An Expensive Love Affair.

Hastings Standard, Issue 276, 20 March 1897, Page 4

An Expensive Love Affair.

In the Queen's Bench Division, on I January 15, the case of Davis v. Fox was heard before the Lord Chief Justice and a special jury. The plaintiff, Marian Davis, brought an action against Mr Robert Fox to recover a balance of £2,000, which she alleged to be due under an agreement by which she relieved defendant from all his obligations towards her under a promise to marry her when his wife died, and undertook to give up all his letters in consideration of a payment of £'2,500. The defendant denied the alleged promise of marriage, and denied that he ever entered into the agreement. Mr Candy, in opening the case for plaintiff, said the defendant resided at Hyde, Isle of Wight, and the plaintiff, at the date the defendant first made her acquaintance in the summer of 1892, was living in London. They communicated by means of the " agony column " of a paper, and the result was that she came to live under his protection. The defendant was a married man, and plaintiff knew that from the first, and the promise which plaintiff said the defendant made her early in her acquaintance with him, of which there was no documentary evidence, and no corroboration, was that he would marry her in the event of his wife's death. The relations between the parties were of the most affectionate nature, the defendant addressing her in his letters as " My dearest," and always signing himself " Yours affectionately," or something of that sort. There was no doubt from th« lirst to last the defendant behaved not unkindly to her, but very handsomely indeed ; but in 18!).> he terminated the acquaintance, and offered her .L'soo for the return of his letters. She asked for l':i,r>oo. Eventually, said counsel, the sum agreed on in the course of an interview which the defandant had with Mrs llardiuan, to whom plaintill owed 11,000 was .1*2,500. The defendant sent I*soo, and the action was now brought to recover fcho balance. The plaintiff gave evidence with a view of supporting council's statement, and, amongst other things, said she had lost the letter in which defendant offered Iter L' 2,500. After hearing the evidence of the plaintiff and her friend, Mrs Clara llardman, Lord Russell held that there was no ease for the jury, and he nonsuited the plaintill. .Judgment was entered up for the defendant accordingly. Mr (.'arson said his client was prepared to give the most absolute denial to the assertion that there was any promise of marriage such as that suggested. There were -100 letters, and no reference to anything of the sort. As to defendant's treatment of the plaintiff, he was prepared to prove that ) the sum of over Jt" 10,000 was given to' her within two years.