The Express.
London, England, 1868-03-12 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY MARRIAGE CONSPIRACY.
Ask.

At the Public-office at Birmingham, yesterday,
before Mr. Kynnersley (stipendiary) and other magistrates,
Mary Ann Shaw was brought up an a remand, charged
with having conspired to solemnise a marriage with a man
not in custody, in which an old man, since deceased, with
whom the accused lived as servant, was personated, the
objoct, of course, being to obtain • portion of the rowty
of the deceased. The circumstances, purely end wholly
ex parte, have been detailed in some of the papers. Mr.
Hawke*, solicitor, of Birmingham, condusted the promo-
tion ; and Mr. wry, also of Birmingham, imbrues& by
Mr. Rowland Price, of Stourbridge, appeared far the pri-
soner. The hearing occupied many hours. The case will
most likely ultimately resolve itself into one of folksy;
and there is a ease in the books, seem thirty years
sines, cited by " Russell on Crime," which is very similar
to the present. The first witness called was the Rev. Mr.
Hill, incumbent of St. Andrew's, Bordealey, Birmingham,
the place where a marriage was solemnised. This weans
produced the marriage register and he referred to one
certifying a marriage which took place on the 21st of
February. 1867. He said—l performed the rite. lem
unable to speak positively ; but my belief is that the
woman in the dock II the one who was married on that
occasion. The man who was married, said to be James
Britten, made his mark ; the woman signed her name.
Some time after the marriage I went to Stamber Mill, near
Ifitourbridge ; that was the residence of James Britten,
who was then lying dead to the house. I met there his two
brothers ; also his nephew. On that occasion I was shown
the oorpae of a man : also • photograph. He was • very
old man with white hair ; the photograph resembled him.
That which purports to be a verbal description of the
deceased was given me by the nephew.
to that description it was not the mast7dli
married to the prisoner. Neither did I recognise
the features of the deceased on seeing them, as I had
no recollection of having married an old men so much a
cripple se the deceased is said to have been, moving
about by the aid of sticks. On cross-examination
Hill said—ln my church a man would have to walk
twenty or thirty plies from the vestry to the altar. I
did not take particular notice of the man I married on
the 21st of February. Another woman accompanied the
married couple. This lam told wee Susannah Kingdom
but I have no recollection of her. I Lave no belief *beat
her person, either one way or the other. The
Woman who accompanied the married pair signed the
register. I have no recollection ea to the person
of the man whom I married ; there was nothing in his gait
to attract my notice. I saw the feet of the deceased when
Le his coffin ; they were much deformed. I wrote in the
miner the weeds "Jame. Briton, his mark"; the mark
was in the handwriting of the man who was married.
He told me at the time he was slaty-aloe • bad his
lime indicated a different age to that sallied I ahem=
noticed it. The marriage was by borne, and the man
married stated that his name was " William Briton ;" the
place of residence was given as Garriace-lane, which is in
my h. It is a common thing for people when married
to ve as their place of residence do pariah or district in
which the church is situate, although they do not reside
there. William Fisher, the sexton at St. Andrews, Bon
de ley, was next called. He said—l was present at the
marriage, and saw the man make his mark. Mrs. Susannah
Kingdon (sister of the primer), who gave me notice of
the publication of the banns, was also a Withal.. I
went last October to Stamber Mill, near Stourbridge, the
residence of Mr. Britten. I sou shown his corpse on the
bed. One of his feet was cramped up. I could not re-
member to have seen such a man as him married in St.
Andrew's Church. The day before I went to Stamber
Mill I was called upon by the prisoner and Mrs. Kingdom.
The prisoner sent for ale and paid for it. After we had
had the second quart, the prisoner put four sovereigns—
two Australian and two English—into my band. She
allied me if I would speak the truth. She said she
wanted nothing else. I replied, "If I could swear to
the man I would. If I could not I never should." She
then put her hands up end said, " I'm a ruined woman."
The lit weals she said in going out of the house (pointing
to her forehead) wese," Remember a lump there." The
man who was married to the prisoner was fifty-four or
fifty-five. lem unable to say what coloured hair he lad.
It was either dark Flown or black. I think that was so.
In orcesexamination this witness prevaricated very
Magf, excusing himself on the ground that his skull had
raetured. He said, " I had an interview with Mr.
Price, of Stoarbridge, the prisoner's attorney, but I don't
remember what I mid to him. I remember the marriage
of a men named Breen, on the 21st of February last year,
but I have not the slightest recolleetien of him. When
the prisoner and her aster called on me, I can't swear
they did not ask for water. I won't awes, that tie
sonar asked for beer. I pressed ber to take her sawltee
back, but she declined. I did not tell Mr.
cumbent, that I had received them." William
of Angel-street, iliorirbridge, said that he had lama
the deceased fifty years. For may yeme be
had be enable to walk without a Wei by rid&
he propelled himself forward. Ile further said, I
11 SSW the primmer and her sister on the manias of
Brittain's death ; the former said " that her old mac
gone dead.' I " It's a bad job for yes,' on Ada
she put her hand is her bosom and pulled oat a marriage
certificate. I remarked, " This makes the me better;"
land I added, " Well, if you couldn't get me to Ohre the
marriage, it seems you could get somebody else," at whisk
else laughed heartily. Kingston, her sister, who was by,
raid, " l'ts all right ,• if you couldn't do it somebody else
did." The prisoner had proposed to me to arry bar is
the name of Stelae, m , it being thought that I reembird
the old man (her meter), more than any masa in the
I refused to marry her in another r man's same.
awes this vitreous said, " I hem
bees Wire in gaol for drinking bouts sad figh
t'ng.l The prisoner made the proem'
me to many here in a liquor shop at Btoarbridgi, between
U and 12 o'clock one messing. We drank rem and water
at the time the proposal was made, and several glasses et
the mese and a pint of beer after on the same day." ihemal
other witnesses were called who bad worked few the age.
ceased ; they swore that he could move oak/ al&
alley, that it required more than one puma
to get into his conveyance on account of his
and that on the day of his alleged marriage be Pen
veer about his premises ever hour. The MsYmssq