The Sun.
London, England, 1830-06-21 00:00:00

BOW-STREET.

The following case, involting a charge of bigamy
and fraud, was heard on Saturday by Mr. lIALLs,
the sitting Magistrate :—A person named Sayer,
who has lately served the office of constable in the
parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, brought forward
two young women, and an elderly female, the
mother of one of them, and said he hail a charge of
bigamy to prefer against a person who called him-
selfand who it appeared had con-
tracted marriage
eed with the two young women now
present, both of whom he had deserted, after cruelly
Major
m afreian
stripping them of their last shilling. Sayer then
went on to state, that Major Kennedy and one of
the young women, who it appeared was his last wife,
had lodged in his house for some weeks past, and
frem the plausibility of his manner and the repre-
sentations he had made of his interest with the
Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, and others,
he (Sayer) was induced, not only to gipe

credit for board and lodging, but had also advanced
him money. •

Mr. Heves asked what evidence there was to
support a charge of bigamy.
Saver replied, that the first marriage had taken
place in Ireland, and the young woman whom he
then married, and who was now present, raid that
• the ceremony took place about two years ago.
Betsey Yeoman, the second wife, was then called
forward, and, in answer to questions by the magis-
crate, she said that she became acquainted with
Major Kennedy about six months ago, and was
married to him some time in the month of January
' last, in a Roman Catholic chapel, situate in Mill-
; street, Manchester.
• Mr. Haus said he was fearful that, according to
• the existing state of the law with respect to Roman
Catholic marriages solemnized in England, this mar-
riage would not be held legal, and therefore the
charge of bigamy could not be maintained. Why
the legislature in passing an act whereby Catholics
were placed upon the same terms as their Pro-
testant brethren heti omitted to legalize Catholic
marriages, he was at a loss to learn, but certain it
• was that CaFCS of very great hardship were con-
stantly occurring, owing to the state of the law upon
this subject.
The first wife, a well-looking young woman, who
wept bitterly from the time she entered the office,
was then questioned as to her connexion with the
accused. Her name, she said, was Sarah Handley,
• and she first met " the Major" at a place called
Fairy Mount, in the county of Roscommon, in Ire-
land, where she was bred and born. Her acquaint-
ance with Major Kennedy was but of short dura-
tion, when he asked her to become his wife ; and
believing him to be an honourable gentleman, she
consented, in the hope that the change would
be beneficial to her, for the Major spoke
largely of his acqua'ntance with great people
in London, and of the mint of money that the Go-
vernment owed him for his services in the wars.
She accordingly became his wife, the marriage hay-
ing been performed in the house of her uncle, a Ro-
man Catholic priest. Her relations, however, were
in general averse to the marriage, for they suspected
that the Major was a cheat, not withstanding his fine
stories. He lived with her for nearly a year and a
half, during which thee he was supported solely by
her friends, and about seven months ago he raid
he must go to Dublin, having received a pressing
invitation to pass a few days with his intimate
friend the Lord Lieutenant. He, however, told
her to lieep up her spirits, assuring his " dear
girl" that lie would return to her with plenty of
money. Soon after he went he wrote to her to say
that urgent business called him to London, where
he was to receive a considerable sum, which had
long been due to hint on account of his services as a
Portuguese officer. She heard no more of him until
about five weeks ago, when she received a letter, de-
siring her to join him in London with all haste, as
he was just on the eve of receiving the money which
he had written to her about. Her friends were
averse to her going to a strange country, and placing
herself under the control of a man whose conduct
hitherto had appeared so doubtful, but she felt it her
duty to do as he desired, and moreovver she thought
it but fair that, as his wife, she should share in his
good loch. She accordingly packed up her clothes,
and, putting Cl. in her pocket, set out for Dublin, ac-
companied by a man and woman whom she knew,
11 anti who, like herself, were bound for London.—
; From Dublin they crossed over to Liverpool by the
steam-packet, and her friends being too poor to pay
coach hire to town, she walked with them every
step of the way from Liverpool to London' sooner
than part their company. She had scarcely put her
foot in London than she met " the Major," who re-
ceived her with great kindness, and took her to St.
Giles's, where he hired a lodging for her, but he
was seldom at home, which he accounted for by
saying that he was so constantly engaged with the
Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel that his
time was not his own. Sometimes he would lie
down in his clothes beside her on the bed, and get
up at twelve or one o'clock in the night, telling her
that he had particular business to transact at the
House of Commons, with his friend Sir R. Peel.
Sayer said, that at this very time he was carrying
on precisely the same game with his second wife,
whom he had lodged in his house. In short, he
'deceived every body by telling the most barefaced
. _

lies. He told him (Sayer) that his friend the Duke
of Wellington had offered to make him a commis-
sioner of police, promising that Colonel Rowan
should be dismissed on purpose to make room for
him ; and so certain was he that this would take
pkce, that he went to Whitehall, he said, every day,
for the purpose of acquiring a knowledge of the
manner in which the new police were managed. He
had also shown a variety of letters which he said he
had received from different great people, and amongst
others was a letter purportiag to be an order written
by his Grace the Duke of Wellington upon Cox
and Greenwood, the army agents, Charing-cross,
directing them to pay to Major Kennedy the sum of
3251. Sayer here produced the letter in question,
which was written in red ink, and in a scrawling
hand :

