ONLY A WORKROOM LARK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 165, 15 July 1890, Page 5

ONLY A WORKROOM LARK.

BIGAMY AT ALBURY.

CONSEQUENCES OF A MATRIMONIAL ADVERTISEMENT.

A case possessing some remarkable features wae heard ab the Albury Police Court last week, when Frederick Edward French, a young man, was charged with bigamy. Evidence was given by Mr James Mitchell, painter, that accused was married at No. 6, Union-street, South Melbourne, to his (Mitchell's) daughter on December 17th, 1879. The parties lived together for five years, and three children were born of the marriage. Accused then became involved financially and was declared insolvent, and soon afterwards he ran away with another woman. The wife applied for a divorce,, which was refused for want of eufficionb evidence, bub the Court ordered a judicial eeparabion. Mary Ann King, dressmaker, residing ab Morth Melbourne, deposed that eighteen months ago she was employed as forewoman in a large drapery establishment in Melbourne, when she inserted'an advertisement in a Melbourne paper stating that she wished to correspond with an eligible man, with a view to matrimony. She received 32 replies, and ehe eelected accused from his photograph. An appointment was arranged and -accused showed her a roll of notes and wanted to be married without loss of time. She protested, saying that the insertion of the advertisement was only a "workroom lark." Accused, however, continued,to pay his addressee, and marriage was arranged, but in consequence of the opposition displayed by her parents ib was decided that the ceremony should take place ab Albury. Accordingly she and accused came to Albury on August 26th, 1888, and were married by the Rev. G. M. Taylor, Wesleyan minister, accused, before the ceremony, representing himself as a widower. The pair returned to Melbourne, and seven monthe afterwards she learned that accused had a wife living, and she then ordered him out of the house. Shortly afterwards she came to Albury and laid information against accused for bigamy. The witness was subjected to a severe cross-examination, the justification being that she was aware before marrying accused that ho had a wife living. She admitted that since the issue of the warrant she had lived with accused in Hobart, Coburg, and other places, and that she wrote letters to him offering to leave with him*for America. These letters, she said, were written at the instigation of Detective Whitney, who wished to apprehend accused. On the completion of her evidence the witness went into hysterics, and had to be carried but of the court. Accused was committed for trial to the Circuit; Court to be held on October 1,. ■";.■ -■; .„.;■'> '