QUICK COURTING

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 80, 28 December 1929, Page 22

QUICK COURTING

MARRIAGE OFFERED AFTER TEN MINUTES

A man who, it was stated, offered marriage after ten minutes’ courtship was sued at Glamorgan Assizes for breach of promise. The action was brought by Miss Margaret Bannon, of Bedford Street, Cardiff, against Martin Sandell, a chief marine engineer, before Mr. Justice McCardie and a jury. Miss Bannon was awarded £75 damages. Mr. Temple Morris said that in 1927 Miss Barton was a chambermaid at a Paddington hotel, where Sandell camo to stay. In the course of her duties she had occasion to go to his bedroom, and although she had never seen the man in her life before he conversed with her, and told her that she was very like his dead wife. He commented upon her beautiful hair. In the course of conversation each discovered that the other came from Cardiff. The only “love letters” were two postcards on which Sandell sent “tons and tons of love.” He took the girl to the kinema. Later he asked Mrs. Bannon’s permission to marry her daughter. Sandell bought a ring. He returned to sea, and afterwards waited to postpone the marriage on various pretexts.

Replying to Mr. Kirkhouse Jenkins (for the defendant), the plaintiff said she first met the man about nine o’clock in the morning. Mr. Jenkins: And what time was it when he proposed?—“About ten minutes past nine.” The Judge: So he offered you marriage after a ten minutes’ courtship? —“Yes.” Mr. Jenkins: He must have been mad, or was he drunk?—“l don’t know.”

The defendant said he wanted to marry the girl time after time, but she refused.

The jury returned a verdict in favour of the plaintiff, who was awarded £75 damages.