LEGAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 140, 15 June 1893, Page 6

LEGAL.

Tho Auckland Supreme Court, presided over by Mr Justice Conolly, was occupied on Friday, June 9th, with an action to recover £500 damages for alleged breach of promise of marriage, tho plaintiff being Catherine Henderson, and the defendant Thomaa Smith. Mr Cotter read the statement of claim, which set forth that in February, 1892, tho plaintiff was engaged to bo married to bhe defendant, that a reasonable time for such marriage had elapsed, that bhe plainfcilf had been willing und ready to msrry the defendant, that defendant had neglected and refused to marry the plaintiff, and that j since then defendant had married another woman. The jury rebired for about a quarter of an hour, and then returned into Court with a verdict for the plaintiff for £50. A divorce action came before His Honor Mr Justice Conolly at bhe sitting of the Supreme Courb on Jane 14. The parties were George McDonald (psbibioner), Elizabeth McDonald (respondent), and Patrick Daley (co-respondent). This was a suit for dissolution of marriage on bhe ground of alloged adultery. The potitious set out thab the petitioner (George McDonald) was married to the respondent (Elizabeth McDonald), at bhab time Elizabebh Dougherty, on the 220 d January, 1880, nb the Registrar's office, Port Chalmers. They had lived together for some years, and finally in March, 18S9, tho respondent left her home and refused bo return. She led a dissolute life, being known to the police as a woman of loose character, and was sentenced to six months' imprisonment on the lGbh- June, 1890. About April, 1892, ib was further alleged, ehe went to live with the corespondent, a eumdigger named Patrick Daley. On the"l2bh December, 1892, she charged Daley with assault and Ebabed in the Courb she had been living with Daley since April. The petitioner had no knowledge of the exacb whereabouts of his wife till the 12th December, 1892. He hadnob been in a posibion to take proceedings before, on account of lack of information and means. The respondent and co-re-spondent ib was stated bad both admitted the adultery and intimated their intention to the persona who served them with the petitions of taking no steps to defend. His Honor granted a decree nisi.