The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1893-05-13 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

BREACH OF PROMISE ACTIONS.  SUED.  In the Queen's Bench Division, before the Lord Chief Justice and a special jury, the case of Austin %. Harding and another was heard. The plaintiff, Miss Louise Catherine Hay Austin, origi• nally sued Augustus Frederick Griffiths to re over damages for breach of promise of marriage, but as that gentleman had, since the commencement of the action, died, it was continued against his executors. His executors pleaded a general denial of the plaintiffs allegations, and also that her cause of action had come to an end when Mt. Griffiths died.—Mr. Candy, Q.C., and Mr. Poulter were counsel for the plaintiff; and Mr. Bigitain, Q.C., ' Mr. Chitty, and Mr. W. Leese for the defendants.—Mr. Poulter said that his client was a young lady nineteen years of age, the daughter of a gentleman holding a responsible position in one of Ole London banks. Mr. Griffiths, who was a gentleman residing at Croydon, and who was considerably older than the plaintiff, made her acquaintance about 10 years ago, when she was at school. Mr. Griffiths took a great interest in Miss Austin, and so anxious was he that she should be well educated, that he consented to pay the expenses of an extra year's schooling for her. On the '2Bth of February, 1892, Mr. Griffiths proposed to the plaintiff, and was accepted, and on the 11th March he wrote a formal letter to Miss Austin's father asking for his consent to the marriage, which was duly given. In March, 1892, Mr. Griffiths went to Ireland on a fishing excursion, and while there he wrote to the plaintiff and arranged that the wedding should be solemnised the following June, and also told the plaintiff to get her trousseau, and that he would pay for it. On the 6th of May M. Griffiths wrote to Miss Austin breaking off the engagement. -Mrs Austin, the mother of the plaintiff, in crossexamination by Mr. Bigham, Q.C., said that Mr. Griffiths was formerly a master at Wellington College and first met the plaintiff when she was nine years of age, and when he made her the proposal he was very ill. Mr. Griffiths was 35 years older than her daughter.—Mr. Bigham : The letter breaking off the engagement was written on May 6th, the writ commencing action was issued on the 7th, and Mr. Griffiths committed suicide on the 18th. —A number of letters were read which had been written by the plaintiff to the deceased gentleman, thanking him for different sums of money he sent to her. In three or four of the letters Miss Austin complained bitterly of her father a meanness, saying in one, "Pa gave me sixpence to-night. I feel inclined to throw it at him (loud laughter). The plaintiff, examined by Mr. Candy, QC., said that she had expended about £22 of her own money upon her trousseau.—Cross-examined by Mr. Bight= : The writ in the action was issued by her father without her knowledge. Mr. Griffiths had always been a very good friend to her, at least till within a week of the issue of the writ. She spent £32 in providing her trouaseou, £22 being her own money, £lO being provided by Mr. Griffiths.—Mr. Bigham, all the close of the plaintiff's evidence, submitted that there was no case to go to the jury and his lordship upheld the contention, and gave judgent for the defendants with costs. His lord- I ship, add.essing the jury, said that he had always been a supporter, both in Parliament and on the bench, of breach of promise actions, but his desire to sustain those actions had been much shaken by the case they had just heard.