BOGUS DUKE'S WHOLESALE BIGAMY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 137, 10 June 1911, Page 13

BOGUS DUKE'S WHOLESALE BIGAMY.

An amazing career of crime and duplicity was, it is devoutly hoped, brought to an end when the " Duke of St. Omars" was sentenced to thr» » years' penal servitude at the Old Bailey yesterday. The " Duke" is a shot-king "old reprobate of 70, who for years has been swindling people i n all parts of the country, and committing bigamy on a wholesale scale. He was not" always the

"Duke of St. Omars." When flint. brought to the notice of the police he was " Viscount Vaughan'—an Irish peer —and as such bigamously married a widow at Southampton, fleeced her out of her money, mortgaged her house and furniture, and absconded, leaving the poor creature to go into the workhouse.

13arely a year later he proposed to a Mrs. (Jury at Croydon, as IJr. John Vaughan, and on the strength of his engagement to that lady, and a sumptuuous hired carriage, obtained credit to a large amount from local tradesmen, tic was, however, arrested for fraud, and this prevented the marriage taking place, i A few months later he, ia .the lole ot an

army surgeou, made himselt so agreeable to a l'utney widow, that, under the impression that he desired to marry ncr, she lent him money and presented him with a gold watch and other jewellery. He, however, "went to the War (.mice' one line day, and never came back to i'utnev.

Early in the following year, alter committing a variety ot small ollc.iccs in Liverpool and Manchester, the old scoundrel promoted himself to " Surgeon-.Ylajor Sir Henry Norris. Bart., X.C.8.", aud absconded" with valuable jewellery belonging to a fellow-iodgi r at Su-eatham. He was arrested, and got three years' penal servitude.

On his release he became the " lit. lion. George Molesworth, of (jlynn Castle, Koss-shire,' and otlered marriage lo a. Bayswnter lady. Ho quite won her heart, but her brother " smelt ;t rat,' and began to ask awkward questions, which were answered by the sudden disappearance of the " Rt. Hon. Ueonje."'

Again in Liverpool he beanie Colonel Macdouald, Equerry to the King, engaged on an important secret mission for His Majesty, lie met a lady therewith became his "housekeeper," and with her travelled all over the kingdom, .swindling tradesmen and hotclkeopors. Eventually he went through a form of marriage with the lady, and having obtained her money, left her. Twice he fell foul of the police after this, and each time got three years' penal servitude. His last escapades were to marry and fleece two women. Tho first he married at Ohiswick in .lanuary this year, and tie second at Kingston a month later. These places arc only a few miles apart, but the aged villain did not even take tho trouble to change his assumed name between his matrimonial adventures. To both women he posed as " Surgeon-Gen-eral Viscount Mackenzie i Duke of St. Omars, l-'.8.C.5., F.R.C.1 I .', M.D., LUX, C.P."