ILLEGAL WEDDING

Evening Star, Issue 22686, 28 June 1937, Page 8

ILLEGAL WEDDING

FIRST WIFE STILL ALIVE FALSE STATEMENT TO REGISTRAR A story of two unhappy marriages— Lie second of which was illegal—was told in the Police Court tins morning, wiicn Artliui Middleton Leggett (4'J;, w.io is at picsent serving a sentence or six months’ imprisonment, was charged with making a false statement under the Marriage ActThe Rev. Father Kavanagh said that he remembered the marriage of the accused and Sarah Louisa Corcoran, which was solemnised in tho vestry of St. Joseph’s Cathedral on May 17, 1916. Ho knew both the parties. Their marriage was registered at Dunedin. Airs Leggett was still alive, witness having seen her this morning. Arthur Roderick Ellis, registrar ot births, deaths, and marriages, said that the accused called on him on January 12 of this year to give notice of his intention to marry. He gave his name as Arthur Leggett, and the necessary particulars were entered in the marriage notice book from the prescribed form completed by accused, who designated himself a« a bachelor. He was supplied with a certificate authorising bis marriage. ~ , , The Rev. L. B. Neale said that he r’-dated at the wedding of the accused at the Trinity Methodist Church in January. Witness had received from the accused the registrar’s certificate authorising the marriage, in which he was described as a bachelor. Detective Russell produced a statement, in which Leggett said that ho and his first wife lived together for two years after their marriage. They then separated and did not subsequently live together. Leggett stated that bo had not seen bis wife since 1918, and six or seven years ago he heard that she was dead. He added that ho honestly believed this, and thought it was in order for him to say ho was a bachelor, on tho occasion of his second marriage. He lived with his second wife for about a mouth. Differences arose, and they separated. Air Bundle : Why is he not charged with bigamy? Chiof-dctcctivo Young: We could not prove that bn bad any knowledge that his first wife was alive. Leggett pleaded guilty and was committed to tho Supremo Court at Christchurch for sentence. Chicf-de-toctivo Young said that he was at present serving a six-months’ term at Paparua.