"Those soft Hazel Eyes"

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 664, 23 September 1876, Page 6 (Supplement)

" Those soft Hazel Eyes "

The ' Times' of 4th April gives the following report of an t xtrnordinary case of libel and slander, Miller r. Swaleo, tried at Leeds on 3rd April, before Baron Bramwell and a special jury : — The plaintiff was tht Tier. Thomas Miller, vicar of Heaton, near Bradford in this county; the defendant was Miss Swales, formerly the mistress of the plaintiff's parish school. The libels were in the form of written statements. These statements were taken down from the defendant's lips by Mr. Wood, the chief supporter of the school in question. The trial turned entirely upon the question of whether the statements were true or false. The first of these statements were signed by the defendant, and was as follows :—: — • I hereby certify that the Eer. Thomas Miller, vicar of ift, Barnabas Church, Heaton, did on Sunday morning, 25th September, induce me to go with him to St. John's Mission Room, Friaintjhall, when unnecessary for me to do so, uijder pretence of reading to me a letter which he could equally well hare read to me at my oirn lodging, and did then and there take indecent libertiei with me, with the most manifest intent to commit a crime which I cannot bring myself to name/atid one which, had not a man most providentially come in, I might not have had the strength or power to prevent.' The second alleged libel, also in the form of a statement, was similar in effect to the first. The plaintiff was called, and said that he had been in Holy Orders 14 years, and had been for the last eight years vicar of Heaton. He wts married, and had two ■ons, one about 20, and the other a child •ailed Harry, about seven years of age. Mr. Wood, he said, built a mission-school chapel at Frizinghall, which wia in his pariah, and the defendant came from Portsea in August, 1875, to be mistress of the ichofel there. She had not a certificate, and the number of children became too great for her to manage, and so on the 7th of September last he gave her three" months' notice to leave. t On being minutely examined as to Mveral interviews which had taken place between himself and Miss Swales, he, 'pointedly denied that he had either kissed]', or taken tffiy eth*r liberties with her. He was then cross-examined by Mr. Waddy, ai follows:— Mr. Waddy, Q.C.— Have you ever kissed any other woman in the parish P The Plaintiff.— l have. Mr. Waddy.— Let me see if I can find any of them. Do you know Mrs. Kille? The Plaintiff,— Yes. r Mr. Waddy.— ls she the wife of your ithoolmaster? • 4V Plantiff.— Yes. , && Waddy.— Have yon kissed her ?' The Plaintiff.— Yes, I have. * . Mf. • Waddy.— Give your explanation • bow it was you kissed her. The' 'Plaintiff.— A twelvemonth ago about last September there was a concert. In the middle of it I spoke crossly to Mr. Kille. His wife came up a»d defended him, I spoke crossly to her, too. After it was all over I felt I had done injustice, and apologised to Mr. Kille, in the presence of those who ' had heard the rebuke. As- they were going away, I ■iked Mrs.' Xille for forgiveness, and offered her- the kiss of peace, to show there was no malice. I kissed her, and walked into the room with her husband, and asked them both to supper. Mr. Waddy.— Did you give Ruph Tuck the kiss of peace, or any kiss 2.1. Plaintiff.— Yes, I did, about .two-and-a-half years ago. She was then ab"oujt tl6\ t 16\ and a servant to Mrs. Kill*. ;¥> and my little boy went to see Mr. ' Kille. but he 'was not at home. My little bdy said, " Harry, kiss Bath,' and then kissed her, iiadsaid, ' Pa, kiss* Ruth,' upon Idaied h4r. ] The plaintiff denied that he kissed or dried to kiss another young woman whose name wan mentioned. Mr. Widdy.— Did you talk to her (Miss JJwales) about her hazel eyes P The Plaintiff.— fio. I believe she has black eyes. . i Mi. Wacldy.Q. C. opened the Ufbndnnt's cane, ' I ?Tke following were the mportant Wmtiesses :— IFhe defendant, Mils Swalei.si.id that ■hi wmi 80 ytari oU. She received notice

