MARRYING A STEP-DAUGHTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5520, 26 July 1879, Page 7

MARRYING A STEP-DAUGHTER.

At the Bow-street police-court- Mr. Thomas Charles Price, aged 26, described as a gentlemaa, was brought upbefore Sir James Ingham by a writ of habeas corpus from the Hollo way prison, charged with haying, on the 13th of October last, taken a false oath before the surrogate for the purpose of obtaining a marriage licence ; and farther with having, on the 18th of October, caused and permitted certain false entries to be made in the r#gistry of St. Peter's, Crydon, relative to his mariage with a ward in Chancery, then aged 16 and his step-daughter.—Mr. Poland conducted the prosecution for the Treasury, and stated the facts of the case, from which it appeared that the defendant had mrraied a ladv wh» had been twice previously a widow, the ward— called Emily Sarah—being the daughter of her second husband, and entitled in her own right to about £300 or £400 per annum. The mother(the defendant's wife) died in 1877 while they were living at Forest gate, and the defendant then removed to Laurel-villas, Croydon, where a year later he obtained the licence by falsely representing the age of hi* late wife's daughter and by concealing, the fact that she was his step-daughter. It was (Mr Poland said) a painful inquiry for the young lady and her friends, but it was one which the Treasury felt bound So take up with a view to the general pnblic security.— Formal evidence was then given by Mr. W. H. Watts, Record Keeper, Vicar's-court. Doctora'-commoms, of the affidavits made by defendant in prDcuring the licence, which was signed by the defendant and submitted by witness to Dr. Robertson, surrogate to the Vicar-general. '1 he defendant paid the fees, £2 2s. 6d., and the licence was duly drawn np, and bore the signature of the Vicar-generaL—Robert John Bailey, clerk to the incumbent of St. Peter's, South Croydon, deposed that on the 19th of October he was present at the marriage of the defendant, which was performed by the Rev. John White. The defendant arrived much earlier than the appointed time, with a man, a woman, and two young girls, one of the latter being the bride. They were admitted into the church to wait till the incumbent arrived, and the licence, now indentified by the witness, was produced. After the marriage he filled up the register with information derived from the licence, which represented the age of the wife as 18 and her father as deceased. The defendant's own age was entered as. 26, and he stated he was of no profession or business. He also gave the name and occupation of his wife's late father, formerly a clerk in the Admiralty. He noticed that the brida looked remarkably young, and the other little girl, named Rymell, aged 12, signed the register as one of the witnesses to the marriage.—The Kev. John White, incumbent of St. Peter's church, Croydon, gave confirmatory evidence. He stated that he noticed that the bride was extremely young and downcast in appearance, as if not pleased. ' He had no conversation with them beyond the necessary formal utterances and the customary good wishes at parting. The will, certificates, :&c.,>were produced, and the defendant was committed for trial. 1