CHARGE AGAINST A CURATE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9039, 14 February 1891, Page 6 (Supplement)

CHARGE AGAINST A CURATE.

STORY OF A MOCK MARRIAGE.

William Gregory Tjler, alias C. W. Tyler, 29, of William's Cottages, Boreham Wood, described on the charge sheefc as a clergyman, and having recently been acting as curate of Elstree, was brought up in custody at Barnet sessions and charged with " having obtained a situation as curate or servant to tbe Rev. P. H. W. Peach, rector of Elstree, by false representations, and by means of a forged certificate of character." Further charges of forging the certiflcate and various letters, and obtaining from the Rev. Mr Barclay, of Amy/ell, a sum of £10 14s by false pretences, and of uttering a forged certificate of marriage, Ivere now added. The evidence taken at previous hearings, and now read over, was to the effect that in October last the Rev. P. H. W. Peach, rector of Elstree, advertised in tho Church Times for a temporary curate in full orders, and prisoner, applied for the appointment, representing that he held the necessary qualifications and had sole charge of the parish or St. Paul's, Bermondsey, during tho temporary absenco of tbe vicar, the Rev. S. M. Mayhew. He gave an address, said to be that of Mr Mayhew, and a letter sent there elicited a confirmation of prisoner's statements, and was so eminently satisfactory that he was at once appointed. When he had been a short time at Elstree Mr Peach became suspicions tbat all was not right, and investigation showed that Mr Mayhew had never lived at the address given, thafc the testimonial was a forgery, aud thafc prisoner had similarly imposed on at least one other clergyman. The facts having been established, Tyler was apprehended on a warrant, and Police-inspectoi'Nuttsearchedprisoner's lodgings, in company with Detective-sergeant Bradbrook. They found a book with marriage certificate form 3, soma of which had been torn out without entries being made on the counter-foils. They also found a certificate ! purporting to be signed by Mr Registrar j

Hazzard, and recording a marriage between

William Gregory Taylor and Ada Emily Hall, solemnised at the registry oflice, 2SB Grey's Inn Road, W.O. There was no such registry

office, and there was every indication that

tbe certificate was iv Tyler's own handwriting. There were, further, found among his effects several ordination forms, some blank, and others partially filled in. One, which purported to be signed by a bishop of the Reformed Episcopalian Church of America, licensed William Gregory Tyler. Investigation showed that Dr Richardson had ordaiced a priest of that name, but immediately afterwards withdrew the licenso.

Ada Emily Hall, a young lady of prepossessing appearance, said sho was a school teacher. She first made the acquaintance of the prisoner in September, 1889, when he was editor of the Hampshire Herald. She was then, as now, living at Alton. She frequently met prisoner, and he became a lodger at the house of her parents. They grew very friendlyand became lovers, prisoner proposing to marry her. He wrote several letters after leaving Alton, and in some oE them—particularly those of January 11, 13, and 15 of tha present year—pressed her to marry him. Inconsequence of his representatious she wont to London on the following Saturday, and was met at Waterloo station by the prisoner, who took her to 47 Tennyson street, and thence to the picture gallery at South Kensington. At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon they went to a place which she was led to suppose was Doctors' Commons for tbe purpose of being married; but Tyler said the license bad not come and thoy mustcall again. They returned to Tennyson street, and later in the evening tho accused went out, and said on his return that the license had arrived, and ho, a3 a clergyman, might then perform the ceremony. He produced a book, in which sbe signed her name, at his direction, and he then opened a prayer book and read the portion beginning, "—— take thee to be my wedded wife," &c, and she repeated the words with the necessary variations. Using the words " With tbis ring I thee wed," ko., prisoner placed a wedding ring upon her finger. She was to have returned to Alton that night, but prisoner assured her she had lost the train, and she passed the night with him as his wife. The certificate produced in court was that which she signed. The marriage took place with tbe consent of her parents, bufc it was arranged cot to make it public just then, because of what the school managers might say. Her husband stayed in London and she returned to Alton. She had nofc tbe slightest suspicion thafc she was not the prisoner's legal wife till the Rev. Mr Barclay, of Amwell, made a communication to her. Whilo her husband was a clergyman at Amwell she visited him and stayed with him for a few days.

Arfchur Bogers, registrar of marriages for the county of London, was cr.lied to prove thafc no such marriage as that deposed to had been legally solemnised in his district. If the ceremony were performed as the last witness stated it would be iDegal. The certificate was a fraud and a forgery, and there was no registry office at the address appearing upon it, nor any such registrar as John Hazzard.

Sergeant Bradbrook having given evidence as to the arrest, prisoner was committed for trial, and reserved bis defence.

—The Bell Telephone Company goes on paying dividends with monotonous regularity, and yet Alexander Graham Bell offered a halt-interest in his invention to Don Cameron for 10,000dol, and Cameron thought Bell a dreamer and refused to put up a dollar. Mr Cameron could sell that half-interest to-day for ten millions. The same thing occurred with the Westinghouse air brake, whioh was repeatedly offered for SOQdpJ. the baU-totwest, -tyifsh bq takwe,