A RIVERTON ELOPEMENT.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1225, 21 August 1885, Page 3

A RIVERTON ELOPEMENT.

The Wellington papers report the proceedings which preceded the committal of James Christie and Mary Tucker We take the following particulars from the “Post”:—“At the Police Court, James Christie was charged with feloniously stealing a dark brown sealskin vest, valued at L 6, the property of George Tucker; and Mary Tucker was put forward on a charge of stealing and carrying away the sum of LIOO, the property of . her husband George Tucker. The prisoners were arrested on Thursday in a private house in Moleswoi th street by Detective Campbell on the above charge, and were accompanied by tbs female prisoner’s two little girls, aged respectively five and ten years. The middleaged lovers had been staying in the city for the past week under the name of “Mr and Mrs Christie.” The achused was apprehended owing a telegram received from Inspector Buckley, Invercargill, informing the Wellington authorities that a warrant was in fot ce issued by the Riverton Bench; for the apprehension of the prisoners, who were charged with stealing the above-men-tioned articles from George Tucker, hotelkeeper and landed proprietor, of Lumaden, on the 24th ult. The complainant is the husband of the female accused, who is rather a prepossessing woman of 37 years of age. Christie is described as being 37 years of age and a laborer, and it is as sorted that he became enamored of Mrs Tucker, whom he induced to elope with him. Christie was employed as a servant by Mr Tucker. On the female accused being searched L 125 was found upon her. On the application of Mr E. Shaw, who appeared for the accused, the male prisoner was charged by himself, and Mrs Tucker stood down. Detective Campbell gave evidence that he arrested both of the prisoners this morning in a room they conjointly occupied, and found a sealskin vet in a box in the belroom. In reply to Mr Shaw, the officer stated that Mrs Tucker informed him that she had sold some land in Southland, and had received the purchase money from Mr Harvey, solicitor, of Invercargill. The money was her own, she said, and she had purchased the sealskin vest for the prisoner Christie, and had presented the article of clothing to him. The prisoners, on the recommendation of their legal adviser, accepted an immediate remand to Riverton, where the war-ants were issued, after Mr Shaw had pointed out that there was no such offence known to the law as a woman stealing the property of her husband.