A RUSSIAN BIGAMY TRIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6823, 29 September 1883, Page 2 (Supplement)

A RUSSIAN BIGAMY TRIAL.

A ctTßioxjs instance of the arbitrary prseiice of the Russian judges is presented by the trial of Medvitsky, a youDg man'-'of3o, accused of bigamy, or rather trigamy. gome years ago, Med vitsky married a yonng -girl who turned out to bo a person of infamous conduct. On .becoming , assured bithe and convinced moreover that Ms wife continued to lead her old life after her' marriage vith him, MedvitsUy ran sway ii&m her, leaving her a small sum of money. . Hβ then established himself in a; remote provincial town, and found employment with a tanor, whoso establishment he soon became masta of by marrying hia pat'.-on's daughter: : This second step in matrimony, howerer, proving likewise a failure, the eartorial DoniTaaD at the'end o£ a year fltd anew, and this time opened a shop.in St. Petersburg, where-he thrived and soon married a yoong lady nf good family. T.'his second' wife, howevef, having at last ferreted him out, claimeiJ: her husband. The trial began, and got into tie newspapers, which fact eHeited the appearance upon tfie ocene of the first wife, who with loud and violent recriminationas wore that she alone had right 3 over Mefivitiky. The whole affair was ln.dicrous and absurd ia the extreme; but the (strangest patt in this strange comedy waq _ylayed by the jadgea themselves and by the j ary, who unanimously justified the accused, and sent tbe two previous wives about their business. ' Thia, o£ course, was a,gentle hint under the form of 3 protest agair.si the Bussian' laws, which render divorce impossible except to very rich people ; bat what can be expected from a country vrher'j the majesty of the law is outraged and insulted to subserve such an end? Bfsid;s the crime of bigamy, Mfidvitsky was guilty of forgery, for he repeatedly forged his papers and represented himself as a bnch.<?lor. This tri-il has caused a great scandal both in judicial and clerical spheres in Russia.