STRANGE WILL CASE

Feilding Star, Volume 2, Issue 353, 3 October 1924, Page 5

STRANGE WILL CASE

A RAKER'S TWO WIVES

(Per Press Association.) Wellington, Oct. 2

The Collins will case, where a man went through a form of marriage with one woman while his first wife was alive, then left bis money to his "second" wife <n unfinished, and legal argument is proceeding. The parties are Charlotte Collins (Mr 0. 'J 1 . J. Alpers), the Dominion Trust Company (Mr D; J. Morison), Emily Collins (Mr A. T. Donnelly), and several beneficiaries or relatives (Mr W. R- Lascelles). The will in dispute was that of Frederick Collins, lately a Christchurch baker, arid the estate was valued at about £IB7B 2s 9di In 1919 deceased married Emily Sophia Colline, and lived with her as his wife until his, death in 1922! A will was made in favour of his second wife, and immediately afterwards deceased was taken to hospital where he was operated on . Some days later he made another will. Instead of leaving all his property simply to his second wife, he left to a beneficiary, who was referred to as "my wife," an annuity of Gl5O per annum, leaving the_ estate otherwise in the hands of trustees for the benefit of his nieces. The testator died, and it was then shown that he already had, at the time of his second marriage, a wife named Charlotte Jane Collins, of England,, whom) he married in 188.5, and had deserted some four years later.