Peal of Wedding Bells Put Out of Tune by Girlh Appeal To Judge

NZ Truth, Issue 1240, 5 September 1929, Page 7

Peal of Wedding Bells Put Out of Tune by Girlh Appeal To Judge

SELDOM at-o young people, just on the threshold of life found seeking the shelter and aid of the law when their affections towards each other have cooled. ; " ,A■ ■■ Impetuous . youth . usually adheres to the belief m such a crisis .that there are just as good fish m; the sea as ever came out •of ■it and emerge from the stalemate without a care m the world, awaiting the day when FateAsviU cast another romance across their paths. ' A dozen love affairs is a fair r average for the modern youth before a final choice of a mate for life is made, but not so with one young' Christchurchy couple. For about five. years, 'Vera Gwendoline^ Ormandy, --Va furrier's assistant, aged; 22, kept company wlth ; Maurice' Walter Carter, aged . 23, a :.-. motor 'mechanic. . Their attachment -to each; other rlpened ; to : such an that they !«wore a.' life. partnership and a wedding" •was arranged./ But, before.; the happy event transjjplred/a breach occurred and instead of walking together to the altar for a divine .' blessing on a holy union, 'the girl dragged Carter; to the legal bar asking Mr: Justice Adams for a palliative for herjwbunded feelings. y She askedyf for £260,' general damages for her loss of settlentent m life and an additional £50 on account of the trous--' eeau which she -hadybeen- preparing, fop some four years'^'; '!: Carter •denie"d' , '*th^t'-he''""w'as'''^re'sp6n-'. Bible for the .breach <of promise - to marry, but the girl convinced thei judge that she had been unfairly treated and was awarded one -sixth of the. amount claimed. '•;■-■•'•■■,- : 'y y-y- -. A friendship developed between Carter arid' the girl when they were mere children, still fn their 'teens, and after an of a little •-. more than' two years they became engaged/ on October 9, 1927! BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIinHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIMIIMIMIIMIIIIIIIIIMimiIIIIIIIIIIIII

The girl had apparently, been anticipating a happy, settlement prior to her engagement, for she. had been occupied for about four years preparing her trousseau. For close, on two years succeeding their engagement, the young couple planned their proposed venture into matrimony. In their romancing they conjured up mental pictures of. their own.,, home where they hoped to" settle; like. many another- story of- a romantic boy and'girl, attraction they pictured nothing but the sunshine of radiant love. Carter,, with, the, watchword- of: thrift ever before him, had tio -. desire to • start off from behind 'scratch. He shunned a hand-to-mouth existence, and; ex^ pressed a desire to stage- the matrimonial preliminaries as cheaply as possible. . - On this, point there seemed to be some disagreement . between hlrhself and his prospective mother-in -law. Though theexpenseof the wed-A ding was not to be met by him, Carter desired that the function . should be small and Aquiet; so that . the. bridegroom's presents A and , other etceteras in' connection with : the festivities would come lighter oh his, modest .salary of £3/14/- a "" week. -. ■•;, ;A' His fia.hcee's, mother had other Ideas. She demanded a big wedding with over a hundred guests, - •■'• ; Carter had invested the whole of his Banns Read Out modest estate m the equity,' m? a house, m Retreat Roadf Avonside, arid had been slowly accumulating a. quantity' of.- furniture, but ..when; the girl and her lhbth'er suggested' a bedroom suite costing £36. he, voiced his; disapproval': A These and other, little differences of opinion were responsible for some friction between the young couple. • Carter;- however,; attached a - belief to the. maxim that true love never does run snlbothly and reconciliations were, unfailingly effected ; after all their squabbles. .' ; A- '■•>;• --'AA Ay ■ yj So the/ wedding 'was "arranged for June 19 of this year. A. \ A,; r y. The bannsAwere read outyin church, the clergym'ari; had been approached m connection-' with the rcerempny, invitations had been sent out and all that remained, to be done was. the happy ringing of the marriage bells. A But without warning there came a breach m relationships which terminated m all arrangements being. cancelled. The engagement was broken off. ■-.'•■■'■:'-■ yv ■' ■■■'■;■ -.' .- :. -■■ ■ -'. ■'■ '-. Miss Ormandy will have, occasion to remember Tuesday, May 28, for it was. oh .'this, day that her hopes

HER LOVING HEART WAS BROKEN

He Swore To Vera He Would Wed, but Later On ftl^M "I WiU Not Marry fou"

FINANCIAL BALM FOR WOUNDED FEELINGS

(From "N.Z. Truth V' Special Christchurch Representative V y ..-.. -Were it not for a very valuable provision m the law pleadings of love-smitten admirers, matrimonial statistics would quicMy slump. ■■\- •■-■A-. ■■' Occasionally disappointed females invoke the aid of this provision, when suitors have defaulted from their extravagant promises of settlement m life, though they are generally what might be termed " last chances." .

of a settlement, in life. with Carter wore dashed into oblivion. -;. It was their- usual custom to meet during their lunch; hour," and on May 28. they had arranged y to buyA the bridesmaid's presents. A. -• Carter . apparently had no idea., of breaking off his engagement vp t till the tlmethey left the jeweller's shop as he offered to buy his prospective 'bride a present, but she declined.. A It was while they were walking, back to the girl's place of employment that the, storm clouds gathered on the matrimonial horizon. The girl declined an invitation to attend a party which was to be given at Carter's place that evening m connection with the wedding festivities. Carter became annoyed, as the party had practically been, arranged m the girl's honor, and he made some remark about be}ng tired of it all and. calling it all ..off. . '. -■■ '■--, ' .' ■ A'The following day Carter called at the girl's home and collected ■ .some articles of furniture he had stored there. A '-few -days later, the g|rl received a registered letter demanding the return of a number of presents and goods. Subsequently, Carter cancelled an ■ order- he -had placed for furniture, left for a holiday m the North Island, and did .not return .until- two days before the wedding was. 'due- to come off. Accordingly all' the invitations were cancelled. This- was substantially the story which the girl told to Mr. Justice

