EXTRAORDINARY DIVORCE SUIT.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1297, 7 January 1887, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY DIVORCE SUIT.

The case of SabrLkt v. Pahrijdit 1 cnueonin the Divorce Court. Lon. ! don, on November 12. Mrs Arthur I f-abright u°keJ to have her miniate ! declared void on the grounds that site ■ was mil need to consent to have the 1 csremoni ]" rfonned l.y fear, and that tli j mai-i-tage ijjis never been coosum- 1 mate-i. '! he peti'ioner is a n-ted Inauty. Iter hudiand «. well-known I club man. Petition! r’s Ir ends assert that defemlent, cove'ing her private for tun- 1 of L 400.000, managed to enveigle her into tioancial transactions, which finally tell upon her for settlement at a time when she had t > cUoase between refusing to nay and lie compromise 1 or eseapiu: by marriage with di fondant and permitting bin to liquidate. At the hearing Mrs •abrigtit’s counsel admit'ed the marriage, which was performed at a register's otlioe in Jamiaiy last Ho howeier. c intended that no marital rela ions ha I ever taken pi ire, and that the parties had nor. li.el together, '■abriuht had induced her to a-;c<*p certain bil s, and she had b‘-en led to b li ve that the marrage ceremony between her and respondent would relieve Iter i f all financial linhidtv incuned. The Judge said lie th n;ht tint under the circumstances i ; would ho impos ilile to nulify the in irtinge, and annum.c n d that bn w.md hear testimony with a view to deciding if there was suliicicnt reason to grant a dim ce Mrs oabright was Called, and testified that tiiumgh her f itlnr aim hj id iohciir-. I iu her own iiamii L 25 OlH), in add ti m to the nvcisionot L 3 i,ot)o on the death of lor mother. IShe had met Mr .-abii-ht when she was only tibVen yea is of age. and the acquaintance had been cmtiuiioua. He proposed marriage to her after they had born m.q Minted a short time only, but Iter mother declined to permit an engagement Sabiiglit continued his visits to the house, and was received on terms of friendship. Finally he induced her to engage herself to him in niarriave unknown roller mother. Alter this he persuaded her from time to time to s-gu bits of paper which lie supplied. Eventually she usci-rcai-ied that she had appended hot name to notes and bills, and had made herself li d le for 1 minis amounting to L 0,500. When I they were stmd on Lov she upjiealed

to Sabright Ho said tho only way in which she could save herself from ruin was by marrying him. She refused to do so. Hibiight next requested her to meet him alone. She did so, and he took her to a place unknown to her, but which she afterwards learned was tho office of a register of marriages. She wished to leave the room lor a moment, and thus found where she was. A friend of Sabright’s blocked the door, and Sabright said ho would shoot her if aho dared to show that sho was not acting with her own free will in the tn image which he was about to have performed between them, lie tho i forced a ring on her finger, which she threw off, ami again tried to leave tho room. Sabright then seized her •>y tho arm, forced her back, and made her sign the roister. Hie did not hear the registrar rea l the marriage form nor hear him say anything. She was too upset and too dreadfully frgl/tened Hie declined to hear anything at tho time. The Registrar deposed (hit whoa petitioner was Refine him .-ho was agitated, but that she roll ate I the marriage d-claiatim without any hesitation, and als > the marriage form wheat .Sabright took her hand She subsequently threw the marriage ring on the il .or, but signed the register without hesitation or demur. Lady Scott, Mrs Sa u iglt ’a mother, a of her two daughters, testi. tied that petitioner was completely broken down mentally and physically after the '■eremouv, and was nlwais tremulous and crying and in constant terror. 1 lie hearing Was resumed on the 13th, when the Judge said that, no evdo me hid been adduced to sustain r.bo charge that Sabright had forced plaintiff to marry him. Mis Ai'nightti counsel, therefore, withdrew th• t at enation which Sabright declared was a baa* lie. Ju Ignteiu was given on the • Oth. W'uui iff., m .triage wa- (ted .red amt dial on the ground that petitioner was forced into it'ey fear. On the same day Sabright was adjudged a bankr pt.