New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-03-05
e UXOPE
A DCdBLE MARRIAGE.

Yuas Of ehdesce, brought against an executor TO
ussvsf some fifteen ihousand dollars, which it was
sIkssd that his testatIix had wrongfully received
usns sselve years previous to her death, in the
SAsrsster Of widow Of John Sheppard, jeweiier'
whereas she was not bis widow, inssmuch a. she
lad never been his wife. 1t appeared, In evidence,
hat The dcfendAnts teststriK, under sne naue VI
Nsry Wall, actually went through the marriage
ceremony with Sheppard at the parish cpu'oH VI
d. Marylebone. London, on the 9Th OF hArcn'
1924, license for the marriage having been oo-
<.ined xt Doctors Commons on the 27thoi February
pre,dipg. Not only was the registry OF THIS
marriage ,roduced, signed by the parties but one
of tle witnesses who signed the registry appeared
On tle stand. He was, at the time, counting
female servant of the executrx, and was requested
bv her 10 witness The marriage. Ii appeared from
Ais testimony sDd from that of his wife, the female
servant referred TO, that the testatrix was then
E,se In MOninSon place, London, where she lot
lodgings. Sheppard, three or four weeks before
lie marriage, had come to the house as ledger.
Msri,boy, the defendant in the suit, testified that
10 knew Sheppard at the time, being like him,
jOssney man jeweler and that just previous TO the
time tAathe act up business himself, which was IN
March, 1894, he visited Sheppard at Mornington
place. On that occasion, Sheppard told him he
had been married to his lsndlady in ST. Pancrss's
Church, bat she was Roman Catholic and
I'D not consider that marriage binding ana
they were going to be married again. sheppard,
fssrsupon, asked him TO become 9 cotrustee for
liz wife, and be did 80, the other trustee being
nr. Hart. The property settled was the house In
HoniDston place, in which the wife had lease
AeA interest; also some stock 10 the funds. 1t was
uroyel from the books Of the solicitor who drew
Ne settlement, that Instructions for II were given
D. Miss Wall on the 26th Of February, 1924. AZ
hat time Mortiboy knew nothing of the woman or
her antecedents. He only became acquainted
viii her through Sheppard's introduction of her as
Nh wife. From that time Sheppard and the tesla
trix, henceforth known as Mrs Sheppard, and
conducting himself with all due decorum in that
capacity, barring rather violent temper, lived
tosetber az man and wife in the house in Morning
tea place. Sheppard set up and carried on his
susiBess there of working jeweler till 1886,
when, the house being taken down to mske room
fm 9 railway, they removed to George street.
That year they had child, which died in 1912.
For SEINE time previously TO the death OF the child
the parties had not lived happily together, and now
their quarrels became more violent than ever.
hortboy reconciled them for time, but at length
they separated, Mrs s. receiving by the articles oil
separation On annuity sufficient to make up, with
her income under the marriage settlement, Si0O
year. They continued to live apart TIL lSi5, when
6heypard died intestste, leaving property to the
amount Of $50, 900, of which Mrs. s., who acted as
sdninstratrir, received half as his widow, the
other half going to sheppsrd's sisters. Having
Ass lived for twenty one years the rePuted wife oil
SAeppard, qusrreed with him as his wife, separated
from him az his wife, and having as his widow re-
eAiyed half his property the teitatrx lived twelve
wears longer in the reputed character of hswidow;
vlen dying she bequeathed her property not to
6Seppard's sisters, but to the daughters OF Morti-
By, whom abe alto made her executor.
IL was this disposition Of her property, which
caused the early life and conversation OF the hlth-
srto unexpected and unquestioned Miss Sheppard
to be- raked up and inquired into, fret before the
Vice Chancellor Stuart, and, bis decision not beng
satisfactory to all the parties concerned before the
PEAL, the late Mrs. Sheppard being thus compelled
to do posthumous penance in the newsPapers-the
nsdern substitute for the old fashioned penance in
shurch--m having been in her youth 80 far " IT.
regular" as according TO her own confession to
her solicitor I" to have lived with gentleman snd
for that matter if the statements of the defendants
counsel were TO be relied upon, with a noblemsn
100, and at all events, in the matter OF her mar
rage, to have cut up an odd csper exceedingly
puzzling to the lawyers and the courts.
Ii appeared that when young she had possessed
very great personal attractions and also that pre-
vious to her removal to Mornington place, abe had
lived in Gloucester place, where she went BY the
name Of Mrs Jones, and was visited BY a man who
called himself Mr. Jones, aud who passed as com
mereial traveller. He came to see her once week
or fortnight, enjoying With her the privileges OF q
husbsnd. This was testifed 10 by the same female
servant who lived with her at the time of her mar
riase with Sheppard, and who upon entering her
service several years before had found her thus
living in Gloucester place. AT length, while still
resident there her mistress told her thai Mr. Jones
had married. She seemed very unhappy, and the
witness never saw anything of Mr.. Jones aiter
that. Not long after she removed to Morningtea
place and set up the business Of taking dodgers the
witness going with her. Al MoInington plsce she
was waited BY man who called himself Masters,
who looked like gentleman, but who her mistress
said. was a pianoforte maker. lie used to come TO
the house, though not very often and sometimes
4 k.l