A MAN TO BE ABHORRED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8854, 16 April 1892, Page 5

A MAN TO BE ABHORRED.

SHOCKING DISCLOSURES. At the Westminster Police Court on Feb. 26 Louis Vernais, alias Fernais, Courbet, Letur, and Allard, a powerfully-built Belgian, described ae a " professional strong man," and giving addresses at Manchester and London, was placed in the dock, charged on remand' with procuring his young wife, Mary Allard, for immoral purposes. Air. C. F. Gill, who prosecuted for the National Vigilance Association, said the prosecution, which was one of an important character, was under thesecoud sub-section of the second section of the Criminal Law Amendment Act. Prisoner was one of a class of men who could rarely be brought to justice on account of the difficulty of getting proof against them, but in this instance the evidence was strong, and would disclose a most shocking condition of affairs. Prosecutrix was not only sent on the streets by the prisoner, but there was no doubt that he intended to use her, and did use her, as a decoy for blackmailing purposes. He told her to get letters from married men, particularly from elderly gentlemen, so that money could be obtained from them ; and at the time of his arrest several very curious letters were found on him, showing that there was a scheme to blackmail a gentleman of position living in Albemarlestreet, who was to be threatened and made a corespondent in divorce proceedings. The prosecutrix, a very tall, comely young woman, deposed that she was in her twentieth year. Last autumn she was employed as kitchenmaid at Mr. Knight's coffee and dining-rooms in the Fulbam Road. She worked there during the day and went home at night. One evening, when out for a walk with a waitress, she got into conversation with a young man, and he subsequently brought the prisoner to the shop and introduced him bo her. Allard asked her to go out walking with him, and told her that he was connected with the stage, and that he was a " strong man," and earning from £30 to £40 a week. She told him that she only got 8s a week, and then he laughed and said, " Why work for so little ?"

Mr. Gill: Did he say how much money he spent daily ? Prosecutrix : Yes ; he said that he never spent less than £1 a day and very often it was more. I left my situation to enter one at an hotel in Dover-street. Allard dissuaded me from going, and asked me to stay out with him. Unfortunately I declined my new plnce, and went to live with the prisoner, believing what he said, that he was in a good position, and that he would keep me. He took me to a house in Gertrude-street, King's Road, Chelsea, kept by a man named Gilbert. When you had been there two or three days what did prisoner say to you ? He said that he had no more money, and that I must " walk" Piccadilly to make the acquaintance of gentlemen. He at that time introduced me to a woman, who, he said, would show me the way to go about. The woman was, or passed as, the wife of Gilbert, the man who kept the house. Gilbert was a great friend of the prisoner's. Did this woman take you out the first night? Yes, she took me to Piccadilly for an immoral purpose night after night, and told me what to do.

Upon any of those nights did you see the prisoner? Yes. Nearly every night he was in Piccadilly. He watched me on the other «ide of the road, or kept behind me, and used to say, " You must always try and get elderly men. Never speak to young ones. The elderly men have money. Try and make them write you letters, for they will be useful. Some day we can get money by the letters." Did he say anything about married men? Yes, he said that eldeily married men were the best, particularly if I could get letters from them. All the money I got by my immorality I gave to Allard. Did prisoner find fault at any time? Yes, he complained if I did not bring men home, and said other women did better than I.

On one of these nights, when you were in Piccadilly, do you remember speaking to a woman ? Yes ; Allard was walking along the other side of the way with other men. He came across to me and said, " This is what you do. Instead of doing your business you talk. When I get you home you will pay for this." A woman with me abused him. When he got me in the house that night he locked me in a room, and before I had time to take my things off he punched me in the face, so that it was very much swollen and marked. He kicked and punched me in the stomach as well, and I suffered great pain. I was very much afraid of him, for he threatened to kill me. I ought to have asked you, did he take you from Gertrude to Exeter Place, Chelsea? Yes. I stayed at the latter place for three weeks till I went home to my mother, tired of his brutality. L took out a summons for assault. This was early in November. Prisoner met me, said he was sorry for what he had done, and that he would work to keep me. In the end 1 consented not to appear against him, and we went to Manchester for a week. He promised to marry me, and on the 18th of November he did marry me at the Chelsea Registry Office. I only consented to marry him on his signing a paper that he would treat me better.

The night of the marriage what occurred ? He sent me out to Piccadilly again, and got in the 'bus to see me as far as Grosvenor Place. The same thing occurred subsequently till my mother found me in the streets. She upbraided the prisoner, who was waiting about as usual. In reply to further questions the prosecutrix said that after she went home a second time the prisoner followed and waylaid her till he regained his ascendancy over her. He took her finally to a house in Church-street, Chelsea, where he gave her instructions about letters containing money which a gentleman sent her. She left him on the 13th of January. Mr. Gill put in a paper— the agreement nob to molest the complainant if she returned to the prisoner. The prosecutrix identified the document as being in the handwriting of a man named Rondet. Letters relating to alleged blackmailing conspiracy were also put in, counsel stating that there was a likelihood of a charge of conspiracy being made later. Prisoner pub no questions in crossexamination. The case was adjourned.