Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1917-06-29
SEEKS DAMAGES
FROM MISS PIKE
Breach Of Promise to Marry i;
Alleged by Gilbert Winsor
Brattleboro Girl Defendant Claims
She Was Justified Because of Impro-
prieties.

pr1e1eS.
Miss Grace A. Pike, a public school
teacher and organist of st. Michael g
Episcopal church, has been made de-
PENDANT in a suit for 81 900 damages for
alleged breach of promise to marry.
The plaintiff is Gilbert d. Wnsor, for
merly of Portlandville, Oswego county,
N. Y. and now of Brattleboro. The
Brattleboro Trust Co., trusteed in the
suit, discloses that the defendant has
$50 on deposit there. The papers are
from the office of Chase & Chase.
The plaintiff sets forth that on Sep
TENDER 10, 1916, the defendant promised
to marry him, but said that after mar
riage she desired to live in Brattle-
boro and requested that he dispose of
his farm and personal property in Port
landville and come here to live. On
March Is, 1917, he says, he disposed
of his farm, seven COWS, three young
cattle, a horse and other personal prop
erty at less than their full value and
came to BrattleborO. He AYERS that
he is not able to earn as much here as
he was when conducting the profitable
farm.
He hired tenement and planted n
garden preparatory to making home
after their marriage and bought vic
trola and records which the defendant
now has, according to his declaration.
The agreement has been made be
tween them, he says that they should
be married June IS, but on May 10,
without Just cause the defendant re
fused to marry him on June Is or at any
other time, and "then and there told
the plaintiff that she intended to marry
n man named Hodges, - then a resident
of BrattlebOro.
Some of Miss Pike s friends say that
recently Miss Pike told them she was
engaged to Roland w. Hodges, former
ly chorister in st. Michael s Episcopal
church, who has position with the pub
lie safety committee in Washington,
ID. c..
Miss Pike had ample grounds for any
step that she took, her attorneys say,
and she did only what any self-respect
ing woman would do, namely, to resent
an insult and act accordingly
Miss Pixies counsel are Judge Frank
+. BARRIER and Clarence NJ. Miller
The attorneys state that after Mr.
Winsor came to Brattleboro last March
he went to the home of Mrs. Agnes II.
Pike of 10 Western avenue to board and
Miss Pike, and the latter has lived with
her grandmother since childhood.
Mr.. Winsor, not long after coming to
the Pike home according to the attor-
neys, learned that no agreement had
been entered into between Miss Pike
and her grandmother as to the DISPOSE
ton of the Pike property and told Miss
BIKE that he. wouldn't have sold his
farm In Portlandville, n. Y, had he not
supposed 1t was so arranged that the
Pike property would come to him and
Miss Pike in few years.
Following this, counsel says, Mr.. Win
sor made propositions of an improper
nature to Miss Pike in her home, which
she emphatically rejected, strained rela
tions between the couple ensuing forth
with.
1t is asserted by counsel that within
a short time thereafter it was agreed
between the couple that the engagement
should be terminated, the agreement be
ing satisfactory to both and participated
in by both. Mr.. Wnsor had bought
some articles of furniture for their flu
ture use, amounting to about 500, and
Miss Pike paid him approximately that
amount, it is stated. He also took
the engagement ring and gave Miss
Pike receipt showing the transactions.
Thereupon their relations ceased.
Not long after these incidents Miss
Pike attorneys say that victroa was
delivered at the Pike home. After that
Mr.. Winsor called at the house to col
lect pay for it from Miss Pike. Miss
Pike declined the demand and told him
he could take the instrument away. but
he has not done so and it remains at the
house, where he may get it any time.
So far as the alleged engagement be-
tween Miss Pike and Roland w. Hodges
is concerned, the attorneys say they
have no knowledge about that matter
Miss Pixies attorneys say they will
file an answer to Mr.. Winsor'S decara
ton, setting forth these and other inter
esting data.