A FALSE DECLARATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2409, 26 January 1909, Page 5

A FALSE DECLARATION.

REGISTRATION OF A BIRTH. A WOMAN COMMITTED FOR (SENTENCE. A n.iiher .unusual case was heard at tlie Magistrate’s Court -vrsterdny b.v Mr W. A. Barton, \S.AL. when Louisa Margaret Price appeared to-answer a charge of having made a false declaration to the Registrar of Births, to wit, that slu> was married on August- 24th, 1903, to the father of the. child, whose, birth she registered on May 2nd', 1907. tSergt. Hutton conducted the proceedings on behalf of the police,- and accused was defended bv Mr J. R. Kirk.

Henry Ewart Hill, -Registrar of Births, said fill at accused came to hi? office on Miiv 2nd, 1907, to register the birth of a child. Accused gave him the particulars, whch he wrote down on the form (produced). - The statement related to the birth of a child on March 23rd, 1907. and tlie parents -were described as John Matthews, gardener, and I<ouisn .Margaret Matthews, formerly Price. He saw accused sign the document as Louisa Matthews. The particulars given also stated that the marriage took place at Palmerston on August 24th,'1903. _ To Mr Kirk: Ho had no reason to believe that John Matthews was nob the father of the child, and ho understood that the accused was living with Matthews under the name or Mrs Matthews. When accused came to his office she gave her name as Airs Matthews. The particulars on the document -were given by hoi* in answer to the .usual questions, and he naturally assumed that tbe child was horn in wedlock. There was a difference in tho manner of registering the births of legitimate and illegitimate children. The proceedings were taken by him as the a-esult of certain investigations by a Airs Jack Owens. Some person called at his office to search the Register, and found out as to the marriage of the parties. Mrs Owens wrote to tho Registrar at Palmerston and found out that there had ‘been no marriage. She then wrote to the Registrar-General, and he (witness) had seen fiho correspondence. The reply from the Re-gistrar-General also stated that no -marriage had been solemnized. Detective Rawle said that on 21st ulto. he interviewed the -accused at her house. She then stated that her correct name was Louisa Margaret Price, that she was -an unmarried woman, that tho child referred to was illegitimate, and that wliat she had done was for the child’s sake. She also said that owing tb tho fact that the man she was living with was n married man, they were unable to he married, but that they intended to be married when it became lawful for them to do so. To Mr Kirk : He had ho knowledge of the wife of tlie man Matthews, and he had never seen Matthews to his -knowledge. This concluded H'e evidence. Accused, when asked n she had anything to say, replied: “Tie wife of Matthews left him six months after they wore married, and tnc wero married iu. 1900 or IaOI. Matthews has mado all enquiries loi -her, but cannot find her.. Matthews -and I have been living happily together since April, 1904.” , Accused entered a -plea of guilty, and was committed for sentence to the next sitting of tho Supremo Court to be held in Gisborne. Bail, was allowed, accused in £4O, and two sureties, in £lO each, or one of £2O.