CHRONICLE. 



293 



Thames, against the defendant, a 

 captain of dragoons, stationed at 

 Hampton-court, for the purpose of 

 recovering compensation for the se- 

 duction of his daughter — a beauti- 

 ful girl from li to 15 years of age. 

 It will probably be recollected that 

 this transaction was mentioned in 

 the public papers, and made some 

 noise at the time it took place, 

 which was in January last. 



Mr. Dauncey stated the case on 

 the part of the plaintiff, detailing 

 the particulars, which afterwards 

 were produced in evidence, and 

 then read some very ardent love let- 

 ters written to the girl after the se- 

 duction. He took it forgrantedthat 

 no witnesses would be called on the 

 part of the defendant. They would 

 only have an able speech from his 

 learned friend (serjeant Best.) 

 But they would recollect that 

 words were not facts. The father, 

 Ihey would recollect, was bound by 

 law to support his daughter, while 

 he was now deprived of the hope of 

 procuring her an honourable esta- 

 blishment by marriage, owing to 

 the gross misconduct of the defen- 

 dant, who, they would also remem- 

 ber, was nearly allied to some no- 

 ble families, and able to afford a li- 

 beral compensation. Under all 

 the circumstances, they would ei- 

 ther give the whole of the damages, 

 which were laid at 5,000/. oral least 

 a very considerable portion of that 

 sum. 



Miss Lydia Strange was then 

 called, who deposed, that on the 

 1st of January last she went to 

 Hampton-Court, on a visit to the 

 house of a Mr. Bear, or Vear, who 

 had some charge of the palace. 

 While walking in the cloisters of 

 the palace with .Tane Hicks, tiie 

 maid servant, she met captain 



Gore, whom she had seen at King- 

 ston before, but had never spoke 

 to; captain Gore passed on with- 

 out speaking to her at that time, 

 but he spoke to Jane Hicks. She 

 then stated, that when she went out 

 to walk in a day or two after, Jane 

 Hicks proposed, by way of joke, 

 that they should go and throw some 

 gravel at the window of captain 

 Gore. She assented, and the ser- 

 vant went and threw the gravel, up- 

 on which they both ran away — but 

 captain Gore followed them, and 

 having come up took her by the 

 hand. They were not together more 

 than five minutes at that time, as 

 Jane Hicks came up, and told her, 

 that Mrs. Bear, or Vear, was wait- 

 ing for her. Another time she hap- 

 pened to go into the chapel, the 

 door being open, and captain Gore 

 having observed her, followed her 

 into the chapel. He took off his 

 hat and kissed her, but observing 

 some men at work about the win- 

 dows of the chapel, he went out 

 and left her there. Some time af- 

 ter he returned, and bolted the 

 door. Jane Hicks was there at that 

 time. Captain Gore entreated that 

 he might see her in the evening, 

 which she refused — and then cap- 

 tain Gore begged of Jane Hicks to 

 persuade her to meet him. Ca})tain 

 Gore gave her some grapes, and to 

 Jane Hicks he gave a one pound 

 note. He asked her when she was 

 to return to Kingston, and she told 

 him that she was to return the next 

 day. She next stated, that she 

 had gone home to Kingston — but 

 for some reason, not material to 

 the cause, she had gone to 

 Hampton-court almost immediately 

 after. As she was out walking 

 with miss Bear, or Vear, a child of 

 about ten years of age, she saw 



captain 



