The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-21 00:00:00

A MAN WITH TWO WIVES.

An extraordinary case was heard at the Manchester
police court on Tuesday. A man named Joseph
Cooke, apparently a mechanic, was summoned for an
alleged neglect of family. Some years ago, it ap-
peared, Cooke was married at the Romish chapel,
Preston, by a Rev. Mr. West ; and about four years
ago he abandoned his wife, and married another
woman. For so doing he was apprehended, and tried
atrthe Chester assizes, on a charge of bigamy, in the
year 1844 ; but, as the prosecution failed to show
that the registrar of Preston was present at the first
marriage, the judge gave it as his opinion that the
marriage was not legal, and Cooke was acquitted.
Subsequently he was brought up before Mr. Maude,
of Manchester, and, on being told that .he would be
.sent to prison if he did not support his first wife, he
entered into an arrangement to pay her and her two
children Is. a week. The money was paid until
within a month ago, when Cooke determined to dis-
pute his liability, and hence the present case.
Mr. Roberts, solicitor, appeared for Cooke, and
urged the illegality of the first marriage, on the
ground that the registrar was not present when it was
solemnized.

Mr. Walker, of Preston, was in court and pro-
duced a copy of the register ; but all that he could
say was he had no doubt that he was present, from
the fact of his having found his name affixed to the
entry of the marriage in his books.
The brother of Mrs. Cooke stated that the regis-
trar was in the vestry when the certificate was signed;
but he could not swear that the gentleman was pre-
sent at the marriage.
At this stage of the case it was intimated that
Cooke had admitted his liability to support his first
wife by allowing her the 7s. per week, but Mr. Ro--
berts argued that he had done no such thing. He said
the man had been brought befbre Mr. Maude, who
said " I'll send you to prison if you don't maintain
your wife," and by the solemn way in which he (Mr.
Maude) had said it, he frightened the poor fellow, as
he had done others before.

The clerk to the magistrates referred to the Act of
Parliament, and cited a clause enacting that a mar-
riage should be null and void if the parties " know-
ingly and wilfully" were married in any other place
than the Church of England, without notice to the
registrar, and without the presence of the registrar.
From this he inferred that the onus lay on Mr.
Roberts to show the neglect had been wilful, sup-
posing it had existed.
Mr. Roberts disputed this interpretation, and
pointed out that if the magistrates decided against his
elicit, they would be setting aside the decision of a
court °flaw ; they would be pronouncing a marriage
legal which a judge had declared illegal, and they
would decide. that the second marriage, which was
now held to be legal, was illegal.
After a consultation, Mr. Hodgson said that the
bench were satisfied that the requirements of the law
had been complied with, and that the marriage had
been proved.
The prisoner was then told that he might, if he
chose, make an arrangement with the overseers ; but
ultimately the matter ended by his giving notice of
appeal against the decision recorded.

STATE or TRADE.—The nail trade here is very
depressed, many of the inferior workmen employed by
the small masters are in want of work, and in the course
of the last fortnight, 69 persons, most of them nailers,
have been admitted to the workhouse, which never was
so full before, except on one occasion.—
Chronicle. tVorcoter

IDIPO2.TATION Or VERMIN.—A stcam-ship arrived
yesterday from Boulogne has brought a cargo of live
foxes, consigned to order.