A BIGAMY CASS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 91, 7 August 1914, Page 6

A BIGAMY CASS.

STRANGE EVIDENCE GIVEN.

At the Pdchiqond (Melbourne) Court recently, John Thomas Overy was committed for trial on a charge

of biggniy; Jane Overy stated that she married Overy. in Janary, 181)0, at Fitzroy. Her, first husband, James Hicks, had been killed in. a mining disaster about 27 years ago- She and (Ivory lived happily together-for 22 years in various places, There was one.yhild of the marriage. On May L 1912, Overy deserted her, and an order was. ob-

tained against him. for maintenance. She found, that on March 12,; 1912, he had gone through the mar Haig® ceremony with . Violet- Lily; May .-McCracken. Witness said that, she .had been known as Mrs Garland; having used that name on the steamer on which she had returned from England. Her purpose was to avoid letting her friends know that she had .returnPcf to Australia so, soon. When she married Overy he-was 20 . years}, of age, and she was 31. She did not propose to him. Mr Niga.n: He says he.was- 18, and you were 3-3, and.you induced, him. to tel! a Justice of the. Peace he was. 20 in order, to get married. r Constable Lane stated tlmt Overy in Sydney said that, “the woman in "Victoria” had no claim on him, as site bald married a man in Plymouth. He said lie knew that because he had seen her marriage lines.

In a signed statement, Overy said that about. .27 years ago; when he was 18, he met i,Jane Garland iir South Melbourne, and went to board with hevand her husband, Thomas Garland. They had two-children. About three months after Overy went to live with them the woman sent her husband to Sydney, and told him that when she had sol’d the furniture she- would join’ him. Garland had-only gone two days when the' woman -asked Overy to go with* her and get* married. Overy told the woman that he would leave as soon as their child- reached the age of- 21, and when- that event took place he did. He had often told her she had no claim on him, and that Thomas-Garland was her husband.* She would -never deny •it,* but* would pick* up-ft--knife and

threaten to kill him. Thomas Gav,land was still alive, and could be found. Constable Lane stated that Overy occupied' a responsible position as an engineer in the Federal Government employ at- Cockatoo Island;