A MARRIAGE THAT DID NOT TAKE PLACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7001, 25 April 1884, Page 5

A MARRIAGE THAT DID NOT TAKE PLACE.

SCANDALOUS TREATMENT OF A YOUNG LADY.

IB? TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION , .]

Wellington, Thursday. A case o£ most thoroughly unprincipled conduct on the part of a bridegroom is reported as having occurred yesterday. Some time ago a young man who had been employed as clerk in an office in Wellington became acquainted with the daughter of a much-respected resident in the city. After n short time he began to pay her marked attention, and finally proposed to her, and was accepted. It is stated that he then represented that in aidition to the income from his appointment, he was possessed of considerable landed property in London, and that 511,000 had been left to him ae a legacy. Everything appeared to go on all right, and in. due course the wedding was fixed to take place at the parents' house at nine o'clock yesterday tnorning. The bridegroom, it 13 said, explained to the young lady and her parents that immediately after the wedding he intended that they should leave for Melbourne en route for England to see about his "property," and he requested his intended father-in-law to endorse a bill for £400 to provide the necessary funds, but this the father declined to do. Evory preparation, however, for the journey was made by the young lady's parents, her boxes being carefully packed with every requisite for a. long voyage. The young man also explained that he had arranged for the attendance of a clergyman at the hour'named, that ho bad engaged a number of cabs for the occasion, and had secured passages by the Wanaka, leaving for the South in the afternoon. According to our information, he also actually got labels and addressed the lady's boxes for the projected voyage. Yesterday morning a sumptuous wedding breakfast was duly provided, the table being very handsomely set out. The guests arrived at the honse, but when the appointed hour came, there was no appearance either of the cabs, j the clergyman, or the bridegroom; When half-pa3t ten arrived, and still no sign of these indispensable adjuncts were, visible, the suspicions of some. of the young lady's friends became aroused, and they proceeded to make investigation. On enquiry at the office where the man. had been employed, they found that, the only information to be gleaned there was that he had been, dismissed from his appointment, and going to the shipping offices, they found that no tickets had been taken out as alleged, and the party at once broke up. It is believed that the bridegroom left here by the steamboat; on Monday.