" Treasury, Downing-street, June 16, 1830.

i‘ Messrs. Cox and Greenwood, Esqrs. Army-agents,
&c.—On this my order please to pay to Major Kennedy,
late of the Portuguese service, the sum of 3251. 10s. pay,
due from his regiment. Major Kennedy will receipt this
order, after which it is to be returned to my office, with
his (M,ijor K.'s) signature, acknowledging the sum paid.
" Giren under my hand, at three o'clock afternoon, this
16th day of June, 1830, " WELLINGTON."
Mr. HALLS asked if-the Major had obtained any
specific sum of money by means of this forged
document ?

Sayer replied that he himself had given him credit
upon the faith of this and other documents which he
produced.
Mr. HALLS said, he was afraid this would not be
sufficient to support a charge of fraud, us it must be
proved that money was advanced upon the credit of
the false document. The Magistrate than inquired
if the Major had possessed himself of any money
belonging to the second wife.
The mother of the young woman said that the
Major had prevailed upon her to give him 61., and
he had also taken 41. from her poor girl, added to
which they had been at a great expense in London,
and were now reduced almost to beggary, not hav-
ing the means of returning to their native place.
The first wife declared that she also was left
quite destitute, the Major having prevailed upon her
to give him 3/., which she had brought with her
from Ireland, and which was all the money she had
in the world. She should not, however, think so
badly of this, but that she had been robbed of every
stitch of clothes which she had brought with her
from Ireland by a young woman who lodged in the
same house where the Major had placed her.
Sayer said that he believed that her clothes had
been taken away by direction of the Major, to pre-
vent the young woman from going out, and perhaps
stumbling upon the second wife.
_ _ _

Mr. HALLS immediately directed an officer to go
to St. Giles's, and use every exertion to apprehend
the woman who bad committed the felony. In the
mean time, if Sayer should meet with the Major,
he had only to lay his hand upon him and give him
in charge to an officer. " If once we get him here,"
observed the Magistrate, " we shall most likely have
cases enough aga►nst him."
Sayer said he would act upon the advice of
the Magistrate, and seize the Major wherever he
should meet him.
The parties then retired.

An elderly female, named Warburton Paffall, was
charged with having, in concert with others, de-
frauded Elizabeth Graham, servant to Lord Farn-
ham, of one quarter of a hundred in th? Three per
Cent. Consols, by producing at the Bank of Eng-
land a paper purporting to be the burial certificate
of the said Elizabeth Graham.

The prisoner, after a short examination, was re-
manded until Wednesday next.

WORSHIP-STREET.

On Saturday William Cook, a respectable-looking
man, about 35 years of age, was finally examined

before Mr. 13n6UGHTON, charged with stealing a
quantity of plate and other articles, the property:
Mingo William Allen Gilmore, Esq., of Stam-
ford-hill.

The prisoner appeared in great distress, and wept
bitterly : he was committed to Newgate for trial.

L A MBETILSTREET.

The Rev. G. C. Smith yesterday came to this
office, accompanied by a young woman, to ask the
Magistrates' advice how to act under the following
circumstances :—He stated that the young woman
who was with him, had formerly been on the town,
and was a very bad character. About six week,
since sl4e was brought to this office charged with
being disorderly, and striking the officers who at-
tempted to take her into custody. She then ex-
pressed her regret at the course of life she had lately
followed, and said she wished to amend it ; and a
!Jerson in the office mentioning that there was a Re-
fuge fur Destitute Young Women in Wellcloe-
square, the Magistrate (Mr. Walker) humauely
requested Mr. Miller, the chief officer, to go with
her to the Refuge, of which he (Mr. Smith) was
the founder, end she was immediately admitted into
it. He had kept her there nearly six weeks, and
the funds of the society not allowing him to keep
her any longer, he wished to know whether the Ma-
gistrates would not grant a warrant to apprehend
the woman's husband, and compel him to relieve her.
Mr. WALKER said he should advise Mr. Smith to
make an application to the husband in the first in-
stance, and if he did not attend to that, then a war-
rant would be granted.