A JUST LAW FOR LIBERTINES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1689, 17 October 1887, Page 4

A JUST LAW FOR LIBERTINES.

F^w people outside of its jarledictlon, are aware of the anmlrable simplicity of Scottish Harrhga Laws— so admirable, that It is being seriously considered to dmend the law of the Kingdom m the same direction, Here is an example of how it acts : — At Edinbutg recently, LirdFraser gave judgment Jn an action at the instance of Catherine Watson Melrose or Cownle, against Wm F. Cownle. His Lordship * said that pursuer was the daughter of a man who was at one time shepherd to Sir James Gibson Craig, and was afterwards a butoher m East Calder, Defender was » tailor and clolhler m Edinbu g, and the object of the action was tv have It found and declared that they were married persom. Defender lodged defences, which contained a great many false accasatloas against the pursuer's character, and m the course of his examination he even exceeded these by the most shamelees charges against the pursuer, not one of which was proved, but all of which had been disproved. The evidence given by the defender was simply a tiasue of "" falsehoods from beginning to end. The only point upon which the Lord Ordinary felt some hesitation, In forming an opinion was m regard to the manner m which the Jatercounsfc between the pursuer and defender commenced. Their acquain- : tanceship was a very slender one to justify such a surrender on the part of the purauer, bnt she said he gave her his former wife's ring and told her to wear It, saying that the were married before God and man. If he said that, it was marriage according to the law of Scotland. Par* suer from that time — August, 1886, till Januaty, 1887— acted as mistress of defender's house. But the most emphatic •videnoe tbey bad was m regard to what took place on the part of the defender towards pursuer's relatives. Defender gave various explanations as to his conduct. One moment it was failure o! memory — he did not recollect anything about it ; at another time he was drank. When he •poke of ihe pursuer ai his wife he was driven to do it from fear of her. He was •fraid she would assault him. He was frightened without cause. Be was twice her size and weight, and this was an unnecessary and uncalled-for terror. He did not doubt her own strength when he -kicked and pused her out of the house. All the excuses weie simply Inventions. Defender having apparently obtained all he wished from the companionship of purauer, m a very harsh and cruel manner tamed her out of doors, telling her that he would take the child with which she was pregnant, but that with regard to herself he would have nothing further to do with her. The result was the present action. 3Jb Lordship bad found that the marriage had been pro7ed, and gave decree as concluded' for, with expenses. The celebrated Tel vert on Marriage aetlon was another case m point. The Hon Major Yelverton took Miss Theresa Longworth by the hand one day m the city of Edinburgh and acknowledged her j as his wffe m presence of a boardinghousekeeper. It was an awkward admission, for the Scotch Courts held that she was his wife de facto. She was also irregularly married to the same honorable gentleman m Ireland, but tbat was held to be invalid, and the carious anomaly was created that the lady was Mra Yelverton m Scotland, and Miss Longworth elsewhere.