SUPREME COURT
• —-—♦- . CRIMINAL SESSIONS MAN CONVICTED OF BIGAMY llis Honour Mr. Justicd Hoiking presided over Iho criminal sessions of tho ijupromo Court, which -iver'o continued yesterday. .Mr. V. li. Moredith appeared as jrosccutor. Charles Thomas . Luxon, about thirty yours oi age, was charged with having committed bigiaray ou June 13 last.' Mr. 11. H. Cornish defended. TJIO Grown alleged that .Luxon was married on July 4, 1916, to Lilian Thompson. it, widow. . In. 1917;' ivhilo his wife was stilt alive, he went through a. form of marriage with Amy Lydia May Daruor. When arrested, .Accused. said that he married agiiu because he was led to believu that his' first wifo was a married iroma. lie also said that lie would plead g-uilty to fja-vo trouble. Several witnesses were called, by the Crown. Lilian Thompson did not give evideuce. Mr. Cornish' said that he would endeavour by evidence to show, that accused, was a. simple, credulous person, and that when he went through the form' of marriage with the second woman ho was not, aware that he was committing an ofleuce. After a number of -witnesses -had given ovidcnce, accused entered <.ho box and gavo the history of liis marriage. He stated that lie was one day in tho Returned fio'diers' Club, in the presence of several men who had advertised with, the object, af meeting young lad ins. One of tho men passed over to wiLuess a letter from a woman, and witness answered it. That was how lio got to know Lilian Thompson. Ha met her at Iho station by .appointment. Mr. Cornish: Toil idcl, a.nd subsequently married her. Accused: No, tvo had a talk together first. A month, afterwards I married her. Luxon went on .to say that one night lie went homo and discovered a. noto on the table. His wifo had gono away. That day lte had no money ia bis pocket. He had come home a short time previously with his pension, wages, and war boniiß. Slie got away -with everything, and lio liad to borrow a few shilings to carry on with., Ho had always given his monej over—every penny. After some time letters began to come from his wife, and eventually sho -wanted, to come back. With liis consent, she did eome-lyack. Aftor staying with him for some time, sho ran away a train. > Before departing, isho caused the lady of tho house to believe that sho was not -witness's -wife. She had told tho lady in question that she "would go through, the form of .iparriaga again to-morrow." Witness began to reflect over things. That was the third time Lilian Thompson had said that slie -was not his wife. Lilian Thompson (from tho body of tho Court): Lord, he's lying! . ' His .Honour: • Did you ever -write to her advertiso for her, or inquire about her after thatP-Accused: "No, your Honour." ' . ' Mr. Cornish: Did you meet licr again?— Accused; "Accidentally, by tho Royal Oak JTotol early in March, I think. She was with a man. I stepped in front of her and asked, what' 1 she meant by it. Sho said that she would .ploase herself -what sho -did, ftnd that I had nothing to do with her." Acoused said that ho met Miss Barker in the iirst week in April. He became intimate -with lier; and married her. Mr. Cornish: And it was because Mrs. Luxon led you., to .believo; times that she. w-as not your wife that you felt free to maxry .Miss Barker?— Accused: VYes." . • His Honour (to accused): Did. you jisk her why ehe said sho was not your -wife?— Accused: VI. did not pot a.chance..to nsk her. »Sho told, mo <it Fcitherstou that shn -wr? n," -married womtfn." Mr. "Meredith, cross-examinLng: Sho.tola you she was -a marriod -woman, before you married her?— Accused \ "Before she married 'nio she told- mo she was jx married woman, but her liushand was dead. Ashed what steps ho took to vonfy what 'he had heard as to Lilian Thompsons not beinp really liis wife, aceu'sed replied that he did not know what steps to take. "Sir. Cornish, to accused; You asked her about the husband and pot-no satisfac. tion?—Accused:-"! -got n.o satisfaction. ..
Counsel addressed tho jury. • . t His Honour, in summing up, submitted tlie following issue to the ju.ryr"oid the nvisoiier on.reasonable grounds;bona fldo believe' that tho. mamago with Lilian • Thompson was 'iiiT&lid?" . ' '' Tho' jury retired at 3.5 p.m., and- at 5 p.m. returned a verdict of guilty. There wns a. strong: recommendation that the prisoner be dealt with mercifully, and that he be not'associated "with hardened criminals in prison. FiS' Honour, deferred sentence till Saturday. •
CHARGE OP THEFT. Arthur' Mile's, for whom Mr.'P. W. Jackson appeared,.' was. Charged with, having--011 Juno 13, 1917, stolen £32 ra moneyfrom a, returned -Maori- soldier- named Kangi Thompson Mr. Meredith said that while the money belonging to Thompson • was lying for a moment on a counter in the Caledonian Hotel, accused picked' it- up, put -his pocket-, went . outside, and departed m a taxi-cab. When arrested and charged with theft, lie. said he"-knew nothing of. the matter; , •, . , •. , , , Tho case..was partly..heard, .and adjourncd. till. :to«day...
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Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3164, 16 August 1917, Page 9
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859SUPREME COURT Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3164, 16 August 1917, Page 9
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