AN OLD SCOUNDREL.

Evening Star, Issue 3047, 23 November 1872, Page 1 (Supplement)

AN OLD SCOUNDREL.

A. Launceston correspondent of the Hobart Town Mercury writes to that journal of 6th November as follows “ Some of your readers may remember that rather more than a year ago, a man named Riddle, of the patriarchal age of over eighty years, was sued by his wife for the maintenance of their child, the wife at that time being sixteen or seventeen years old. Riddle was the lessee of ene of the Straits’ Islands, and after having married this girl he deserted her and too£ up his abode with two women who resided on the rame island. After repeated attempt! to induce her husband to assist her, Mrs Kiddle brought the suit for maintenance in the Launceston Police Court, when the Magistrates ordered the old scoundrel to support his wife and infant. From this decision he appealed to the Court of General Sessions, but the order was sustained, and Riddle, rather than comply with it, went to gaol, where he died the other day from sheer old age. The women with whom he had lived on the island—mother and daughterseemed to have exercised a great dead of influence over Riddle, and while out on bail he executed a will in their favor, leaving them all his considerable property, and depriving his wife of everything. I heard today, however, with a good deal of satisfaction,* that this will has been pronounced by a competent authority to be not worth the paper it is written on. la fairness to Mrs Riddle, it ought to be added that when she was married, or rather sold to her disgusting old husband, she was barely fourteen year# of age. The case at one time created much interest, which is likely to be renewed should there be any public dispute about the will.”