RUINED ROMANCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1021, 25 July 1911, Page 4

RUINED ROMANCE.

THE “WIDOW” AND THE FARMER. A romantic story of a widow with farms and a matrimoniallyinclined agriculturist of Tylden, was before the Melbourne City Court a few days ago, when Isabella Goodson, an amply-pro-portioned lady of about forty summers, was charged with having imposed on Duncan Clerk, with intent to defraud him of a large sum of money. Clerk, a farmer, of Tylden, read an advertisement which stated that a lady, possessing means and property, desired to meet a middleaged gentleman, with a view to matrimony. He said he wrote to the address given, and received a reply to the effect that the lady bad and property, and that her future husband would be required to have at least ,£2OO.

The scene of the romance was next transferred to Melbourne, where Clerk met the accused. Renewed confidence in the lady was established by her production of deposit receipts on New Zealand banks for sums totalling /770. The desirability of the match was still more impressed upon witness when accused told him that she owned 2000 acres of land in New Zealand. He asked her to marry him the same evening. (Laughter.) On the following day accused told him of “a solemn promise ” she had made her husband, shortly before he breathed his last. At her husband’s death she had vowed that if ever she married again she would insist upon her second choice depositing as a guarantee of his good faith. Witness listened sympathetically, but had to admit that he did not have Accused, however, was magnanimous, and upon finding that he possessed only told him that would be sufficient. He obtained the required sum, and was to have met the lady and transferred it to her. Circumstances intervened at the last moment which prevented him from doing so. Detective Howard explained what these circumstances were. He arrived at the rendezvous at Spencer street before the money was handed over, and arrested accused. She admitted to him that her name was not Goodson ; that she had no property in New Zealand, and that she was not a widow, but was living apart from her husband. Mr Barnett, who appeared for defendant, said he thought his client was more fool than knave. Even on his own evidence Clerk was as anxious to get the woman’s money as she was to get his. His client was the mother of four little children. He asked the Bench to take into consideration the fact that no harm had been done. Mr Creswell, P.M,, said it was a well-defined scheme to rob Clerk of The man, of course, was a complete fool, who deserved to lose his money ; still, that was no excuse for defendant’s conduct, and she was sentenced to fourteen days’ imprisonment.