Friend v. Thompson
Friend v. Thompson
Opinion of the Court
The magistrate certifies that these depositions were taken at the time and place mentioned in the notice, and pursuant to the notice. The omission of the middle letter of the name in the notice is not material. Admitted.
M. Thompson, a witness, was asked to state what he knew of the marriage of the plaintiff.
BY THE COURT. The declaration charges the defendant with enticing away the plaintiff’s wife, and with harboring his wife, &e. We think that a sufficient averment that the plaintiff had a wife to admit him to prove it, though, perhaps, not very technical.
It was then agreed that the plaintiff married the defendant’s daughter, and the defendant afterwards continued to live with her father and had removed with him from Fayette county, in the winter of 1829-30.
The marriage was in Fayette, in 1829 — the parties never went to housekeeping, but lived with her father — he working on the place as the other boys. The plaintiff and defendant came to Logan to look at land with a view to remove here, when the plaintiff was to be put on to a separate piece of land and work it, though the title was to remain in the defendant. Shortly after their return to Fay
WRIGHT, J. To sustain the first count, proof is required of some act of the defendant, to entice or persuade away the plaintiff’s wife, and to keep her from him. The defendant is the father of the plaintiff’s wife. The child has never left her paternal roof. There is not a particle of testimony to show any act of persuasion on his part to induce his daughter to leave her husband. On the contrary, the proof is, the husband left her, and has continued away from her, never having made any provision for her support. It is true, her father, after the plaintiff left, refused longer to harbor him about the house, but that does not sustain the declaration. He, surely, was under no obligation to support the plaintiff, although he might choose not to see his own daughter starve.
As to the second count, which alleges that the wife left the bed and board of the plaintiff wrongfully, and the defendant knowingly harbored her with intent to deprive him of her society — how is that sustained? The father did not turn his child out of doors, but suffered her to continue, and labor, and receive support as a child. He fed and clothed her, and when she was sick procured medical aid. The husband did neither. The father expressed his willingness
Reference
- Full Case Name
- FRIEND v. THOMPSON
- Status
- Published