New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-05
begin with. Clearly the special agents have a
wide field Of usefulness before them.
SOMETHING NEW IN SOCIAL SCIENCE.

A recent number of The London Telegraph con-
tains report of remarkable case lately tried at
the London AssiZes. 1t is remarkable because of
the new and startling views which 1t presents of the
significance of the marriage relation. One Betsey
Wardle was charged with marrying George Chisnal
bgamously. The evidence exhibited her as the
pOssessOr of living husband at the time that she
was given away to Mr.. Chisnel. She did not deny
the charge, but explained that since number one
had sold her to number two for quart of beer she
abored under the impression that she had right to
contract the second marriage. Fancy woman
with so little of things so little appreeatve
of the inherent strength of the marriage bond, as
really to believe that those whom God joins to-
gether can be lawfully sundered with glass of
beerl
But the report shows that Betsey was not the only
woman that had such faith in the potency of beer
She informed the justice before whom she was ar
raigned that Margaret Brown was aware of the fact
of the sale. Margaret Brown was accordingly called
She testified that she was present at tho second
marriage; that she knew that the first husband
was then alive: and that she was informed that he
had sold his wife for a quart of beer. " You be-
lieved the sale would be binding7" inquired the
Court. Yes. sir" replied Margaret adding as an
earnest of her good faith she (Betseyl wished me
to give her away, and did So" Margaret was dis
missed with the reproof from the bench, "You
helped her to commit bgamy Take care you do
not do 1t again, or you will get into trouble" The
next witness to take the stand was Mr. Chsnol,
the second husband. He evidently is plain, blunt
man, not given to idealizing the grand passion or
regarding the union of two souls with but single
thought as anything more sentimental or sacred
than ordinary Contract. =" How did you come to
marry this woman 7" he was asked. He explained
in the Lancashire vernacular, "A bOwt her."
little later the Court wanted to know if he desired
to take her back, which he complacently re-
marked. "Awl keep her if you lOikc" The inten
ton was to take the testimony of the first husband
the delicate point In controversy. But for rea
sons best known to himself that graceess dealer in
wives WINS absent. Counsel for the woman that
had committed bigamy held in behalf Of his client,
that her first husband had been bad man and her
second an gnoramus. And because she had been
subjected to these two mislortunes he argued that
she ought not to BIO punshed-at least not Sc
verely The Justice in dispOsing of the case de-
claTed that it was absolutely necessary that some
punishment should be imposed /" in order that
people may understand that men have no more
right to sell their wives than they have to sell other
peoples wives, or to sell other peoples horses or
cows or anything of the kind. So many Of you
seem to be ignorant of this that il is necessary
should give you 1.-THE prisOuerl some punishment in
order that you may understand it. 1t is not nee
essary that It should be long, but you must he inl-
prisOncd and kept to hard labor for one week"
1t Is not stated whether or no the was APP
pealed or whether the writ of habeas corpus was
invoked to secure Betsoy's release. But we can
well believe that the prisoner, well as Margaret
Brown, the second husband. his predecessor and the
other persons belonging TO their set will feel that
things have come to an outrageous pass in England
if simply because wife, declining to make fuss In
the family, amably consents to be transferred to
another" for glass u beer, she is to be banshed
to n dungeon Tor week.
The moral to be drawn from the case would seem
TO be contained in tho familiar reflection that one
half the world doesn't know how tho other half
lives. If there Is another moral 1t undoubtedly
addresses itself to the urgent need which to-day
exists in some parts of England and the United
States too for practical missionaries that can como
well recommended and are afraid of hard work.