Snowball Fights

In 1919, Edward Snowball asked Hannah Gavin, a fellow employee at Samuel Brewer’s farm, to accompany him to the Guy Fawkes celebrations. Fast forward nine months and Edward Snowball was nowhere to be found. He had left a distressed and very pregnant Hannah with nothing but a letter for comfort. “I’m suffering too Hannah,” he wrote. “...a loveless marriage is I’m sure more than we could bear, besides I could not be true to one. I’m a bigger waster than anybody thinks…. Nobody knows I’m going. I’ll leave when its dark… but to try and find me will be useless… Good bye Yours Faithfully, Ted Snowball”. He enclosed £15 and was gone. Hannah, who had earlier tried to commit suicide by drinking Lysol, was completely distraught. Her mother was so worried about her mental health that she hired a nurse to help supervise her.

Meanwhile, Hannah’s brother James tracked Snowball down, had him arrested and dragged him into court to be legally declared the father of Hannah’s son. Two years later, Hannah had Snowball in court for breach of promise. Snowball, she said, had promised to marry her if she would see a doctor in Whanganui and “get rid of the child” but she had refused to go. Snowball also agreed to marry her in front of her mother and brother, but he failed to show up for the scheduled trip to the Registry Office.

Snowball presented himself as a man who had fallen prey to an unchaste, immodest woman. He testified that Hannah walked around the veranda on the farm “very lightly clad. She had very little on.” He described an incident where she appeared on the bed in his room complaining of the cold and wearing only her nightdress and an overcoat. On another occasion, she stood in the gateway with one hand on either fence post, thereby blocking his path. “She had her hands on each gate post - it was only a small gate” Snowball said, admitting that the encounter had led to intercourse. Snowball also stated Hannah brought the pregnancy on herself by lying about being pregnant earlier in November. He said he had run away because he knew he could not marry her, and stated she was just as much to blame for the whole situation as him. The jury ruled in favour of Hannah. She was awarded £275 for breach of promise, and Snowball was ordered to pay £20 a year until his son turned 21. 

Seen here is an excerpt from Ted Snowball’s 'goodbye’ letter to Hannah Gavin, dated July 23, 1919. The letter reads: “…but God forgive me for breaking my word & may you also. They will wonder where I have got to in the morning I wonder where I will go too. All the world seems against me & the least little sound makes me jump out of my wits. I am leaving you some money Hannah & for heavens sake accept it. I cant leave you without any & I’ll give you my last penny but only do as I beg and in the end it will be greater happiness for us all. Hoping Hannah you will think of your Family self & me in this and don’t bring a great sin on me by causing yourself harm because I have committed unforgiveable sins in the eyes of God already. Good bye Yours faithfully, Ted Snowball. “