A SCANDALOUS TALE.

Western Star, Issue 949, 20 May 1885, Page 3

A SCANDALOUS TALE.

In the Chancery. Division of the Supreme Court a disgraceful story has just come to light, but unfortunately without result to the evil-doers. Jt was a motion on behalf of Colonel Kingscote, uncle to the plaintiff. Miss Beatrice Sumner, that one Charles Arthur Eichard Hoare might be committed, to prison for contempt of court in maintaining intercourse with Miss Sumner, who, at the original date of the proceedings, was a ward of court and under twenty-one years of age, though at tho present time she has attained her majority. The injunction was made in 1881, and the allegation was that the said Charles Hoare had frequently had intercourse with the plaintiff. The present motion was made by tho uncle,. contrary to the young-lady's own rlesirejand wish. The disgraceful feature lies in the fact that Hoare, though a married man, had actually seduced the girl, and at least one child has been born. The girl herself, who lives in and belongs to the betst society, seems quite callous to the shame, so far as can be gathered from the evidence; for no soone* did she attain the age of twenty-one than the guilty pair at once consulted a solicitor to ascertain how far they could now infringe the injunction of the Court with impunity. One of the nvst painful details of the case is that Lady Cholmondeley (a daughter of Colonel Kingscote) was called in order to prove the alleged intercourse, and her evidence only too clearly proved that she had her.*elf in a measure condoned, if not encouraged the intercourse—'.it any rate, she corresponded herself with Mr Hoare at the time when Miss Sumner was at her house. The only excuse that can be made for her is that at the time she was not much over seventeen herself—n fact, a mere child. Unfortunately, the law proved unable to touch Hoare, but the Judge ordered him to pay the costs of the proceedings—proceedings really taken by Colonel Kingscote in order to detach the unfortunate girl from the person* who seem to have gained unlimited influence over her.