The Sitka Bridge Romance and the $15,000 Breach of Promise
A romantic tryst at an Alaskan river bridge leads a jilted compositor to sue her former lover for a small fortune.
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Judge Osborn's jury is considering a breach of promise suit filed by Miss Jane De Peatt against David D. Carpenter, a paymaster's clerk formerly stationed on the U.S. steamer Pinta in Alaska. Miss De Peatt seeks $15,000 in damages, claiming Carpenter wooed her in Sitka in 1892. According to her testimony, the two pledged their troth on a rustic bridge over the Indian River near Sitka, amidst the sounds of spawning salmon and bears. Carpenter later moved to Seattle and sent letters containing a ring and protestations of love, but never returned to fulfill his alleged marriage promise. Carpenter remains silent on the matter, while Miss De Peatt has traveled from Sitka to Seattle to prosecute her claim.
“They were in the habit of going to talk of love and listen to the splash of the salmon in the river and the roar of the bears on its banks.”
This case illustrates the high social stakes of mid-1890s courtship, where a 'breach of promise' lawsuit served as both a legal and moral remedy for jilted women in a society that often left them with few other avenues for financial or social protection after a relationship ended.
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