The "Severed Hand Case. Curious Agreement as to Marriage.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 150, 17 April 1886, Page 5

The "Severed Hand Case. Curious Agreement as to Marriage.

CiißiSTCiiOßCir. Saturday. The Howard case was resumed thia morning. Mr Harper, for the prosecution, said that ihe case did not depend upon the non-marriage of Howard, as a second count charged him with attempt to defraud. Regarding the question of marriage, the evidence showed that the vessel on which Howard's so called marriage took place was registered and owned in Glasgow. The question was whether a Scotch irregular marriage was valid if performed on boai'd ship. To make such a marriage valid in Scotland, it must bo performed in Scotland, and followed by co-habita-tion in Scotland. He asked His Honor, if lie had any doubt, to reserve the point if necessary for the Court of Appeal, Mr Joynt, for Howard, submitted that tho thip was part of the territory of Scotland, and therefore a Scotch irregular marriage performod on board was valid. Mr Grainger, for Mra Howard, adopted much tho same line of defence as Mr Joynt. Mr Holmes, for Godfrey, submitted that there was no evidence whatever to connect them with the affair at all. My Justice Johnston, in summing up, occupied an hour and a-half. Ho was somewhat favourable to the Godfreys. At half-past six the jury retired, and after an hour and a-half returned with the foreman, announcing that they acquitted the Godfreys. With regard to Mrs Howard, they had little doubt of her innocence previous to December 15, the day before the severed hand was found at Sumner, but wished to know if she would be guilty of conspiracy for the action she took with regard to tho hand after this date. His Honor replied that he thought, on tho whole, he could rule that the jury might bring her in guilty if they thought she knowingly made false statements after December 15. After a short consultation the jury found all the prisoners not guilty on the first count, that of conspiracy, and Howard alone guilty on the second count, the attempt to defraud. His Honor sentenced Howard to two years' imprisonment without hard labour. In passing sentence he remarked that he quite agreed with the verdict with regard to the Godfreys. He regretted that the law did not allow him to give a more severe punishment, or to sentence the prisoner to hard labour.

At Miss Gladstone's wedding, the bonnet of the Princess of Wales was trimmed with asses' eara of grey plush, lined with crey eatin.