Curious Breach of Promise Case.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 9 April 1910, Page 4

Curi ous Breach of Promise Case.

■ —9 A MALE ; iXVti&\KAW/K STORY. ' All 'itc'tioiv'for 1 ' Hfe.-icli pi'oiiiiso of marriage- was heard' in the'Su-' prenibi iCoiii't si t 'A del nil! e the /other day. l Plointiff is Peter Otto Pries, ulio.se imperfect Knglish giive the Court considerable trouble. Defendant was Annie Marguerite Glieber, boardinghouse-keeper. Tbe damages claimed, including .sums alleged to liave been expended for defendant, were £481. Counsel for plaintiff said lie proposed to show that defendant had, by promise of marriage, led plaintiff, who had property, to make houses over to her. 'When .she had all .she declined to marry him. At first she made severa lexciises, but when pressed she declared she could not marry until her daughter Elsie was •nrned. Thereupon Pries began looking round for a husband for Klsie, and found a man named Schultz, who consented. Selmltz had no money, but at defendant's request plaintiff undertook to provide the bridegroom with clothes in which to get married, and also plaintiff also' ordered a wedding dress for Klsie. On the day appointed for the manage, however, Klsie was drunk, and the ceremony was postponed. A second day was fixed for the wedding, but in the meantime Sclmltz received a letter stating that his prospective bride was already married. Mrs Glieber, having secured 'plaintiff's property, refused to marry him and this treatment on her part had caused plaintiff to attempt to commit suicide. There were sixteen witnesses. Defendant said that p'aintiff went to her boardinghouse in February last year. lie asked her to marry him "lots of times," but she had never promised to do so. She had told him "I would not think of such a thing. My life was too sad the first time I was married, and I will not be taken in again." She had also told plaintiff she would not think of getting married while she had a big daughter in her house. She received through the post two letters which had been addressed by plaintiff to Miss Anna Schmidt, of Gillies Plains, and officially returned. One envelope was open, and she read the letter, which, when translated from German to Knglish, said :— "My Dear Annie.-- Your dear and welcome letter I received, .and was so pleased. I cannot forget our last meeting. I can say lam very happy. lam longing to meet you, and I can hardly wait for the time to spend .another happy hour in your company, so that we can make further arrangements, and settle the happy day when we will stand before the holy altar and your dear hand clasped in •mine, and 1 can say My clear wife. You will never regret. Then you will get a good brave man. ram all impatience to see you, my dear bride. f conclude, vour evcrloving, Otto Pries." Defendant said she spoke to Pries about this .and the other letter, and he replied tlioy were only business communications. Witness added that he used to bring men to see her about marrying her dau</htor. and she used to say to him, ""Get away with your tomfoolery: I can't lie bothered with you." — (Laughter). Asked what plaintiff had offered Wally Scholtz to marry her daughter, witness replied that it was L'oOO but added that tlio cheque was no good. Plaintiff denied that he had written the letter to Annie Schmidt, or that he knew such a woman. His Honor said that promising to marry must be proved in the same way as iinv other contract. Plaintiff had failed to do this. There was no doubt that there had been some talk of marriage amongst the parties, and that Mrs Glieber had given some encouragement in her efforts to get Elsie off her hands. After a keen cross-examination, during which some amusing evidence was elicted. plaintiff was nonsuited as to the claim for a breach, and a verdict was entered for defendant on the claim for money expended in collection with the daughter's "wedding."