to leave on the 7th of September. The plaintiff said he was sorry to part with her but was goiug to have a man ana his wife in her place. After she got the letter from Mr. Child, she went with Miss Mitchell to the vicarage to see Mr. Miller about it. He came from the grounds to her and told her to come in doors. The maid lit the pas in the dining-room, and sh«(Miss Swales) and Mr. Miller went into that rcom. Harry came in with two dogs and put one of them into her lap; the servant came in and said she had taken Miss Mitchell mto the kitchen. Harry went away after a few minutes. She stopped talking to Mr. Miller a quarter of an hour : she said, 'Good ni^ht,' and Mr. Miller followed her out. At the front door Mr Miller got hold of her hand tnd said. ' Good bye, Miss Scales, lam sorry to loss you, for I have loved you ever since I saw you.' He then kissed her. She said, 'Do you know what you are doing sir ?' He said, *It is love ; it cannot be helped where there ik love.' This was said on the threshold of the door. Anyone in the hall could have seen her. Sho pushed him away, and he followed her. He got his arm round her neck and walked down the terrace. There was no one at work then. He asked her why she- had brought Miss Mitchell with her* and would she meet' him that night or some other ? She said she should think not. She asked him to let her fetch Mis^ Mitchell, or else to fetch her himself. Ho then turned towards the kitchen, but taming back he said, would she give him one kiss before goinp? She said, 'Certainly not.' He said something about her eyea, ' Those soft appealing eyes,' ' Hazel eyes.' He then fetched Miss Mitchell, f add she came with Harry. He shook hands with Miss Mitchell, but she (Miss Swales) refused to shake hands. He told Harry to kiss her, and Harry did so. They thon left. On the 25th September the plantiff, Mr. Miller, came about 11 a.m. {to Mrs Hirst's, but he declined to come in. She (Miss Swales) went to the door, and he said he wanted to see her at the school immediately. She put on her hat, and followed hi/n. It was a Saturday, and a holiday for the school children. When she got to the school-room Mr. Miller wafl there. He •aid, ' Good morning, Miss Swales ; good morning, darling,' or ' dear,"sbe could not be sure which. She asked what she was wanted for. Mr. Miller siaid, ' Darling you look so cross. What mado you look so pale when I saw you iJbis morning P I have a letter from Mr. Child.' He walked up the room, sat on a form, and said, ' Come here, and you shall read it.' She went toward him ; he pulled her on his lap, and said, 'My dear, you are heavier than I thought.' She got angry with him, and struggled till she got away. She again asked him to lot her read the lottor. He walked into the class-room, which is beyond tho school-room, saying that she should read the letter there. She followed him into the class-room H« got hold of her and kissed her. He said, ' Sit down,' and she sat, down beside him. He then began to read the letter, and as ho was reading jmllod her on to his lap. He put his arm round her waist, and tried to put his left arm under her dress. She struggled, and told him that nhle would call the neighbors. Just then they heard the sound of a man* footsteps in the Urge schoolroom. 'Mr. Miller then left at once, and walked out. She saw the back of si man going away. No children were about the*, so, far M she saw. She went outiide On to the bridge,, in tjhe hope* of seeing Mr. Miller, and findi&g out about the letter, thinking she would be safe in tho street. He Jame 1 almost directly, and tlen she walke^tlp the road with him, and he ifave her the letter to r?ad. She did so, and gave it back. She walked some way with him, and said that she would not go a step further with him. He said, 'Then I'll write.' On the 3rd October he came to the Sunday school and laid be had a letter for her. He pointed to the clasi-room, and she followed him into it. There was no one else there. He pulled a bundle of letters out, saying they were ani wen to advertisements for a new mistress-; then he kissed her, and ihe laid ' If that is what you want me for,' ard went away. On October 10 she went to the evening service. After service he said he had a letter for her ; he took the letter out of his pocket. There were several people behind. Sh? put out! her hand for the letter ; he caught hold of her thumb upon the letter, and went into the class-room beyond the ichool-room. Mr. Miller shut the class-room door, putMns* arms round her, and kiised her. She said she should tell Mrs Miller. He then oper ed the door and went out. Mrs. Miller was in the sohool-room talking at the time. As she (Mist Swales) was going away with Mrs-. Hirst* he said in a low tone of voice, 'Good nighfe dear.' On the 2nd November, Turnham, the schoolmaster, said to her, * Have you, heard reports about Mr. Miller P' Before that she had told no one connected with the school, and had nevdr heard any reports, but thought that Turpjiam, meant reports about herself. He looked at her; she felt confined and* said, ' Do you mean me P' He said, ' What' ! b, as he kissed you P' She laid, • Yes.' Ne*£ day he »sked again ; then Mr. Wood sent for her, and she told him the 'facts, though not all the details, and he wrote out the statement set out above.' Thfe matter was gone into before Bishop Ryan ; (vicar of Bradford.) After further evidence had 'been taken, Baron BramweU summed up, andthe jury retired at a quarter to eight p. m. After a long consultation, they were discharged without a vprdictf, 'being unable to agree. (

A ' buwptiou i' trar eller, overtaking' tin old Presbyterian miuister whose nag was. i much fatigued, <qujzzed the old gentleman, upon his ' turn out.' ' A nice horse yours J ( "jLocto*r t>> v«ry — rateable' beast that— but what maloss, him wag his tail so, doctor P' 1 1 Why r y"ou have «sked me, I will tell' you. It. if^ for Ihe same reason that your tongue wags so — a sort of natural'weakness.' A-^woman niamed. Oates wi» had up wcpntily, in ft ew Yqrk, for beating her husband. On being sentenced to imprisonment, she rem. lrked. thaA it wai.rery hard | a woman was , not allqwsd to thrash net own Oates. , , 'Jack, did you <farry, that umbrella home I borrowed jeiterday.P' — 4 No,' father, you hr ire often told me to lay up tomething for a rainy day, jnd a» I thought it would rain b«for« long, I had l«i& my umbrtlla up.'