed 1t is never worth
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 pecunary loss.
Now this is not an easy thing to do
on the part of the lady, especially In a
country where a girl without dot
that is marriage portion-has 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 If 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 oil
compensation-sh should II be claimed.
In this connection II may be said that
the man can and often does, claim
solatium for his wounded feelings The
usual award is one-ifth of the mar
riage dowry II Is easy to understand
when ali this is remembered. how
loath the young people Of Germany
are to break their betrotha oaths.
As the law Of Italy offers little or
no protection whatever 10 Tilted dam |
sells and SWANS it 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 a written promise TO marry |
from the defendant; otherwise the ac-
ton cannot proceed This difficulty
Is almost insurmountable, and the Ital-
ian judges are seldom troubled to ad.
judicate between one-time lovers.
To bring an action for breach OF
promise Of marriage against a reign.
Ing monarch ~is an achievement but
It has been done, and by an English
lady II is now Is years since Miss
Jenny Mighel sued the sultan of Jo-
lore. and as there was a doubt wheth-
Pr the dusky one was actually a reign
ng monarch the case was allowed to
come into court But the judge quick
y disposed of the action by ruling Il
for the reason referred to
md Miss Mighel was nonsuited
II is remarkable that one of the two
lotions which have brought yerdicts of
10000 each to plaintiffs should
lave had for its defendant the editor
If a matrimonial paper The second
ase was between a well-known
ctress and the eldest son Of an earl