LOVE'S LARKS AT LEVIN.

NZ Truth, Issue 121, 12 October 1907, Page 5

LOVE'S LARKS AT LEVIN.

Befdre Mr A'. D. Thomson, S.M., at Levin yesterday (Friday) week, a young man named Geo. T. Milne, was proceeded against by : Beatrice May Jones for the support of an illegitimate male child, of which she declared Milne to be the father.

Mr Harper appeared for the complainant, and Mr D. M. Findlay represented the defendant, who denied paternity. Beatrice Jones, who gave her age as 25 years, stated that she first met defendant about the end of September of last year. She lived m Queen-street with her .parents. After being introduced, she ■ used to see him two or three times a day, and the first occasion she met him she was milking m the cowrshed. He used to come regularly to see. her twice a day after that, and she used to go out with him of nights and oh Sunday afternoons. Next she related some incidents of their walkings-out, which were kept up till May, and m January of this year she knew she was m trouble, and she mentioned the fact to. him, and his reply was that he had already 7s 6d to pay to a girl m the South Island, but this he afterwards denied. He never denied being the father of the child, and said he hoped the child would 'be a boy. He arranged to marry her • on the sth June. This was m May last. Mr and Mrs Cole were told of this by complainant and defendant, who said they would get married, on June sth m the presence of Mr and Mrs Cole, and he asked if he could stay with the Coles till he rot a house to live m, and Cole consented. Defendant said he was frightened to tell his father, as he might turn him out of the business. He got a ring for her, which she still possessed. This he gave her on June Ist. He afterwards said she had

NOT BEEN TRUE TO HIM. and then refused to marry her. He was a stranger for a few weeks after that, and next confessed that they would not live happil*- even if they got hitched up. Moreover, he declared that if he had not got a letter telling him that she was untrue, he would Tiave married her, and professed that he would . rather pay for the child than get married and be' miserable. Next he got liber^ al, and wanted to know . if she required money, but Beatrice is not built that way, and refused to take it. 'Then he told her to ask her father and mother for advice, which costs nothing!. His next move was to promise her to do nothing for her. The child was born on July 29th. Dr., Kennedy attended her., and she also had a nurse. She had never .walked out with anyone else, and never liad immoral relations Witti anyone. To Mr Findlay :.She bad been milking at home for fivevears, and had ■been at service at Skerman's and Williams's m Levin; that was over two years ago. She remembered Milne first coming to their placeshe was milking. Defendant and his people came to. Levin about the middle of September. She met him about then, or perhaps early m October. He saw. her m the cowshed, and it was her own brother who did the "inter joocinV After that things hummed a bit. He took her' to several entertainments, and it was before the Industrial school boys' concert m the Century Hall, Levin, that forbidden fruit was plucked. The milk-shed seems to have had an extraordinary attraction for the swain, as he usually went to the milk-shed every morning and evening. She remembered a Mr Vivian staying at their place, and she recollected his horses and coach bolting, and before that Milne had been familiar with her. She remembered the Flower Show at Levin. ' She went there with defendant, and returned home with him. Something happened that night. She often saw him after this. The show •was after the concert. Sometimes she met defendant alone twice ■ or more each week for some considerable time. He asked her m January of her condition. She knew of the state she was m ■ just after Christmas. She did not volunteer the information to him. He asked her ; although she knew she Was, she did not tell him till he asked. Shewaited two months before she said a word to him, and then only when 'he asked. When she told tlefendaht how she was, he said he was sorry but did not seem surprised. In May. she went to -stay at Cole's. She went there partly because she was afraid of her mother. Mrs Cole knew of her condition "m April, and she told her that she and Milne had arranged to be married, and she ADVISED HER TO GET MARRIED as soon as possible. Mr Cole was '•here when defendant fitted her for a ting. Defendant said a letter was &ent to his father saying she had not been true to him, .and she asked him who wrote it, and he would, not tell her. Later on he said the letter had no name to it. She had never been previously engaged, but she had had a young man two years ago, she had another previous to coming to Levin. One love affair lasted . two years, and she was still friendly with the last young man she had, and occasionally met him m town. She had only known defendant three weeks before immoral relationship existed. To Mr Harper : She met Milne coming to Levin m September. She first knew for , certain she was eoirto have a baby about the middle of . January. She had a fall the day ' before the baby was born. Defendant came twice a week to see her when she was at Cole's, and every Sunday afternoon. While there more misconduct occurred. To Mr Findlay : She stoved with the nurse for about two months. 3he wrnt there tn be confined at the end of June though she did not puppet to be confined til' the mkWIV of August. When Ihe conversation at Cole's took place between

