The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-09-26
A FROVZY PAIR"
Unfortunate Matrimonial Ven
ture of Mrs. Flaherty-Con-
sios vieted Of Bigamy.

A fashionable wedding, solemnized on
July 4. 1895, by the Rev. Daniel Halter
on. of Simpson M. E. Church, between
Mrs. Jennie Flaherty. alias O'Connor.
and Mr.. William John Lahey brought
the blushing bride before Judges Hud-
speth, Kenny. and Hoffman this morning
in the Special Session Court on a charge
of bigamy.
In 1880 Miss o'Connor married Mr..
Patrick Flaherty. who sat in the rear
seat of the court room with his faithless
wife's son.
As Mr.. and Mrs. Lahey stood side by
side before the clerks desk to be iden-
titled by Mr.. Halleron. it was seen that
the bride wore a travelling costume of
blue serge, slightly the worse for wear,
and a navy blue hat to match. Her orna-
ments We're pair of bloodshot eyes.
The groom wore a negligee costume,
consisting of a short Jacket made of that
species of cloth seen on prisoners in the
Hudson County Jail: q greasy red fan
mel undershirt, green at the edges, a
pair of trousers so covered with mud
that the original pattern was impossible
to determine; tennis shoes split on the
sides. and for a headpiece. an ancient
straw hit. minus the crown.
'They were" S Mr.. Halleron said, "a
frowzy pair"
A LA NEW WOMAN.
Putting the bridegroom on the stand,
Prosecutor Winfield extracted from him
the facts of the wedding. Lahey on
July 4 was sauntering down Grand
street with fifty cents in his pockets
wherewith to celebrate the glorious
Fourth. He met accidentally like Miss
Jennie O'Connor. whom he didn't know
to speak to. but quickly .atoned for that
by entering into a polite conversation
with her about the weather.
After three minutes talk they fell vio-
lently in love with each other and the
fair Jennie at once proposed to him
She asked you to marry her?'' said
Mr.. Winfield aghast.
Lahey blushed in reply.
Continue" said the Prosecutor. re-
garding the bride as a veritable specimen
Lahey bashfully consented to. be wed
and in his joy forgot to tell Jennie to
go and ask his pa. They at once ex-
with which to begin housekeeping. He
had the half dollar and Jennie fourteen
cents. a button hook, two pawntickets,
a paper Of pins, three hairpins and 2
PAN65So M 81 LII blVll ioSC oi0
their wealth they ~meandered hand in
hand though the rain. occasionally
hating for refreshments at several sa-
looms, until Mr.. Halleron's parsonage
was reached. On the way, however,
Jennie suggested the purchase of a we'd
ding ring They found a small store
1~S-carat ring. 1t was genuine, because
the Hebrew proprietor assured them of
that fact and surely he ought to know.
RING DIDN'T FIT
E-InNfn1Iu thew q rriun6 af Mr. Ho11prOngc
who was good enough to perform the
ceremony for nothing when he learned
the state of their exchequer. But OF
putting the ring on the brides finger he
found it didn't fit and would only go
to the second JOINT. Never mind, that
was just as well and the twain were
Mr.. and Mrs, Lahey then started on
principal, saloonns in the cities of Jersey
of the ring from the capital Stock they
had 40 cents for the spree which ended
in both getting drunk and being subse-
quently arrested.
This interesting tale finished, Rev.
Mensig11or Robert Seton, 3. D, who
married Mr.. and Mrs. Flaherty on
%, 1880. in st, Joseph's, Church,
a dainty little Bible which he produced
rather than use the filthy, greasy vol
uMe Used by the tagrag and bobtail,
orderiies, who daily perjure themselves
on the Court House Bible. The Mon
signor-rector couldn't identify the
couple. Mr.. HalIeron recalled the mans
face but not the woman's.
Counsellor Warren Dixon, assigned as
for the bride, made a skillful
and ingenious defense that his fair client
was intoxicated and did not know what
she was dong. but it was no go. The
Court adjudged her guilty. She will be
sentenced tomorrow. Her sorrowing
husband since July 4, Mr.. Lahey. got
off scot free by swearing he believed
she was only Mr.. Flaherty's house