CHARGE OF BIGAMY.

Auckland Star, Volume XX, Issue 66, 19 March 1889, Page 5

CHARGE OF BIGAMY.

AN AUCKLAND WOMAN BEFORE A

SYDNEY COURT

At the Water Police Courb on the 14bh insbant, before Mr G. W. F. Addison, S.M., a respectable-looking woman named Harriet Corsbon again appeared in answer to a charge of having "committed bigamy. The information of Peter Corston, of No. 169, Casblereagh-sbreeb, Sydney, seb forth bhat on bhe ISth April, 1863, at Auckland, New Zealand, one Harrieb'.Reed did marry bhe said informant, and thab bhe said Harrieb Corston, nde Reed, while she was so married, did, on bhe 2lsb day of July, 1886, ab Sydney, marry William Green Hibble, the said Peter Corston being then alive. Mr Jones appeared for the prosecution; Mr W. Roberts, sen., for the defence.

At the previous hearing of the case evidence for the prosecution was given by Detective Greaves, Peter Corston, and Rev. Joseph Banier. For the defence Mr Roberts called Mary Gough and Henrietta Reynolds (a daughber of Mrs Corsbon).

Ernest Corston (son of bhe accused) said he knew Mr Hibble ; in March, 1886, wibness was living with his mother in Auckland. Recollected Hibble coming to his mother's house ab aboub bhab dabe ; Hibble was sbaying ab the Star Hotel then. Hibble called on Sunday morning, and asked witness if Mrs Corston lived there, and requested to be allowed to see her; witness said she was ill, and could nob see him; he then said, "Go and tell her an old friend has called to see her." Hibble would nob give his name; laber on his mother lefb her room, camedown the sibbingroom, and saw bhab ib was Mr Hibble who had called. Hibble visited bhe house several times, and on one occasion he asked witness's mother to go for a drive ; she consented, and they went for a drive ; thab was on a Tuesday ; on bhe following Wednesday Hibble and his son lefb for Sydney ; in bhe July following the Corsbon family sailed for Sydney, Hibble having senb Mrs Corston £50 before they lefb. Hibble met them on their arrival in Sydney, and took them to an hotel in York-street. Continuing, the wibness eorroborabed the greater portion of bhe evidence given by Mrs Gough at the previous sittiug. Witness heard Hibble bell his mother bhab he had seen an accounb of bhe deabh of Corston in the paper; that was prior to their marriage : hismobherand Hibble lived in various places after their marriage ; shortly afterwards wibness's mobher and his sister went to New Zealand to look after some property ; while they were in New Zealand Hibble weub bo Melbourne; Hibble and witness meb Mrs Corsbon and her daughter at the wharf on their return, and bhey again lived at Rushcutter Bay; subsequenbly they separabed, and Mrs Corsbon lived in Victoria-street, where she kept a boarding-house ; she was harassed by repeated visits from Hibble, and on one occasion she threatened to " horeewhip him if he came there again."

Henrietta Reynolds, daughter of bhe accused (recalled), said bhab Hibble called ab her mother's house some bime ago; Mrs Corsbon and' he had a conversation, in bhe course of which her mother as ted him why he was persecuting her (witness) through Mr Reynolds; Hibble replied, " I have nobhing bo do wibh her, bub (shaking his head at Mrs Corston) I would do seven years for you ;" witness was nob married bhen, bub she was aboub bo be married bo Mr Reynolds' son.

Harriet Corston deposed that she was married to Mr Hibble, as already stated in ovidenco ; at the time she married Hibble she believed from representations made to her that her former husband was dead ; a man named William Harkebh called ab her shop in Auckland ; she'was winding up her business ab bhis bimo ; she subsequenbly managed a millinery business ab Ponsonby, New Zealand, aba salary of £3 per week ;when hocalledab her shopHarketh askedherifMrs P. L. Corston was there ; witness replied thab she was the woman : he then bold her ho was sorry bo be the bearer of bad news, and said that her husband had met wibh an accidenb and was dead ; this upseb her very much ; she had always anticipated the sudden death of her husband, as he had a brother who committed suicide; on leaving Auckland in October, 1884, he said, "If things did not mend with him he would bake the same journey as his brother ;" her husband was a good man in every respect bub for the fact thab he gave way to drink ; drink was the cause of ali their separations ; she asked Harketh what the accident was by which her husband had met his death ; he said he only jusb heard of his deabh when he lefb Sydney and could bell her nobhing further ; she could obtain no further information and believed the man's statement to be true; she did not see Harketh again ; Hibble also made representations to her regarding bhe deabh of her husband ; thab was before she married him ; when she arrived in Sydney, Hibble said, "Now what aboub Corston"?" witness replied, "That is what I came over to ascertain about, I cannob tell you any more than Ihave written." (Shehad written to Hibble and told him that she had heard Corston was dead.) She kept Kibble's replies to her letters, bub they were stolen from her after she had married him ; Hibble told her shortly after she landed that " she need nob brouble any furbher, as he had read thab Corston was drowned in Apollo Bay, Melbourne, and bhab Mrs Cough and his man (Smibh) had seen bhe same in bhe paper." Having heard of her husband's death while she was in Auckland, she felt satisfied wibh Kibble's sbatemenb; to verify bhe brubh of bhe reporb of her husband's decease, she bold Hibble she wa3 anxious for several reasons bo obbain bhe cerbificabe of his deabh; he replied, "Very few people brouble aboub thab ; become my wife, I will probect you for life;" wibness asked him for a week bo consider bhe mabter, bub heurged somebhing aboul; the " slander of Sydney ;" on the following day he pressed her to become his wife, and she said she would get married on bhe nexb day; Hibble bhereupon produced a marriage license which he had obtained before she had decided to marry him ; they were married on the 21st July, 1886, and they went bo Mrs Gough's ab Granville bhe same evening; in bhe courso of conversation Hibble said to Mrs Gough, "You saw the report of Corston's death in the papers, did you not?" Mrs Gough replied, " No, Willie, you said you would bring bhe paper, but you never did." Hibble laughed, bub said nothing ; ab the time witness was married bo Hibble she was in a position bo make her own living : she learnt the millinery business in London years ago; bhere was no necessiby for her to marry Hibble. She first knew Hibble was a

"J.P.".when she saw him in Auckland. He used to visit her at Auckland when she had a millinery business. She had known Hibble and his wife when they were in troublesome 20 years ago. When Hibble visited her in Auckland he talked aboub his position in Sydney; he said he was a magistrate in receipb of £600 a-year. Hibble lefb Auckland for N.S.W., and when she heard of the deabh of her husband she wrote to him (Hibble) asking for information aboub her husband ; Hibble sent kind replies to her, bub bbose letters had been ebolen from her after she married, him.

At this stage of bhe proceedings the further hearing of the case was postponed till Friday.

Mr T. Andrew, photographer, who sustained heavy loss in the Karangahape Koad fire on Sunday afternoon, has secured temporary premises ab the corner of Pitt and Grey-street and announces by advertisement that he will be able to commence business on Thursday next. Mr Andrew ha 3, fortunately, a complete outfit of new apparatus to arrive ex Arawa, which will prevent any serious stoppage in his business.