A BIGAMOUS SCOUNDREL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 164, 2 July 1908, Page 4

A BIGAMOUS SCOUNDREL

,y\ AMUBOIS AUSTKALLYiN AD VENTUKEK. FOI.ItE I'lX ON HIS TtiAlL.

- Ol'lt UJKL'o MUST BE PKOTKCYED. I„ ..iie Supreme Court .ve-stenhiy, hefore his Honor Mr. Justice i-.awsrds, a divorce case having considerable importance to lot-ill people and a deep significance for one oi me parlies concerned was heard. The petitioner was Margaret TraHk, of Beeac, Victoria, who surcf for 11 dissoluji-Ji oi her marriage with LHjah Trash; on the grounds ot adulicn-; the pctikoner alleging that whilst 'still niarriecl to the petitioner the respondent well through the lOrin oi iiriiTi;i"e wit" Catherine Wells Killolid, spinster, of Nctw Plymouth, who was joined as Mr. 1\ «■ Wcsiun, and with him. Mr. C. 11. W '-'slon, appeared for the petitioner. I'Uere was no appearance 'of rc-pondem. .Mr. X. S. Weston, injipciiing, -aio the facts weve extremely painful. Hie petitioner and respondent were niarnea at IJirroguiT.i, in the back -country of \ ietoria, on i-'h'd Ju'.v. l !l «« 'tra**

was Mien leading a from the melees in his lather's ev-lalc, and to that lariii lhe couple went to live after the marriage. They lived together lor some time, but Tias'k turned out to he of a lealous, disagreeable disposition, anil he quarrelled with his wife, on one occasion striking her on the lace with the handle of a stockwhip. Tkjs was too much for her. and she returned to her father's roof. The respondent came on several' occasions to see her, and her

lather pel-milled them lo see one another, but not under his roof, Kvelllu- , ally they "made it up" again, ami, thinking" they might do better elsewhere, Trask decided to start for other clinics, lie pi-needled to Adelaide, and there decided to go on to New Zealand, with the. intention of sending tor his wile lo join him when he had got ahome for her. He wrote to her from l\ew /.calami, up to July, IDUIi, when he ceased lo correspond, and one of her letters to liiui was returned through the dead-letter oliice. She heard nothing of him for some time, and then it was learned that the respondent had been married ill .New Plymouth to n young lady of most respectable character, and hig'iih- esteemed bv all who knew her. Tins'was ilis.s Kiiicaid, of .New Plymouth, whom he married here ill the Primitive Methodist Church on 2-H'h No- ] vcmbor. Wi. After they were married j tliev lived together, and as a result of | the* union a child was born. The petitioner would produce documents in w.iich Ti-iisk admitted that the petitioner was his wife and assigning to ,ier certain moneys, which came lo him ,-indei- Ins lather', will. These divorce proceedings Here entered, and upon tnu paiiet.-, being served upon the respondent and cu-rospoiuielit, the latter iinni'!diniclv left him and returned to her parents. Air. Weston added Hint li" greatly regretted that the police had net Mj'ven I'rask the punishment, he su richly deserved. lie then proceeded - with'the evidence.

Henry Billing, law student and clerk, in the'service of Messrs Weston and j We.toii. dcj,"-.ed that he had served tin. proc'-cd'mg-. upon respondent and cure |.undent., whose photographs lie iilellttlieii. Trash admitled to him that lie was (.[,.. respondent am! that pel (lionet was his wil'i-; thai he 1, td married her in \ji tei-i.i. lie al-o a'dmitted his in.-in-iagi- uil.h Ali.-.s Kinciiid ill New I'lviiioi'ilh, and dial, lie wi's then living wi'Mi li-ras husband and wile. The co-i-e.-poinlent mlmilleii le-r name and thai -!i- l-i.l be-u n:=. r.--!--.l lo I he respondent. Willies- had known Hie respondent for ueai-U- three years at New Plymouth. MaVgarcl Trask. who hail c-ome from Beoiic,' Vii.-li-na. for lids ease, said she was the wife of Elijah Trask, and produced (he marriage rcrtilic.ile and rec.'rjiiscd the photographs produced. Two children were born of the marriage. She lived with her husband on a ■ farm at Becrae. After a time lie assaulted her bv sinking her on the nose with- a siock-wliip. She returned lo her father, and remained wilh him for some moiilhs. her husband ocrisionally seeing ller in Hie 'Cpen. Trask left her to go to Adelaide to make a home for her, ami later he wrote that he had deeii'e.l to go to New Zealand io July, BUM. He was to send for her when he had got a home I'd- her. He wrote her several times. A bundle of letters was produced. -Mr. Weston asked: IJo veil want me io read them, your

