A Breach of Promise Case. ing the police, allowed them to go on a false scent and arrest C. This latter, who knew what had been done, instead of accusing В simply called him as a witness at his trial. С was indicted for A's murder, but the day before the trial the real assassin was mur dered by his victim's brother, and it was only through this second murder that С was found to be innocent. He had been in jail two years, but had never accused the real cul prit. This is no imaginary case, but can be verified by the records of the Girgenti As sizes." In conclusion I wish to emphasize the fact that not all Sicilians are Mafiosi; they are a brave and generous people even in their faults. For, judged from the standpoint of their his tory, the principles of the Omcrtá Code dis play a false idea of honor it is true, yet they also show an unquenchable love of justice and
305
the utmost fearlessness in its pursuit. Their glorious history, the heroic sufferings they have bravely borne from the time of Verres to the bright day when Garibaldi landed at Marsala, attest the sterling character of the Sicilian people. And the very principles of the Mafia if turned to a better purpose and trained in a healthier atmosphere will yield, as Prof. Vaccaro observes, noble civic and military virtues. These we have recently seen displayed at Adowa, where every officer and private of the Sicilian batteries died at his post rather than surrender. And we, who though far more fortunate and far ahead of them in social and economic development, are, nevertheless, spectators in our own coun try to the excesses of the Whitecaps and of the " nigger hunters " let us learn to be, if not more just to our brethren across the seas, at least more charitable.
A BREACH OF PROMISE CASE. AT a public entertainment given recently by the Royal Arcanum in St. Louis, one of the features was a trial before a jury of a breach of promise case. Hon. John A. Tally, one of the judges of the Circuit Court of St. Louis, presided at the trial, and gave the following charge to the jury. MAY BLOSSOM Ï ! In the Breach of Promise vs. > Court of the Royal Arcanum. j Case No. 6,747,899. JACK FROST. J Gentlemen of the Jury, when the evidence is in, 'Tis said the labors of the court and jury but begin; And that you the issues herein may well 'and truly try, The shall Courtapply. instructs you, to the facts, what law you
She said head;him nay by shaking her gorgeous blondined 'Till he became insistent and made promises so fair, Thatshare she;finally consented his lot through life to That all went well until the date fixed for their mar riage came, That But his her asthough his manner part, name she's has
- willing
been to since perform then the quite contract as frigid on
He refuses, heart, and thereby has lacerated her young She therefore asks the law for this alleged most grievous harm To lay upon defendant Frost its strong majestic arm. Now,believe, you are instructed, gentlemen, if you find and Fromtothe weave, testimony offered as each tried their side
The jurors are instructed, in this suit by plaintiff brought. She wrought, alleges that defendant with her feelings havoc
Thatninety-nine, on December sixteenth, eighteen hundred
In this, to wed. that though he very often begged her him
And side begged he went, that they betrothed be ere from her
Defendant shine, told the plaintiff she alone for him did
