MARRIED IN HASTE

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 10 January 1917, Page 3

MARRIED IN HASTE

YOUNG WIFE APPEALS IN VAIN TO BE SET FREE. 'A remarkable story of an alleged runaway marriage was told at the Divorce Court, when Mary Inglefield, otherwise Phillips, asked for the annulment of her marriage with Lieut. Ernest Charles Inglefield, on the ground of duress, and that she had given no real consent. Mrs. Inglefield. who is not yet 21 years old, is a daughter of the Har-bour-master at Harwich. While the Post Office Rifles were at Harwich in 1915 she met Lieut. Inglefield and became engaged to him. Her father, however, did not approve, and the engagement was broken off. Nevertheless, Lieut. Inglefield constantly tried to induce Miss Phillips to marry him, and when she refused threatened to kill himself, and declared that she would be responsible for his death. On January 25 he told her that she would have to go with him to London next day. She refused, and again -he said he would kill himself if she did not. Next morning he waylaid her, caught her by the arm and exclaimed, "Come along, you have got to come to London with me, or 1 shall kill myself." Nobody was about, and Miss Phillips was so frightened that she went with him to the railway station, where they just caught an express train to London. There they went to the Hampstetad Registry Office, where, apparently, Lieut. Inglefield had previously made arrangements, and on Lieut. Inglefield repeating his threats, Miss Phillips went through the marriage ceremony with him.

The marriage was never consummated, because Mrs. Inglefield returned the same day to her parents, who in the meantime had received a letter announcing the marriage, and asking for forgiveness, from Lieut. Jnglefield.

When Mrs. Inglefield was asked bv

Mr B'ayford. her counsel, if she ever

consented lo marry "this man,'' she re plied: "No, I did not. He so frightened me that I did not know what I was doing." She added that when she returned home after the wedding she was in a state of collapse, and she had never seen Lieut. Inglefield since. Mr Justice Shearman said he could not. accept Mrs. Inglafield's story of the marriage. He was satisfied that it was all arranged, and dismissed the petition,.