The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-11-03 00:00:00

TRIAL of ;h. COUNTESS of ANNESLEy

•X A CIItTtGE PZ DIDAMY, 13FTDDI1 THE RIGHT
NON. btu Gto);ioE DALY ANI.D JCIIDE DcDORNE,
AT TILE SLSSIONS.HOUtiE, GREEN-STREET, -DUB-
Lll, OCT.-30, 1810.
Mr. 31'N.a.trAc staled ;ite case on behalf of the
Prosecution. He said the Prisoner, Sophia Conner,
stood charged, that she, on the 291 h September,.
in
the 37th year of the did marry the late Earl
Aunesley, though Martin Connor, her former
husband, to her knots 1 edg'e, was then and still is
alive. Ile said, that in his progress he would do
('very thing within the limits of his duty ; that the
Puisoner had a right to have it presumed that she
was innocent; and that he would ba ainotigst those
that would rejoice if she established that innocence.
Mr. M'Nally proceeded to say, that the proent
was not a case without precedent ; a lady of even
higher rank had heen tried for a similar elfeace— he
ineatit the Duchess ; and that though
upon the present occasion ho stood alone, he )et
hail the example of Lord Thisrlow, who conducted
the prosecution against the Duchess Kingston,
aiol that example he would endeavour humbly to
imitate. The offence charged in the indictment was
bigamy : the marryin4 a second husband while the
tirit was alive. Au offence more dangerous to so.
eiety or morality could not be found. Hy a former
law in this country, this crime was punished with
death ; but by the 12th of Geo. I. the capital part
of the punishment was repealed, and transportation
was substiteted. ,In the course of the trial, if any
doubt ewild retnain of the guilt of the prisoner, Ms.
Al‘Nally called upon the Jury to give the Prisoner
the Irenefit of it. Ile wished to act candidly and mer-
cifully ; he would not stop to advert to minor 'cit.
eumstances ; he had no inclination to, aggravate: on
the contrary, he would endeavour to reconcile the
feelings of his heart with the duties of.his profession.
Ile then proceeded to state the circumstances of the
case as they were to be proecxl by evidence. Thu
first witness, Mrs. M'Veagh,,was most material,
and to be attended to, as she would coioe before
the Cour,t with every advantage that moral good
conduct could entitle her tn. [llere.Mr. GooLn,
Coloisel Tor the Prisoner, applie-d to the Court to
have all the witnesses_un behalf of the prosecution
removed from the hearing of the Advocate, and
they were rcinoted accordingly ; after which Mr.
111‘Nally proceeded as fo!lows] : Two facts it was
necessary to prove; first, that a inerriage-actually did
take placebetweeu the Prisoner and Martin Connor ;
stuul nut only that he, C001ii.4,. was alive when a
second warriiga took place between the Prisonor
and the late Earl Aunesley, but that .the Priioner
actually knew that her first husbanil was alive when
the permitted the marriage. ceremony to be perform_
ed between her aad Lord Aonesley..
The first witness, Mary M'Veagh, would prove
that tba maiden name of the Priamiee,was Sophia!'
%Welly ;. she gat, born in the north of Leland,. near
weer° Mrs.M'lreagli lived. Mrs. Mi.Veagh .re.
Moved from the place of:lser latitli.to Arlene, tapir
Xillister, within a few miles of Dublin, and. uCar
the residence of the late•Pdad Annesiey, to whom
Martin Conttor was gardener. Miss tile
. Prisoner at the bar, accompanied Mrs. •IVlTtiaill:
dram the Nortli, and wag upon a visit with her at
;,Astatte when she became acquainted "With Martin.'
Connor, who,paial.bisaddremes to her, and he prp.
;posed marriage. 'the 14‘.. Mr, 'Larkin, Hie, pari.sh`
',priest, was applied to to. perform, the ceremosy ;
bet Miss Kelly beings stranger in 'the parish, he
_declined to perform his °Ace, .until her father, who
the North, wasapplied to,. to ,learn -if be
bad any objection to the match ; and a • favoni.able
susswer. being received, together with a certificate
`from the parish -priest io the North where Miss
Kelly residedohat he uew of no impediment to
ber Marriage. Father Larkin performed .the cere—
Joorty of.marriage between Miss Sophia Kelly, the
Prisoner at the bar; and Martin Connor, the Far-
timer, in the presence of live witocitcs, of whom
two are dead and three, emotive. Mahe time of the
marriage, the law did not perniit the Ctergy of the
Roman Catholic religion to., keep a registsy of
marriages. but a memorandum.,of it was made by
' the Clergyman who piciformed the ceremony. , A
'upper was given by Mrs. M' Veagli ether house, in
cootegoeuce or the marriage, where the tiei-mar.
ti•
ed couple retuained and cohabited for two or
• thiee days, after whiCh Connor took his wife home
to his owodialkitatigni,.where they lived' as man and
wife—bet it unfortunately happened after4oMetime.
that Lord Antitiley took a liking to 'Mrs. Con.
nor, and his rank in life appears to hale made an
• Impression own her. His Lordship carried her off
'lrr his carriage to Dublin, where_ they lived Urge-
:thee. Mrs. hl.qTeagh foundlier out at his Lord,
house. She visited the -.Prisoner, SO gave
her excellent advice, which unfortunately had no
lotaence. -Lord Aitnesley made siime compensation
or other to Connor. for the toss of his wife; it Wis.,
to .be presumed, for he brought nu action of Crini.
. Con. against his Lordship.,; on the contrary, he
. kept himself a recluse, and.gave the amorous pair
no trouble whatever. ,Something was done to in-;
duce Lurd Atinesley to believe that Condor • way.
dead,. and a ceremony of marriage was Performed.
. The Prisoner had two children by his Lordship ; one
•f them is olive. plum her marriage sheossumed the
name and title of the Couutess Aunesley ;'and though
the earl had been dead for some years, that
title she still assumed. Here Me. M'Nally hared-
sal the Jury to banish from their minds any impres-
sion which former reports might have made upon
them, and to form their _decision solely upon the
evidence. The first witness callc7l was,
Mary di'Yeagli.—Witness is a widow, did live in
the .-county of Down, where she knew fhb Pd.
,toner ; left the North, about 'IV years ago; and
removed to Killister, near Dublin, where she re-,
eeived the Prisoner, then Miss Kelly, as a visitor.
She became acquainted about the same dine with
Martin Connor, who is living, anti whom Witness
saw within. this half hour. Alartin Connor was
married to the Prisoner 15 years ago from last
_Shrove Tuesday, by _ Father Larkin. Thug Pri-
soner, her husband Connor, Witnecs Al'ireagh,
_the husband of Witness, and Pat Conisor, the bro-
•*
ther of Martin Connor, were wesent. It wax
after. dieser when the marriage ceremony took
(„piatit Father Larkin, who- performed the eere-
s
'Me iriotho priest of the parish—be is de,itt—he
•