The North-Eastern Weekly Gazette. — 1893-03-25 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

AMUSING  CASE.  On Monday afternoon at the Middlesbrough Cpunty Court, before Mr E. R. Turner, judge, Stephen Appleby, a retired contractor, living at St. Paul's- road, Middlesbrough, sued John Hughes, steel-roller, of Milton-street, Middlesbrough, for £l2, being the rent of a house let by plaintiff to defendant.— Mr Barnley appeared for plaintiff and Mr Barron for defendant.—Mr Barnley stated that in May last plaintiff found himself saddled with a house at Stokesley, and liable to pay rent up to May, 1893. In June he had some conversation with defendant, and as a result defendant took the house from May, 1892, to May, 1893, at a rent of £l2. In October a messenger came to plaintiff and wished to give up the keys of the house, but plaintiff refused to have them.—Plaintiff corroborated, and added that defendant had not paid one halfpenny rent for the house.—Mr Barron: Were you going to marry- Mrs Hughes, defendant's mother, who is a widow ?—Plaintiti: No, not at all. (Laughter. )—Mr Barron : Did you tell anyone that you were-going to marry Mrs Hughes ?—Plaintiff: I don't remtmber ever saying such a thing even in a joking way.—Mr Barton: Did you pay half the rate on the 12th September last ?--Planitiff : Yea.—Mr Barton: Had you at that time any notion of marrying Mrs Hughes ?—Plaintiff : No.—Mr Barron : Didn't you take the ladies for a little stroll about Stokesley OD One occasion, and Fray marked attention to the widow? (Loud laughter.)— Plaintiff: Well, I took them round the village.— Mr Barren: Now, come, don't be bashful. (Renewed laughter.)--Plaintiff (excitedly): I am not bashful, and I never paid marked attention to Mrs llnghes.--Mr Barton: Have you paid a.nything to any person on her behalf.—Plaintiff: --Mr Barren: Is it not true that it was on your advice that Mrs Hughes went to Stokesley until itch time as you could marry her ?—Plaintiff (indignantly) : No. (Loud laughter. )—Mr Barron: Didn't defendant say that the rent was more than he could afford, and you told him that lie need not trouble himself about that, as you would pay half ? : I never said anything of the kind. He's a roller, and making £8 or £9 a week, and well able to pay.—Mr Barron: Did you not stop at the house with Mrs Hughes the elder one night in July as the accepted suitor to her hand? (Renewed laughter.)—Plaintiff : I only stopped with Mrs Hughes on the night I paid half the rate. I know nothing about her hand. (Laughter.)—John Fawcett, plumber, of Stokesley, said the elder Mrs Hughes and her two daughters lived at the house mostly. Defendant only came on a Sunday, and spent the day.—By 3,1 r Barron: He considered from what he saw that the elder Mrs Hughes was the occupis.T. He remembered Appleby saying lie was going to marry Mrs Hughes. He thought Appleby was an old man for the job. (Loud laughter.)—His Honour: There's no fool like an old fool. (Renewed laughter.)—Appleby told him (Fawcett) that he intended marrying Mrs Hughes, and they would all live in the house together and pay the rent amongst them. Appleby was a widower at that time of short standing. He had been twice mairied.--Mr Barton: Plaintiff is rather of an amorous turn. —Witness: Yes, he is.—Mr Barton: Have you heard of anything respecting his relations with other ladies at Stokesley ?—Witness: Yes. He had walked another out. (Loud laughter.) —Mr Barron : He ought to live out at Salt Lake City. -- Witness: It was current in Stokesley that if plaintiff married Mrs Hughes another lady to wl.e.m he had paid attention at Stokesley would sue him for breach dpromiao. (Laughter. )—Mr Barron, in defence, submitted that the arrangement cone to was one whereby defendant undertook to pay half the rent of the house, hie mother to reside there, and after a respectable time had elapsed plaintiff would marry her. Defendant had not resided in the house, and his mother would never have gone had it not been for plaintiff inducing her to go. (Laughter.)--His Honour: Has plaintiff married anyone else in the meantime ?—Mr Barton: No, your Honour. Defendant is willing to pay half the rent RR he agreed, if your Honour thinks he should do so, but the term is not up until May, 1893.—Defendant said prior to living at Stokesley his mother lived in one of plaintiff's houses in Bankstreet, rent free. Plaintiff had said he would marry his (defendant's) mother, but he would wait a respectable time.—His Honour: What is considered a respectable time ?—Defendant Twelve months.—ths Honour: I thought it was two years.—Mr Barton: The general rule now is to wait twelve months and put up a tombstone. Failing the tombstone another twelve months. (Roars of laughter.)—Mary Hughes said she had been a widow about a twelvemonth. She knew plaintiff. He also had not been "left" very long. An understanding was come to between them three months after his wife's death and five months after her husband's death to wait a raFtable time and they would get married. ud laughter.) She went to live at tokeeley at plaintiff's request.—Mr Barron: I suppose Stokesley is a more convenient centre than Middles6rough for courting in a case like —Witness: Very likely. It's a nice place. ter.) His Honour: Everybody at gaMionejukniows everybody eise's affairs. They have else to do.—Mr 13orron : He has not marriedried—Witnese: No.—His Honour: It's to laughter.)—After hearing further ace his Honour gave judgment for defendant, costs. Mr George D. Oullingworth (22), a corn miller, 'heeeterly of Dewsbury, be committed suicide by drowning at Hurley:Berkshire. He was apparently troubled by a letter of advice from his lather on the question of an engagement with a moung lady.