BIGAMY CHARGE DENIED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19947, 16 May 1928, Page 15

BIGAMY CHARGE DENIED

TWO "WIVES" IN COURT. STORIES TOLD TO MAGISTRATE. PROSECUTION AT CHRISTCHURCH

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.) CHRISTCHURCH. Tuesday.

An amazing story was told in the Magistrate's Court to-day when George Creasey appeared before Mr. 11. P. Lawry, S.M., on a charge of bigamy. Sir. Stacey represented accused. Chief-Detective Carroll said Creasey, an Englishman, met the first woman in England, and tho pair were married in 1919. The woman was the widow of a Frenchman. Creasey and his wife came to New Zealand and settled in Invercargill. Not long after tho wife was granted separation and maintenance orders against her husband, but he would do no work, and tho wife was compelled to sue him time after time. Finally she grew desperate and attacked accused, throwing a liquid mixture of caustic soda in his face. For that she was sentenced to gaol for 12 months, and she was only now free. Accused then advertised for a wife, and it was alleged that after coming to an arrangement he married a woman at Lincoln. He styled himself as a widower before the registrar. A most unusual feature of the case was that the two "wives" were in Court, and both would give evidence. \

Evidence was given by Ellen Marie Creasey of her marriage to accused in England in March, 1919. Referring to her attack on her husbaud, witness said she had been so worked np over accused not paying bis maintenance that she had not known what she was doing when she injured him. She had not seen accused from the time she was sentenced until today. Accused wrote to witness while she was in gaol, addressing her as his dear wife.

The woman with whom accused was alleged to have gone through the second form of marriage said that prior to January 5 she was a widow at Broadfields. She saw an advertisement in a Christchurch paper in which the advertiser wished to meet a woman with a view to marriage. Witness answered the advertisement, and as a result met the accused. Accused told her that ho was -a married man and that his wife had died in 1918. Ho then proposed and the couple were married at Broadfields on January 5, 1928. They lived together until about tho middle of April. One morning accused packed up a sack of clothes and left without any explanation whatever. Mr. Stacev: You know that his first wife is dead !—Yes, he produced an in memoriam notice dated 1918.

What do you know about his second w jf e I—He1 —He wrote and told me that the second woman he had married was not legally married because she already had a husband alivo in England. Witness added that she had received that information after the visit of the defectives in connection with the present case.

Detective Sergeant O'Brien said accused, in a voluntary statement, admitted committing bigamy, and said he was sorry for it.

Accused pleaded not guilty to the charge of bigamy and to a further charge of making a false declaration before a registrar. He was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Bail was allowed in self £SO, and two sureties of £25.