The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-12-14
WOODHOUSE JURY SETS
LOVE VERDICT RECORD
Boston Globe Says Chttenden Coun-
ty Jury Makes All Other Love
Juries" Look Like Pikers.

Vermont leads the Union with a
verdict OF S465,000 in love suit for
the loss Of a husbands affections. and
the damage is assessed against the
parents Of the aforesaid husband, says
the Boston Globe. Green Mountain
farmers have set up record mark for
love juries" to shoot at. All previous
verdicts pale into insignificance be-
side the finding in the million dollar
alienation suit of Mrs. Dorrit S.
Woodhouse against Mr.. and Mrs. Lor-
EMO E .Woodhouse of New York and
Burlington, which was decided yes
terday.
There have been many famous YER
diets where love was concerned, but
the big ones have heretofore concern.
man failed to keep his promise TO
marry the woman and she sought
balm for the broken heart and years
OF devotion.
/ When a jury in New York gave
lionora May O'Brien S225.000 because
John b. Manning, her S5.year-old ad.
imirer failed to marry her, the Empire
State sat up and took notice. Incl
dentally the verdict attracted atten-
ton throughout the country. The
New York jury thought it was doing
things up brown and leaned back with
a satisfied air The award did look
big.
But II remained for Chittenden
County. VI, jury to make all juries
look like "pikers" and where New
York rested on quarter of q million,
the Vermonters stopped just short of
J half million dollars. In fact the Chit
tenden county jury put New England
on the big money map, for prior TO the
Woodhouse case the biggest verdict
in love case in New England was
rendered in Maine; $4,000 in the
breach OF promise action brought by
Elizabeth l.. Garmong against John b.
Henderson OF Washington and Bar
tiarbor The verdict was later set
aside.
So far as Massachusetts is concern.
ed the largest verdict in an alienation
case was given by Middlesex coun.
~ jury several months ago, when Eu.
genie Dickerman was awarded S32 500
for the loss of the young husbands az.
fections. The action was against his
father and mother. the latter a well.
known lawyer. That verdict was over
! turned
A Pittsburg jury in 1916 awarded
/ what was the second largest verdict
for breach of promise. They gave
Nettie NJ. Richardson $4,000 because
/ Henry Dennison of Pittsburg failed
/ to marry her. A iury in Memnhis gaye
1 Mollie Quirk an even 100000 In 1918
because of her years OF devotion TO
Patrick Kelliher. who failed TO marry
( her or provide for her before he died.
New York juries are prone to size.
able verdlcts and away back in 1888
one awarded $4,000 to Mary Alice AL.
mont Livingstone against Henry Elem
ing because he did not keep his
promise to marry her. In 1902 a jury
gave Aimee c. Mercer $4,000. The
defendant was Christian Balduf OF
New York
Mary Mcdonald sued Patrick Kier-
nan of Fall River in 1902 and got a
verdict OF $4,000, and in Lawrence
lin 1915 jury gave Mrs. Maud Ford
Lanigan $4,000 against her father.
in-law. II was posthumous suit for
alienation OF her husbands affections.
There are many other noted cases,
but the above are probably the most
famous. Consideration of the figures
indicate clearly the tremendous i'm.
portance of the Vermont verdict
where the question of loss of affection
is concerned.