ROMANTIC BIGAMY CASE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5370, 1 February 1879, Page 7

ROMANTIC BIGAMY CASE.

A romantic c&aa of bigamy, illuatr itive o 1 one of tbe phases of life iii Paris, has jus been tried at the assizes of th- -I lie prisoner was named Dominique Hongron. Lie is described as a good-loosing, mildi* aged man, of elegant and enduing manners Hougron began his career at B irdeaux, a- a kind of general coouuusi-ti agent, and. anrnQj; Various cither unsuccessful undertak got up a oompany called the Societe lies Ports de Bre.t. which failed, and resulted in the ruin of many tou.contiding per sons. He was changed with fraud in connection with th'B atf *ir, and sentenced to a year's imprisonment. "Tliia was in 1863. Five years previous to that date he tiHit married a young lidy named Lazm, by whom he bad a son, A few months before the war broke out he left B >rdeaux, and installed his wife and child in lodgings at Bourg-la-Heine, not fa from Paris, while he himself pa-sed most of hia time in the French capital, where he again got mixed up in unsuccessful commeicial affairs. During his absence his w.fe proved unfaithful to him, confessed, and was pardoned, but the couple never lived together again. When hostilities began, Mdme. Hongron withdrew to Pau, where nhe is still residing. In 18154 our hero made the acquaintance of a certain Mdlle. Mathilde d« Katoff. This young lady, said to be the daughter of a Kussian baron, redu*ed by misfortune to a professor of mathematics, had run away from her parentß, at the age of seventeen, with a rich Russian count, and aft->r living for some time in Paris, fouud herself at the head of a fortune of 300,000 franca. She consulted Hougron as to the investing of this money, and iu the end became his mistress. Being auable to hide any longer the more than business relations whioh existed between them, and the young lady desiring to sa'.isfy the scruples of her family, the couple resolved to get married. It is said in the indictment that Md.le. Katoff did not know that Hougron was already married, but she herself admits that she did not look upon the second marriage as serious. In fact, they went through the formal ceremony of marriage jußt for the ake of app-ar-ances. For this purpos •, and to evade the French law, they went to London, where they were married by special liceuoe at St George's, HaDOver Square. They then returned to Paris and lived, together, Mdlle. da Katoff giving bim all her money to keep him afloat in his business transactions. But there was a disappointed friend named Cornego, who, having quarrelled with Hongron, revenged himself by denouncing him to the police, and the present charge was the consequence. There was a great deal of discussion in Court as to the ease with whioh people can got married in Kngland, but it seemed to be decided that the marriage of Hongron, at St. George's, however legal it mignt be in ngland, was not legal in France, —Hongron uot having gone through the formalities necessary for a Frenchman marrying abroad. The public prosecut >r took a lenient view of the case, and granted Hongron the benefit of extenuating circumstances. The jury, however, went further, and acquitted him altogether. It must be added that Hongron was defended hy Mnitre Luchaud, who i» the prince of advocates in those queer social cases for which P ,ri* is so unenviably celebrate'!. The couple left the Couit arm-iu-arm. A large crowd had assembled to see the Russian lady, who is extremely handsome, and not vet 30 xearml I.