PENALTY FOR KISSING TWO CENTURIES AGO.

Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2436, 5 October 1876, Page 3

PENALTY FOR KISSING TWO CENTURIES AGO.

It would seem that amongst the Puritan settlers of the American Colonies, "free trade in kisses was not permitted, for au ancient Beecher trial may be found among the proceedings of a Connecticut court held at New Haven, May .1, 1660, just two hundred and fifteen years ago. In this case the kisser was Jacob M Murline,and the kissee was Miss Sarah Tuttle. It is demonstrated that Jacob' tooke up or tooke away her gloves. Sarah desired him to give her the gloves, to which he answered he would do so if she would give him a kysse, upon which they sta down together, his arme being about her waste and her arme upon his shoulder or about his neck, and he kyssed her and she kyssed him, or they kyssed one another, continuing in this posture about half-an-hour.' On examination the amatory Jacob confusedly admitted that ' bee tooke her by the hand, and they both sat down upon a chest, but whether his arme wero about her waste, and her arme upou his shoulder or about his neck, he knows not, for lip never thoughtof itsince, till Mr Raymond told him of it at Mannaios, for which he was blamed, and told him he had not layed it to heart as ho ought.' And after conclusive evidence of the 'wanton, uncivil, immodest, and lascivious' aforesaid James aud Sarah were each fiaed twenty shillings. . .