The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-07-19 00:00:00

CHARGE OF BIGAMY AGAINST A
FORDINGTON MAN.

GI:MDR 4LZ. Wedneedey.— Before J. Bi.hop, RI.

Curditaff AnCa, melon's labourer,was brought up on remold,
charged with bigamy.-Mr. Lock prosecuted and Mr. Weston
appistred for the prioiner.
The cam was heard in the hall, in.thad of the council
chamber, to amomtnodate the crowd, 'out of employment,"
as the Town Clerk observed, who thronged the door.way to
hear the evidence.
Charlotte Amor mid: Charles Amor is my hu.band, and I
was married to him about 32 3ea, ago in Fordington Church,
by the Rev. Henry Moule'a curate, the Rev. Mr. Dodge.
cannot recollect the time but I think it eras in December or
September. 1 lived with him upwards of 18 yearn ; some part
of the time in Fordlngton, and then went to Grove Building.
where he denerted me. He went to Weymouth, and lived with
a woman named Howe. I went to Weymouth to hint, and he
gave me 3.. lA, and I did not trouble him any further, but
went to live at the officers' mm. at the DLit:chatter Barracks,
where he came to me several times. 1 gave him many
shillings when he came because he an,, out of work. -(Prisoner
evinced his displemurc by grinding his teeth).- N hen the
1110111 14. 4cC up he came and stopped with 0.113 two bights.-
(Prisoner : 1 should like for you to speak the truth. -Mr. Weston :
You hold your tongue and leave It to me.)-Witnem continued:
He left me on Monday morning, 12 years ago, and I never
ma anything of him after till last Saturday. I went to
Powerdock to look for him, and have been travelling since
Returned to Dorchatter from Bridport last Wednesday, and had
to go and take • bed at a public home, after with.h I wont
into the union. Saw prisoner that Wednewlay eveniog, and
Raked him if he knew I was his wife, to which he made no
reply, but to a second quettion he answered, "Well, I shall
have the job settled tomorrow," and 1 mlii, "So shall I."
Cross-examined : You were married in Fordington church?
Yes,32 year, ago.-How old are you now? 1 must be more than
52; I don't think I was quite 20 when I was married to him,
and I believe he In older than me.-Flo you remember the
occurrence on the Weymouth 1,41 with Old Fartnsr Phelps?
No.- Do you know Farmer Phelpe? I have beard speak of him.
-tin one cession didn't you get rather roughly handled!
Yea.-That wan during the time you were living with your
hosband? No. I should not have km roughly handled if I had
agreed to their wishes. I wai, grievously treated for takinx
my own part. If I had agreed ii, their 1/11r1/1/11<111 shoold not
have got what I did.-Didn't that person charge you with
robbing hint? Yet, he did, but I never had a farthing
14 MA money. He mid that because he tried to get
the upper hand of me and I wouldn't yield to him.- Did
you know the person No.-If you oidn't know him how
do you know he charged you s ith robbing him-A man at the
turnpike gate told me.--(Wltness unfolded a tale of her
honesty, and the " untold" Kuhl with witch she had been
entrust...l while at the barracks; and the husband retorted in •
Nubdued tone with " b— w—."l-She was then examined
closely as t the time of her being at tho barracks, which she
mid was during the period in oh ch the Bth Hilo. tr. anti the
13th Light Dragons were quartered there, which appeared to
be about the years 1855 and ISA.

Mr. %estoti : Why didn't you stay in Dorchester ?-13ecause I
could not 4.4. in Ihmehel4er when I knew my husba 1 wax going
along eith other women.—Did you wear a widow's ell, lately?
--I base always gone as a widow bemuse I didn't like to let
'Kende know I had such a busband.—Who was that old gentle-
man thst wee] to be with 30u?—No one. air, I never had an
old man nor a young mm. My husband knew what I was
before he married tne. I was about Iwo years in Dorchester and
then he made me his wife !—Dtd you know a ',anion named
" Jockey r —(laughter.) Yee.
Mr. S 3 month, : You were generally known by the name of
" Little Jockey" worn t you?—(laughtee.y—Yex sir, but I got
that 11111.0 wick nothing ill.
Mr. Symonds : I didn't say you did, but, 11l or well, that wan
the name.

