Hobby of Matrimony

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7199, 23 April 1930, Page 13

Hobby of Matrimony

Matrimony and travailing have been the chief hobbies of a London ea* gineer, Frederick Cyril Goddard, 36, who had nothing to say after be had listened ih the dock at Glasgow Sheriff Court to the amazing story of his four wives.

This was hiß second appearance in a court in connection with his map riage tangles, and on this occasion he was sentenced td 12 months’ hard labour on pleading guilty to blgaruously marrying a Glasgow woman named Davidson.

Mr. J. D, Strathern, who prosecuted, explained that in 1916 Goddard was married in Middlesbrough. In 1920 he committed bigamy and was sentenced at Aylesbury Assizes to nine months’ imrisonment, after which his wife secured a divorce. In 1924 he went to Glasgow, where he met the woman Davidson. They became very friendly and Goddard promised marriage. Following the birth of a child Goddard disappeared, but left a note stating that he was going to London. Davidson then lost all trace of him until February, 1928, when he communicated with her.

Engineer’s Four Wives

•Three months later Goddard met a London war widow, whom he married in September. The widow had a pension of £1 a week, which ceased on her marriage. Goddard then managed to wheedle a sum of money out of her. in October he arranged to meet his wife at a tube station in London. When she got there she found him Bitting In ft motor-car. Under the pretence that he wiehed to garage the oar, Goddard asked her to wait for him, but did not return. On returning home she learned that he had been there, removed his clothing and left a note stating that he did not intend to return. A “marriage" offer by telegram to Davidson was Goddard’s next move. He went to Glasgow and “married'’ her, falsely representing that he was a bachelor. He lived with his latent “wife” for a month only, and then cleared off to London, stating that he was going to transfer some money from a London bank.

Becoming anxious about his disappearance, Davidson wrote to an address in London, and the whole story came out when his wife answered the letter.