The Sun.
London, England, 1831-01-06 00:00:00

UNION-HALL.

Yesterday an elderly man, named Thomas Prince,
was brought before Mr. CHAMBERS, on a charge of
bigamy. Both wives were present, and are many
years younger than the prisoner.
The certificates of both marriages having been
•produced, the woman to whom the prisoner had
been married, his first wife being still alive, showed
great reluctance to appear as a witness against him,
and this was explained to arise from the circumstance
of her having been fully aware at the time of her
marriage to the prisoner that he was then a married
man, for she had lived servant with him and his wife
a short time previously.
Mr. CIIAMBERS said, that the fact of the second
wife knowing that the prisoner's first wife was alive
at the time, made her equally as bad as him, and
that she deserved to stand in the same place with
him. At all events, said the Magistrate, if this case
is sent for trial, I shall either make the second wife
find bail to appear at the trial as a witness, or send
her to gaol in default of procuring the necessary
sureties.

The first wife said that she had three children
now chargeable to Lambeth pariah, owing to the
desertion of her husband. Prisoner—You know
perfectly well that I am no more the father of the
'three children you speak of than the greatest stranger
in this office to you. Come tell the troth to the
Magistrate yourself, or else it will be told him by
the parish officers. Have you not had those three
children by a Frenchman; that's coming to the
point ?—The first wife said she declined to answer
the question, as she considered it was a very inde-
licate and a very improper one to put to her.—
(Laughter.)—She, however had no objection to
answer it if the Magistrate considered she was bound
to do so.

Mr. OR:smuts said, that he had a few questions
to put to the second wife before the first need an-
swer the interrogatory of her husband. The Ma-
gistrate then asked the second wife if it were true
that she had been living in the service of the pri-
soner and his wife a short time previously to the
second marriage?—She replied in the affirmative,
saying that she was young and inexperienced at the
time, and not aware of the consequences of such
a step.

Mr. CHAMBERS—You do not appear to be
such a chicken. You must be on the wrong side
of 40, I should suppose.
The second wife said that she was not 30 years
of age,---that she was not more than 17 when the
prisoner's wife first ran off with the Frenchman by
whom she had three children, and that, after such
disgraceful conduct on her part, she (witness)
thought there was no sin in marrying the man
whom she had treated so ill. " Besides," added
she, " the prisoner and his first wife were legally
separated—that is, there were regular articles of se-
paration drawn up between them, and signed by
both. I have had three children by the prisoner,
and that is more than his first wife can say, for her
brats were all by a lousy Frenchman."
Mr. CHAMBERS now inquired of the first wife
whether her children were illegitimate, as had been
insinuated that day.—First wife—lf I must answer
that question, I don't intend to deny that the three
children now living are by another man, and not by
my husband.
Prisoner—Before you commit me, I trust you
will hear what I have got to say. At the time I
was married to my first wife my circumstances were
much better than they are now. I unfortunately
took a Frenchman to lodge in my house, and he had
not been long under my roof before he made a deep
impression on my wife. The Frenchman was fond
of plays, and my wife being also fond of the amuse-
ment, and some other amusement besides, site and
Mr. Monsieur used to be off together to the theatres,
and one night I had the curiosity to follow them,
and saw them enter, not the theatre, but Lucky
Bob's, a noted brothel, near Covent-garden. This
was a physicker for me, so I thought it high time
that there should be a change; and when I up-
braided
my wife with her infidelity, instead of
evincing contrition for her amour with the French-
man, she ultimately eloped with him, and has been
living with him for 10 years.
Roberts, a beadle of Lambeth, stated, that he had
apprehended the prisoner in consequence of the first
wife making application for relief for her three
children.

Mr. CHAMBERS said, that the prisoner was not
bound to maintain the children that his wife had by
the Frenchman she was living with.
The prisoner said, that his first wife brought two
men to his house the other day, and pretended they
were constables, in order to extort money from him.
The fact was, the Frenchman had decamped from
her, and that was the reason she now wanted him
(the prisoner) to support her bastards.
Mr. CHAMBERS said that the Frenchman was
responsible to the parish.
First wife—But he has bolted off to America.

Mr. CHAMBERS said that he should discharge the
case altogether, for no Jury would find the prisoner
guilty, ►►ere he even to commit him, owing to the
scandalous conduct of all parties concerned. It was
a difficult question as to which of the trio was most
in fault, whether the prisoner, his first, or his second
wife ; therefore, on those grounds he should send
them all about their business, and at the same time
assured the first wife that he should make no order
on the parish fur the support of her children, whom
she mist now maintain in the best way she could.

Madame DE GENETS, for two days previous to
her death, had as usual, been occupied with her literary
and other labours until a late hour. Up to twelve at night
she was dictating to her attendant, after which she com-
menced arranging a letter to the KING. Scarcely a day
passed in which some of the Royal Family failed in some
token of kind remembrance to her. To a letter offering
for her acceptance splendid apartments in the Palace of
the Tuileries, where the present reigning Family of France
ate expected in a short time to take up their own abode,
the Countess was engaged in writing a grateful denial, and
her reasons for it to his MAJESTY, until nearly three o'clock
on the morning of her decease. At that hour she was
put to bed, and at ten o'clock, as before stated, she was
found a corpse. The wife of General GXaARD was her
grand-daughter, and was in her house when it was made
known that the distinguished lady had been found dead.