MARRYING A WIDOW.

Evening Post, Issue 55, 12 April 1865, Page 3

MARRYING A WIDOW.

At the Greenwich Police court, James Murphy, a decently dressed young man, of Church-street, Deptford, appeared to a summons calling upon him to show cause why an order should not be made upon him to pay a certain sum of money, alleged to be du<> on a promissory note given on a loan from a Frknd of Labour society. Michael Neagle, the Secretary, said the society in question was held at the King's Arms public-house, Church-street, Deptford, but that the loan, in respect of which the balance due was now sued for, had been to one William Annam, since dead. Magistrate : And how is it, then, that you summon the defendant for another man's debt, and that man dead, too. (Laughter.) Witness : Well, we summon him because he married the dead man's widow. (Renewed laughter.) Magistrate : But, before the widow married again did you ever apply to her to pay her late husband's debt ? Witness : I did, your worship, and she was exceedingly "cheeky"— (loud laughte )— telling me that as her husband was dead the debt was dead to. Magistrate : So it undoubtedly is, unless you can prove that her husband died leaving property of sufficient value to pay his debts, and that she had taken possession of such property. Witness : When her husband died he left a well -stocked shop and fixtures, and the defendant is now in possession. Magistrate (to defendant): What have you to say ? Defendant : Your Worship, I'm no scholar, and for the life of me I can't see why, because a man marries a widow, that therefore he ouffht to pay debts owing by a woman's former husband. (Laughter.) Magistrate : It all comes of having married a rich widow. (Roars of Lauahter.) You are now in possession of the shop and fixtures which belonged to your wife's late husband. Defendant, shaking his head : I am not so sure of that. (Renewed laughter.) It is true that I and the widow are married, but I'll tell you what she tells me. She says the property was not left for her benefit, but for the benefit of the two dear children her husband left her with. (Roars of Laughter.) The Magistrate having ascertained that the deceased had not left a will, and that the defendant was undoubtedly in possession of whatever property had been left, made an order upon the defendant for the amount due upon the promissory note, the society deducting therefrom the sum that deceased had as "stork" in the society at the time of his death.— London Paper.