A Remarkable Marriage.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 5722, 19 March 1890, Page 3

A Remarkable Marriage.

A DAiKYiiAK named William H. S. Furness, aged twenty-three, lias got into trouble through marrying a minor without the consent of her mother. He was arrested at Tasmania, and has been brought over to Melbourne. It is alleged that he unlawfully married a young girl named Jessie Thompson, only 15 years of age, on the loth inst. , without the consent of Elizabeth Thompson, her mother, who is a widow. Mrs Thompson lived at Moreland (Melbourne), and her daughter spent most of her time in the household />f Mr Lawrence, landlord of an hotel close by. He has educated her, and she is described as beinsr of prepossessing appearance, and as having attained some •degree «f proficiency in music. For some time Fumess was employed at the hotel, and although his position was a menial one, he, captivated by, what were to him the irresistible charms of the girl, sought her affection. If he did not altogether /w.in her regard, he succeeded in -, obtaining a hold on her thaJ? he found little difficulty in inducing her into going through .the marriage ceremony with him. He was. only , employed at the hotel for a brief period, and afterwards undertook a milk delivery round in the neighborhood. Here he had ample opportunity of continuing his influence over the girl, whom he is averred to have induced to meet him about 7 o'clock on the evening of the 13th inst., near to the Fish Market in the City, with a view to getting married. From the place of appointtu/e&t they went to the premises of Sir Nathatiial Kinsman, who has become celebrated as the performer of more Miarriages than any other authorised person in Victoria, but he declined to perform the ceremony until there was produced a written consent from the mother of thegirl. Jin adjournment was made to a neighboring hotel, where the girl was induced to attach her mother's name to •■% ' consent ;' ; that having done so she became alarmed, 1 but that Furness intimidated her by saying that she must now' marry him or they •would both have to go to gaol ; and that one of the two ' witnesses ' employed by jpurness said, 'Go on, you young fool, and ge& jaamed, it will be better for you.' A return ".*»» made to the house of Mr Kinsman wstfe the forged consent, and the •qeremony was performed by him in the j • usual manner. "Hunwsss. on the following dji^ becoming alarmed, & is said, went to Tasmania in the Pateena. An information was sworn against him by the girl's mother, a cablegram was sent to Tasmania : and accused was arrested and brought back safely. . ;

v Two Natives afc Tamahere, Waikato, : were 'discovered attempting to steal a pig, ■wliett v a man named Graham, owner of the fired upon them, but failed to hit them. '.'-■-■-• . ••-...-:.•'. In 1886 hemp sold in London as low as 1L24, •, and:' fluctuated between that and N t&l *, in 1887 it was asjo.w as L 27 for \ several months, then went up and fell in ' \ the raiddliß of 1888 to L 26 10s, afterwards 1 - sising rapidly to the past year's pheno- \ menal prices (L4O). It is now down to \LS2toL2S, \ *' \ '*...'