WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 239, 9 April 1912, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted, by "Eileen"). TRAFFIC IN ILLEGAL MARRIAGES The practice of foreigners coming to this country to be married, oil the strength of advertisements of marriage brokers, when they cannot be married at home (says a Home paper), was described at the Old Bailey on January 18, when Judge Lumlcy Smith had before him Adolph Herschdorfer, a German, 2G, who pleaded guilty to having wilfully made a false declaration for the purpose of procuring a marriage between himself and Rosa Mayer. William Solomon Stern, 21, boarding-house keeper, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the male prisoner. The prosecuting counsel, Mr. Graham Campbell, said a 16-days' residence was necessary before foreigners could be married here, and he then read one of the advertisements referred to, which had been shown to ITerselulorfer by a | marriage broker. The advertisement promised "three-day quick marriages," | and continued: I 'With regard to residence, great care is necessary, because officers frequently make enquries at the house. We must always remember the proverbial prudery and hypocrisy of the English. If the arrangements for residence are executed by our firm, anyone can please themselves as to what they do, and nred not trouble themselves about enquiries being made. The Judge: it advises couples going to be married not to occupy one room before marriage. That is because of the "English prudery anu hypocrisy." (Laughter). Counsel added that Ilerschdorfc-r came to England with a woman, and went to { Stern's bonrdinghouse at Highbury. The I !next day tliey attended the Islington Registry Office, where Herschdorfer said in German that he had been in England for six weeks, and Stern interpreted. Mr. Purcell, for the defence, urged that Stern was induced by the marriage broker to act as he did, and subsequentlj- the mairiage broker blackmailed him and Herschdorfer. Judge Lumley Smith said it was asburd to say that the regulations of the law were mere formalities. If people j broke the law, whether they were English or German, they could not turn round and say they did not know what was necessary. He sentenced eaclt of the accused to three weeks' imprisonment without hard labor, the sentences J to date from the commencement of the | sessions. | TWICE-BROKEN promise. ( An extraordinary love story was rej lated in Mr. Justice Coleridge's Court in the King's Bench division of the London courts last month, when, for the second time, Miss Louisa Grafton, of Godolphi.n road, Shepherd's Bush, claimed damages from James Brockhurst, a caretaker, for breach of promise of mariage. Miss Grafton is a seamstress, 38 years of age, and the defendant a widower, with one child, and employed by a firm of solicitors, whose name was not disclosed. In 1909 Miss Grafton accepted a marriage proposal and a ring from J Brockhurst, but the engagement was ! broken off. She took proceedings for breach of promise, and defendant settled the matter out of Court by paying her costs and £2B damages. 'Miss Grafton's present claim was based upon kn allegation that two days after he paid those damages he wrote to her father, and they became friendly again. Then she said he again proposed marj riage, and again she accepted him. In 1 the meantime she had spent the £2B j damages, and later, when the defendant J Wanted her to return the money, she indicated that she would rather wait until I they were married. j Counsel read extracts from letters j Written during the second engagement, j 'Miss Grafton wrote: J "I received your letter last evening, and note you say you loce me. If we marry I think love should come first. From your letter you only want money. If you break your promise to me again I shall go to New Zealand; I could not stay in England. ... I leave everything for you to decide, and for the third time I promise to return the damages paid last year." On August 17, said counsel, Brockhurst wrote breaking oil the engagement. Miss Grafton, in the witness-box, said that she received heaps of love letters during her engagement in 1909-10. In December he wrote to lier father as follows: "I feel very unhappy to-day; I feel very 'down.' Last year I was happy; now lam alone in the world. If I had known before what I know now things Would be different. Give my besLjyshes to Louise. She is bright go-lueky, and I think I have always been kind to her. . . After this she and Brockhurst became friendly again, and the defendant again promised to marry her. She visited his place, and was received on the basis of an engagement. Once he wired to her when he was ill: J '"Love, do come—in bed—can't move—lumbago." Defendant, in his evidence, admitted that the first engagement was broken off. Miss Grafton nursed him, and they again became engaged. But this time, he said, it was conditional upon plaintiff returning the £2B. This she never did, and he refused to marry her. He wanted the money to get married with. The jury found for the plaintiff,] awarding her £25 damages, and judgment was entered accordingly with costs.