llis Honor: No, Air. Weston. 1 don't suppose Ihere's/Uiivthing in them exeepi ihr usual. Mr. Weston: That is so. A great deal of cant, y.'.'u Honor. Wilm-ss. colli inning, said I hat she- replied lo I he lellei-s in Hie ordinary way. 'I he la-t cue-she received was in .I line Three weeks after his departure her second child was born, and the account for the expenses eonseipienl, upon the birth was sect to him. but it was returned through the Dead-Letter Oilier. Some lime aflerwards she heard from .Messrs. Harwood and Pineoek, solicilars. that, Tra-k had gone through a form'of uiarriajro here in New Zealand. T.ro documents were produced ill which respondent admitted that the petitioner was his wife ami assigned to her c-fi--

tain moneys. Witness here identified the photograph of her husband and his seeoad 'bride taken on llu-ir wedding dav. rod broke down.

llccoeKing. she -aid her husband hefore marriage used to call himself Kirjali llcurv Trask. but he signed Hie register a- Klijalt Tru-k. When she askcil wily he did not use his full name, Jie said Henry was inerelv a name lie hail taken himself, ilia father's name was Jeremiah, but sometimes he had taken the name of dames. William .lenkiiisun, carriage-builder.«'[ Xcw I'lynioiiUi, slated that he knew; Miss Kiiitaid. the eu-l'ospomlcnt. whu had lived at and been married from )lh hous-j. lie recognised the pllofogr-tph of the man. who was married as Elijah Henry T*is|... .Miss J.yilia Shaw, of Xcw I'lvmoiiili, staled -lie had known Miss Kiucaid as Mrs. Trask, who had lived with Trusk at her lion-... for several months. Sin had heiird Trask -ay that hi' had been ougagvil to a girl in Australia. t'aihcrine Wells Kim-aid, Ihe co-rc--pondeiil. gave evidence that, she was now livin- with her parents at Anckfi laud. To„iron|e,[ wilh a fra I photograph, ,-iie said, under deep eiuoliimj 'Thai is niv supposed husband, Elijah llenrv Tra.'k. and thai is ravself.'' Sli'r had no idee when she went ihroiigh Die form of marriage with him that he was nlrcadv married. Ilis'liotioi-. \\|„. n . |., (his ,„;,„■, Mr. Weston: I was going lo ask Ide w ss I hnl ( |ueS[ion. voitr Honor. His llv.n.r: These f.iels -huubl be hroug er Ihe n01i,,. „f |,|„, ]m x rX , Mr. Weslou said lie had lewd fin,l. some of ;.he higher police oflicals h;,d I u informed of the circiiiuslunces.

Hi- ll»H"r (lU'fl-iny; iuli, tile liony of Ihe Ciiiii-I !: Is any n'sp-onsilile police. Snvwiil lliulilri'll stood up. "1 uni lion'. V..111- Honor." |„. said. Mis lloiiuv: I Imp,- you will lake inlire of lliis evidence. The now. your Honor. His Jloimi-.. Anil you'll take notice, too. I hope, tlmt this man's first, wife is lu'i-i. iiiiw. Her I'viili'nce is valiinhlp. mill .'die is nut likely In lernain in New I'lymoiilli. lie mlili'il: This sort. 0 s lliinj: cannot lio tolerated. Aint>".,; niu.l nut !»• allowed In coino, r "' ,' , „ ~- , , -vi'r here - -married men—and marrv v ~.. ./,, lan.l ..iris in this fasinou ' n , , tnat some sort o[ snivil e\. n i i» this ma Iter. fo r r ,; ViT/CT*' '-^•"'"■'•''"•'•-lainn;:';^.";'^^ >'•<■'»»<">'*'•<." His Hunor u.1,1,,1 „ 1; „. "'; «•» m l,lami„„ me ~o)i„, „;■ „„ ;• Mutely „,,,,„ ~„.,,,,,. 01 . )1|( , . n mm. ih.it lie l,n,i he,,, nn.rrie,n,efore, I in Auckland, lie followed ,„,,. „,,,, ~.,. ■it „p. ami p o ! 1 l>e 1.-nrfnlM, il irot her iff,ni'iv in April. Ids' proposals, ml her when '■>« had a wife io longer liis. lint the door | heen born of f

jßils were served , F proved over y tl „f

position; clear in regard to Mrs. Trask. liirt jhonor consented. He remarked that lie ■aujJiio-'cil every assistance would be L'ivcp to the. police. For instance, lli'py might We allowed to see the photographs wliicli had been put in and take copies it required. jlr. Weston remarked that Mrs. Trask and Iter -isler would have to return to Australia «A the earliest opportiinilv. They were not in a position to make' a Urn;.' stay. His llonvr slid I"' tliou»ht Hie duly <•(' the (ioverninent was to attend t'o'. Unit mutter. Certainly yoiog girls in New Zealand must be proiocted from this sort of tli'uip'.