BOTHER ABOUT BEATRICES BABY,

They Had Arranged the Marriage.

A Warning Letter and the Result.

the four of them, nothing was said ?,bout the birth of the child. Her sister suggested getting married, m defendant's presence, as soon as possible, as people were talking about them. Defendant agreed, and said he would have to tell his father first. Mrs Cole first cmessioned her, as she thought something was wrong. She could see the condition she was m, and said the longer they let the matter of marriage stand the worse it would become. . . . i Gertrude Cole, a married sister of the complainant knew the defendant, as he used to visit her olace with her sister. They aPDeared to be keeping company m November. ,The two had ever v appearance of being lovers. They used to sit on the sofa, and he would put his arm round her. In April she noticed something wrong with her sister, and she asked her if there was anything wrong with her, and she said she was afraid there was. Witness advised her to get married. In May witness had a conversation with defendant. She told him it was quite time he married her sister, and that -it was a disgrace that people were talking about them, and the longer it was left the worse it would be for both. He said: "Yes, you are right,'.' "and she said, "Don't you think it best to get married as soon as possible." He said. "Yes." Next she told him tliat mother would have to be told/ as she did not know of Beatrice's plight, and < that she would be angry when she knew. It was decided 'to ' tell mother, and that she and defendant should fix the date of the marriage. This was about the 18th or 20th May. SHE LENT HIM HER WEDDING RING so that he might fix up hiSj own. She never said anything more about the matter because she had no reason to say anything, and she thought everything would be arranged. She first knew it was off, when the defendant came down the Sunday before the day suggested for the wedding, and when he accused her sister of being untrue. She found her sister crying, and on seeing defendant walking awayj she asked him what he had done to upset Beatrice. He told her of the letter, and when she mentioned her sister's condition he looked ashamed, but passed no remark. He bought a ring, and sent it by her husband to see if it would fit, and Beatrice still had the ring. No mention of money was made during the conversation. To Mr Findlay : She thought defendant intended to marry her sister. She was anxious to see her sister married, so was her sister. It was decided to fix the date of ■. marriage as early as possible. , Witness did what she could to hasten the marriage. Frederick Jos. Cole, farmer, stated . that he knew the defendant, and remembered him coming to see his sister-in-law. He recollected seeing the two together m November. They were by themselves, and were certainly friendly. He watched them sitting on a log on the beach. Milne gave him 22s 6d to pay for a ring which fitted his sister-dn-law. The defendant asked him to arrange about the marriage, and witness saw Mr Nation, and he told him what was to be done,, and so the marriage was arranged. Later on defendant told him that Beatrice had been deceiving him all through, and he believed he was not the father of the child. His father had got at letter and would not give it to him. Witness said : "You ouefot to know if you are the father of the child,", and he said "Yes," but he said he would not marry her, and said he felt sure he was not the father, and' that she had been going with someone else. Witness failed to find out further particulars of the letter, and he considered the defendant should have known whether he was the father of the child or not.

James Jones, father of the plaintiff, stated tihat he knew the defendant, ahd met him the last week m September, 1906. Defendant! paid visits to his cow-shed . nearly every nig-ht for about some time.