Adams m the Supreme Court In Christchurch when she' asked for damages against. Carter to. the extent of £300." When cross-examined' by Mr. C. S. Thomas,; counsel for. the defendant, Miss Ormandy. admitted that Carter had expressed a desire to commence his married'life free of debt and that he had objected to a big' wedding and to buying a costly bedroom suite. Counsel:' Your' mother invited over

one hundred, guests, but Carter's list of. twelve of his. friends was cut down to. four? ..... •Miss Ormandy: I couldn't; say. Counsel: But that "was. another cause of trouble between you? "'-'.. Miss Ormandy masle no reply. Counsel: And I thinkhe was also upset over his; only sister not, being invited to • a kitchen evening which was being held? " ; -...■-...-...

'■j Missy Ormandy: ; I was not giving , the party. ;.y;y ._. _, • . ','..' Did. your mother speak. strongly toCarteriohe night, when, he had complained: of all these things and. say. she would not be- domineered bya man like. Carter?— Yes; Did you say to Carter when you were quarrelling; about your not going to the party at his place on the Tuesday nigh t that you were hot marry-' ing his mother?— Yes. . Counsel: -And he replied that you seemed to expect him to marry yours? Miss Ormandy: Yes. The girl denied that at this interview she took -off her engagement ring andhanded it back to him, but she" said she felt after the tiff that nothing could have brought- them together again. A few; days later, the girl relented and she and her father endeavored to approach Garter to see if r they could arrive at some reasonable understanding. '■■' ''..■... She could . offer no explanation to counsel for not adopting the suggestion ,of Mr. W.- J. Stacey, who .was acting for Carter, and who appeared with Mi. Thomas m defence of the action, 'to have a conference m an endeavor to effect a reconciliation.- < Questioned by Mr. Tho.mas regarding her claim for £50 for her trousseau, Miss Ormandy finally • admitted that she would be able to wear most of the garments and that its actual value was fully £25. The girl's story was supported by her mother, Martha Jane Stewart, who

enumerated the occasions on which she alleged Carter had wrangled with. the girl over the -kitchen evening and the size of the wedding. . It was with some hesitancy that the. witness answered the battery of quesions put to her by Mr. Thomas and though rebuked by the judge, she sought refuge m hazy recollection. She admitted that the boy and girk did not want a wedding ceremony at all and preferred ■■. to take the money. She (the mother) had wanted the wedding delayed until the summer. Mr. Thomas: When he came for the furniture, didn't you order hhn off the place and tell him not to come back again? [ ' " -.'■■'' Mrs. Stejvart: No, I told him that if { he had broken it off not to come back j again m ten minutes time and want to make it up again. ■A";■ ' ";■ Corroborative evidence was also given by James Stewart; a civil servant, step-father .of the girl, who stated that defendant, had never been to see him since the trouble had first occurred. Under ci"oss-examination, Stewart stated that he had told Garter senior that if the boy ever put his foot inside the gate again "he would.get his neck screwed. A, The defendant, Carter, a youthful motor mechanic, looking no more than his 23 years, placed the responsibility of the ■■ broken engagement on the .girl. Though he had got on well with the y'JSot In Temper " girl, he , alleged that . her mother had taken rather "too much control of the arrangements and little troubles had consequently developed. 'A On more than one occasion, he said, the girl had got m a temper and offered to give hirii back the ring.. When she performed, this- action on the Tuesday on which .litheybrldesmaids' presents were bought, hie thought she was definitely with him. . The party which Miss Orman.dy had declined to attend at his place had beenvarrar|geci m her presence on the. Sunday, -'-?hd when she refused the- last- minute he was very?:annbytd. - Carter : s^d^hje ,' jhajd. ; . endeavored to patch up thle^rdubiec and went to see the girl at'Her-plaifee; of employment, •but he was .unable -tb 'see her. He then' received" a leter from <her solicitors demanding an explanation. ;He advised his solicitor to write suggesting a conference m 'an. attempt to bring- about a reconciliation. Asked by Mr. Alan Brown, counsel for .the?; girl,^t^) ' ; ;ex'plairi;:: iyhy he had .collected' the 'furniture- from the girl's

[home and cancelled the order_ for furniture at a local factory, Carter said he felt' sure, on the day following the argument, that a marriage would be impossible and as. he had little money he did not want to be burdened with furniture he might not require. Mr. Brown: You went away to the North Island and did not return until two days before the wedding was supposed to come off and yet you say you desired a reconciliation? Carter: I told my family and my solicitor to advise me immediately if there were any advances from Miss Ormandy. I went away because I was worried and wanted a rest. "It is a pity that such a case should be brought to waste the time of this court,"said Mr. Thomas m his address to the judge. "To claim £300 from, a youth earning £3 14s. a week shows what type of claim : this/ .is,--and^ these young people would probably have got on a lot better if they had been left to themselves. "Were the plaintiff much older, it would undoubtedly have- an influence j on her claim, but, if I may be pardoned for suggesting it, she" is only. 22 and just comings into the market as it .were." A ■■'; -.-. Mr; Justice Adams estimated that £50 was a fair compensation for the breach of contract. A "After, the >." breach,' = he : said, "the girl's step -was to go and try to find hlm.; yr His .step- was ,- to sell up everything and. go away. This .may be sanguine, youth's way of vpromotj ing a reconciliation, hut" I cannot get | over the. purposeful, way he carried out his actions." •''.-'•''-