It was 100 many years ago for her to remember whether 'he
stsa e.I at the Traveller's Arins.Weymoutii,w ith a man who wax
working at Portland at the time of the commencement of the
Breakwater, If there was anything like that he could have
her for bigamt afterwards.
Pi loner : Most likely I shall I
She had been to all parts of the country since ; to Bristol,
Plymouth, Gloucester hire, Momnow hafilre, South ,ttipton,
Salisbury, Chualleigh. Exeter, and B,idport, sleeping in pub''..
I houses at places where she idayed, the names of which Mr.
W.ston unsuceewifillly endeavoured to elicit. But when she
said ehecame from Chudleigh to Exeter, part by rived and part
by rail, the loon C'erk put a question or two to her, and it
seemed there was no railway line from one place to the other
unlcsia it had been Pahl within the last fortnight.
Mr. Weston: We eaten t somata° you did anything wrong all
this time; vou were quite a'one ?--I ran certalnly.—You had no
company —no gentleman at all to protect you I—Sometimos
I may have been In company with two or three. I have never
travelled and pretendol to be anybody's wife. I hate com-
plained of him, hut never heard anybody complain of me.
I'S, Diusins produced a certificate of a intniege on the 4th
September, 1638, between Charbri Amor and Charlott
Bartlett, In the pirish church of Purdington. lie had com-
pared and examined the books, and it was • correct tranacript
14 the original entry. Ile also produced another certifkate
of marriage between Charl,* Amor and Mary Jane Lotter, on 1
the 4th ,4 May, IWO, at Chri.t. Church, in the parish of Fur-
dington, which wits also • true copy.
Croon-examined : I have known him for the last 14 or 15
year., and I have never heard anything again.t his character
during the eleven years I have bacilli' the p,licas force.
Wife, No I : I tan give you some Information if that. Look
over the books in Dorelvatter gaol, and you •Illfind out hit
character when lie nutlet up and flogged !
Mr. Weston: Talking about y our husband, were you ever in
trotibl.•?—Never for theft. I have been in gaol.—What for?—
Why for drinking. My husband ha. been there for thieving,
and tied up and flogged.
She ham been In it ol twice. In IS% she was allowed a
week to pay, no the Town Clerk said, or be put In the stocks,
but she never retunits..
Xlr. Weston • Then she's now liable to the stocks !
Thomas Winger said he lived in Pontine-ton, and waa
" labourer's maaon.- Ile recollected the marriage between
Amor and li•rtlett well, because he was present, and he re-
membered the date. beam.° in 1S31) he was dbicharged the
army with a pension.
..•

David Crow, clerk at Christ church, West Fordington, re-
collectel the mvrriage of Amor and Loder, In May, 19410.
By 'lr. Wexkon : Had known Amor 14 or D year., the gres.er
part of which time he bad been residing in Grove Buildings,
and could always be found if wanted. The marriage was by
balms publwhed in the church.
This was the case for the prosecution.
Mr. Wagon contended that this came was not one contem-
plated by the Act of Parliament. and for this reason. This man
nad been residing in Grove Blildings for the last 14 or 15
years, he lis i done nothing privately, and if his wife had wanted
him she could have *gaily found him, as he had been working
for people in the town. he, on the contrary, had been roving
about the country, sleeping at different low public-houses. Bhe
very cunningly concealed or forgot the names of every one of
' those houses, because she knew if she let them out he would
have been able to trace out what kind of houses they were. ft
seemed to be the case, for when she came to DeircheWer she did
not make the hest choice (the Swan) but perharyi it was the
only house she could get admitted into. Therefore • his womm
deserved not the ailightart commisseration whatever. For if
she had been a loving awl good wife, *he would not have gone
about tramping the country over in the manner in which she
had. The marriage wan by banns, and therefore done in the
most public and open way, an-I the flnit wife not haring been
seen for 14 or 15 year, he xhould say, under the presumption,
they would infer she was dead, an I therefore he legally married
again. If the MAO were sent to the amines, it must break down,
ant therefore be asked if they thought, under the eireuni.
stamen, It was incumbent to commit for trial in this 'we. Ile
honed the Bench wouid say it was in Its discretl m to order his
discharge.
_

: I am afraid the Bench hare no discretion; I quite ....vee With you that (hero'. no thaloof of a otaolutioa,
Uldean Mr. Lock ran produce further evidence.
Mr. Wratan ; You say them is a prima facie cam made out,
and that he must be oommitted.
Hie Worship: There are two marriages distinctly proved.
Mr. Weston: There is the length of time which has
elapeed, that is the reason I harped at her no much about the
regiment.
Mr. Symonds cited a section of the act, which enacted that
prisoner might prove the wife of the first marriage had been
continually absent and from home for the space of seven years,
and it had been decided that the burden of proving
that pri.ner did know she was alive was for the prosecution
Unless Mr. Luck proved be did know his wife was alive, he
would he acquitted.
Mr. Weston : Mr. Lock hn failed to do that, by the evidence
of the woman, "1 haent seen him for 14 or 15 years." I say
there is no case, and therefore it would be in the power of the
Bench to my, "We do not consider the ease has been made
out, and taking the circumstances into consideration, we shall
dismiss it.

Pri.ner was committed to take his trial at the Liaises, ball
being accepted.