Other unimportant evidence was giv-* en , and Mr Findlay outlined his defence, and called Milne, who said he came tp Levin, m September, 1906. He lived next to the Jones. On the 10th October he went over to the shed to pay the milk bill. He didn't know whom 'he paid, as he was a stranger, but it was one or other of the two sisters. This was the first, occasion he had spoken- to them. The next time he went over was when Mr Vivian's bolt occurred. He went to the cow-shad to see if he was hurt. This was previous to the middle of November. When he saw Miss Jones it was m the evening, he stopped talking, and j came away before they had finished milking. He was BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS TO THE SHED after that, and saw her two or three times a week. The date of the Industrial School concert was 23rd November. This was the first time he walked out with her. Up to this he had never been alone with her m the shed, and never even had a chance of doing anything wrong. He had been familiar with Beatty previous to December 23. On the night of the concerc he called at the house for her. He took her to the concert, and followed other members of the family home, while others were just behind them. He might have' gone m for supper, but he did not remember. Nothinc happened on the way home, as he had no opportunity. The Levin Flower Show was on the otn or 6th December, but between the concert and the flower show he never saw Miss Jones. He took her to the flower show both niehts. I Nothing happened on either niffht■On December 23 something took ! place. It was on a Sunday even- ' inoc, and the mrmbers of the fnmilv had -gone to church. After that this sort of thin? was frequent*. He

first knew she was m a certain condition about, the beginning of May. The information was voluntary. She hoped they would get married as soon as possible, and he proposed the middle of June and she eeemed quite agreeable. She went to Coles to stay, but it was before she went that she told him of her condition. Mrs Cole spoke to him, and said the sooner they married the more pleased she would be. Mr Cole promised to see about the license, and Milne made arrangements for the ring. In consequence of a letter received by his father, he said he believed he had been deceived, and did not feel inclined to marry her under the circumstances. He met the complainant's father, and he asked him if he was going to marry his daughter. He said, "No," and Jones said he would have to pay for it. His father read a letter to him which led him to believe someone had had to do with her previously. He said if he was the father he would nay for it, but time had proved that he was not. If time proved that he was the father, he said he was quite willing to pay. To Mr Harper : He was never introduced to Miss , Jones. He met her when he paid the milk account. He used to go to the shed occasionally for a talk with, the girls, and milk a cow or so. He used to talk an half hour or perhaps an hour at a stretch. The 23rd November was the first time I walked out with Miss Jones, the occasion of the Industrial School concert. The night ' of the concert was the first time he was m Jones' house. It was about eleven o'clock when he left. He had no objection to getting married m ' June. He thought the child should have been born m September. On one occasion she told him that

HE WAS NO GOOD. and made another remark, by which he understood that she was pregnant. She said she honed they would be married. He mentioned June as about the date for the wedding. He never told Mr Jones that he suspected anyone else being, the father of the child. He considered Mrs Cole was taking a very prominent part, and he became suspecious and he asked her if she was positive he was the father. She said "Yes," and his suspicions were only aroused" by the arrival of the letter received by his father. It was not signed and he had no idea who wrote it. It bore no name, place, or date mark. Had he not seen the letter he would probably have not married her. He got the ring, had made arrangements with the clergyman, but things were rushed on him m such a way' as to make r.im sus-. picious. He saw Miss Jones only two or three times durinn- October, and was not familiar with her till November 24th. He could not out the blame on anyone else, as he was not always watching over the fence. He had heard no reports about her. He 'questioned her about being pregnant, and she said it was to him. He had an interview to her after the letter, and she led him to believe she was pregnant to him from Christmas, and he said if dates worked out he would admit being the father. To Mr Findlay: He went to the beach after Christmas ; it was m February. He knew this because his father took over the business from Mr Perrin, and it was one of the horses bought that he used. It played up and he had occasion to remember it. William B. Macintosh. coachbuilder, stated that he remembered Vivian having an accident, and recollected doing the reapiring. Vivian came, m the same day as the accident. It was one day m November. (Witness was here asked for the date, but could not give _ it, so was instructed to go and get it.) The work took about a week to do. ( James Price Kennedy, medicarpiictrtioner, deposed that he had attended Miss Jones at Mrs Langley's on the occasion of her confinement. This was on the 29th July. William Macintosh having returned, . stated further that tbe repairs to Vivian's accident were done on the 20th November. The conveyance was badly smashed, and the work occupied a week; His Worship reserved judgment for a week.