, 1874-01-15
A COMPOUND PERPLEXlTY.
Fact Stranger thnn Fiction.

From, the Neio Yor& Times.
California has compound porploxity COM
poAed Of porson named 0ades who is de-
ucEibod as gentleman Of good education and i'd
dress, who haa proved himself to ho more prac-
tical than ron.antic aud who fluids hnaolf juBti-
fed By tho now law codo Of tha State, by which
polygamy has been lawfully established, to the
groa5 astonishmont Of tho lawyors and
the scandal OF bucolio community. Tho
story Of Oades has excited great interest in
tho State whore tho incident ocourrod ind it
cannot fail to provo equally interesting oyory-
Law proposes and man disposee.
Two years aeo 0adcs sottlod in San Dornardino
County, aud, rcalizng that it is not good for man
to be alono fol- in loVo with and married young
widow. Tho pair prosperod md wore happy, but
change occurred. a woman, wrinklcd with years
and harlHhips, ind accompanied By threo chil-
dron, appeared In tho county town. She mado
PARTICULAR Inquiries for oadc5 and Was directed
in tho farm-house. Sun Demanding
was happy in the possession Of mystery which
might prove mystery. The strange woman
after day, week after week. Rural neighbor-
hoods in California are like such noighDorhoods
gonorally, md everybody knows everything
about everybody olse So 1t happened that oy.
erybody speedily knew TINT Oades WAS husband
and fathor to tho strange woman and children.
aud her infant. There was an instant commo-
ton. Everybody agreed tlat something must
be dono about it without dolay.
Something was done. A criminal complaint
was e.el charging OadoB With living unlawfully
| with tho strange woman. Whom the trial cAmo
on, no astonished San Bernardino, for ho proved
TINT the woman was his lawful wife, to whom hc
had been married twenty yoars before in En-
his proofs wore submitted, tho complaint WAS
dismissed, and 0ades returned to hts homo to
enjoy the society Of his two wives. But the
busybodies returned to the attack, and had
| him again before the court on charge Of un-
lawfully living with Mrs. OadoB No. q. Oadee
| took refuge In Bhrowd lawyers and tho new civil
code. Admitting all tho facts, ho asserted that
first section Of tho code declares that tho mar
riage OF q person having former husband or
wife living is void unless such former husband or
wife WAS abaent, and not Known ito such person to
bo living, for five. years Immediately preceding
the subsequent marriage is void only from tho
time ltB nullity Ii adjudged by proper tri-
bunal." Oadoa easily proved THO required fact,
in doing which most romantic history wae mar
and again Oade8 departed in triumph.
But Oadcs WAS indicted for bigamy. Whom
the oaso came on for trlal, We aro told
everybody was present with his wife, while
Tho District Attorney attacked tho jury
with moral homilios and Latin quotations. He
admitted that tho accused Was ignorant of the
existence of number ono when lae married num-
bor two, but argued that his voluntary cohabita.
tion with noth was proof Of d guilty intont oh
initlo. But all tho learning and eIoquence Of
the District Attorney were thrown away. Coun-
sci for tho defendant again found safe refuge
In that marvellous code which ''providea that no
person shall be hold guilty Of bigamy whose ,
successive years without being known to
auch person as being living:'. Tho learned
Judge, declaring that this provision Imperative
Dudes went home Hustled Hustled with viotory, thahsppy
possossor Of two wives, who wore such in law
after tho trial as thoy lad boforo been in fact.
There was great oxcltoment 1n San Bernard
1 osfs o hs rs.oa gssq bv Ge Ie rata e
bottor of tho man with two wiyoH. It was
an awful fact that polygamy was {u1lcially CO.
tabllahed In San Dernarlino, The Aelp Of lead-
Ing San Francisco lawyers was inplorod. and
oven TINT Of tho nakorB Of tho wonderful oodo.
At last there wac . gtcat ilopo raised. 1t was
declared that suit could bo instituted to dis
solve tho second marriage, and San Bornardino
came up armed with THO mhryolous code. Which
Declares in Soc. 49, snbdyiHion q, that suol1
an action can bo brought only by ono Of tho par
ttcH to tho frat nrrlago or one Of tho parties to
formed tho community that ho would not bring n
suoh aut hls two w!yoa, tonaeslng their ro-
cnaion III tho mllltA Of divers worthy noreonu.
gave tho Same information. San Borrlardiuo INT
down in aullcn despair to contemplate Dolyg.
any Al MI established fact
Hero tho story cndH. OaioB remains tho Inv
ful owner Of two, wives, anu California lawyers
nro absorbed In tho mysteries OF tllo new code,
II WAS neyer intended, Of course, Ina q man
should hayo two wives, but tho law accorua
tho1n, and tho courts must award them: !. ,aT oT
agaIn-he could not be put In tlla stArpattG casa
ofcnee h,,;a:oifo poyganly lies upon its surface.
1ok fGggso4as..a hawaro OF hasto aud carolessueHa
| In lepielRtiou.