EXTRAORDINARY REVELATIONS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1155, 18 April 1884, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY REVELATIONS.

Wklu.vot n, April 12. A roost extraordinary case was commenced at the R. M. Court this morning. It came up in the simple form of an alleged breach of the Marriage Act. Alice Lynch a woman of apparently, aoout 30 years of age, was char-gad with having on the 23rd November, 1831, at Auckland, wilfu ly made a false statement touching the age ami parentage of one Emma Mary Howell, contrary to the provisions of the Marriage Act. Mrs Lynch, who. was not represented by counsel, is also known as Mrs Howell, alias Tremaine, alias Baxter. Mr Shawap. pea re l for the prosecution, and the oircum* stances under which the' proceedings have been initiated will he i-est under-stood from that gentleman’s opening address, which was as follows Your Worships—The evi. lienee 1 have to open is of a somewhat peculiar nature. This lady (in touting rhe prisoner) is charged with practically making a false declaration for the purpose of procuring the marriage of her infant sister to a man named Monckcon, with whom she (the prisoner) was then oohabiti ng We propose to prove to the Court that the prisoner's sister, Knimq Mary Howell, at the time she wentthrought.be marriage form was only twelve years ami two months old. According to the certificate of birth which 1 have in my han 1 she was born on the I7th September, 1860, at Napier, and we will also prove that her mother left the colony, and that her father, we understand, is dead. The infant sister at the time of the man- age' was living with the prisoner, who had deserted her own husband and was cohabiting with Monckton, who had deeerte 1 his wife. Tn order to keep this little girl in the house Monckton conceived a plan that lie should go through the form of marriage with her, though living at fee time wirh the girl’s sis ter. For that'purpose the parties presented themselves before the Registrar of Marriages at Auckland in November 1881. ,when the little gri was offered in' marriage to Monckton y the prisoner. To accomplish the marriage the prisoner assumed the role of mother, and she signed the certificate giving her consent to her sister’s marriage, falsely stating her age moreover to be over ■ls years. Thereupon the registrar duly solemnised the marriage. The girl was afterwards brought back to her sister’s house and remained there, Monckton living alter nately with one sister and the other, dividing his attentions between the two. The young girl, who is the prosecutrix in this case, will f urther prove that some lime after this pretended marriage her sister and tbs man Monckton endeavoured to induce her to become a pr ostitute, and that fearing violence on her refusal she fled to Sydney. We will show that the elder couple then swore a false information, charging her with larceny, and upon that she was ap prehendod in Sydney and brought back here, and the charge has since turned out to be untrue She took refuge in Wellington, and her whereabouts was discovered by threatening letters, stating that Monckton and the pr so rer would arrest her if she did not consent to carry on the business of a prostitute in the city of Ohristohur-cti. The present summons was served on the prisoner, and a summons has also been issued against Monekfon, and 'he prisoner then left Chistchurch secretly under a false name bv the steamship Wakatipn from Lyttelton on her way to Sydney to escape 'his char -e. | The police had timely information <>f the j fact, and she was arrested on her arriv d in i the WakatipuonThuradayafttrnoon. When arrested sh admitted hav ng ma le a false declaration as t . her sister's age. and said she “thought it was for the chill’s own good ” This morning I only intend to prove the woman’s arrest and admission, and then ask fo r an adjournment of the case for a week.as'a good deal of evidence la to be collected, and the registrar having to be brought down from Auckland.—Detective Campbell was thereupon called to prove the arrest, and was the only witness examined at to-day’s heari g. He said : 1 arrested the prisoner on warrant as she was coming off the Wakatipn on Thursday afternoon. She said, “ 1 did make a false statement about the girl, but she has been wi-h me a q a mother. I did it for her own good.” The purser ot the steamer has possession of a through ticket to Sydney taken out by the prisoner iu another name. Proceedings are pending against the prisoner for a charge of bigamy. The prisoner when asked if she had any question to put to the witness, replied that she made no resistance at the time af her arrest The case was then adjgurned till Saturday next. The prisoner app’ied for bail, and Mr Shawasked that the bail might be fixed, as she would be represented by counsel during the week, but as she was evidently on the wing he applied that the bail might be substantial. The B -neh allowed bail in the prisoner’s own recognisance of £2OO, and two sureties of £IOO each. The girl Howell who is now about 15 years of age, ia at pre-ent residing with her sister Mrs Leve l, whose husband keeps a barber’s shop in Courtenay place. The min Monckton, against whom a similar summons has been issued, is Cha leg Henry Monckton, form -riv proprietor of » photographic gallery in Manners street The prisoner ia said to have been married twice once at Opunake and the Second time to a jockey now in Sy iney while her fist husband was alive. It ia likely that fur her revelations of a similar extraordinary character will be made as the ease proceeds