A BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1215, 20 January 1886, Page 5

A BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE.

The Under-Sheriff of Warwickshire has held a Court at the Shire Hall, Warwick, to assess the damages in an action for breach of promise of marriage. The plaintiff was Miss Mary Ellen Tatton, a young dressmaker at Ashton road, Birmingham, and the defendant was Mr Donald Macqueen, formerly a Scotch draper in Birmingham, and now manager for a woollen merchant in Leicester. — Mr B. B. Hackney appeared for the plaintiff; the defendant did not appear personally or by counsel. It was shown that he had notice of the trial. Mr Hackney, in the course of his address to the jury, produced 250 letters, from some of which he read extracts. The defendant lodged next door to Miss Tatton, and they were introduced to each other by the defendant's landlady in 1881 They walked out, and in Nov., 1882, defendant wrote, " Trust me, dearest, I am genuine. If my blood were of any use to you I am willing to hare it spiJt in your cause — (laughter). This is a great thing to say, but I mean it"-— {loud laughter)— and, after alluding to some of his own grievances, he added, if the plaintiff only deemed him meet there might be some truth in the poet's words, " The wretched are the faithful." In the same letter he said, "I should not want any other Heaven or Paradise than to live and die with you, Pollie." In the letter dated 24th December, 1882, defendant talked of "his gloomy, unfortunate career," and said, " I believe my reason and senses to be fast goiuat, if I ever had any "—(laughter). Further on he styled the plaintiff, " The morning star of memory," and added, " I owe to you what I owe to no other ; but, oh ! the thought that you should share the fUe of despair and misery with your affectionate Donald Macqueen." In another letter, after alluding to the possibility of their having to live on love, defendant said, "On such terms as these I shall smother you with kisses," and subsequently, after rebuking the plaintiff for being jealous, which he said must ever be associated with love, and which matrimony did not cure — (laughter) — he said " however, you have such a funny little devil for your partner that you need not be afraid of your own sex ever interfering with her property "—(laughter. ) The wedding was fixed for August, 1884, but defendant then began to cool, and very shortly afterwards married another lady at Leicester, so that he was no longer in a condition to fulfil his engagement to the plaintiff.— Miss Tatton gave evidence in support of her counsel's statement as to the defendant having promised her marriage and subsequently marrying another young lady. As to his means, she said he had £3 10s per week as manager, and expected a rise, as big predecessor received £400 a year. He sold his drapery business in Birmingham, but the sum he actually received for it she was unable to state. — Mr Hackney asked for substantial but not vindictive damages, and the Under-Sheriff counselled such an amount as the defendant would be likely to pay, so that plaintiff might receive some compensation for the wrong she had sustained. — The jury awarded the plaintiff £100.