The Warwickshire Herald. — 1894-08-23 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

CHARGE AGAINST A STAGE MANAGER.  At Bow-street, on Friday, Henry L. Winter, stage ir aniger at the Garrick Theatre, was charged, on remand, before Sir John Bridge, with wilful and corrupt perjury. The perjury (it was alleged) consisted of statements made by prisoner in the witness-box when he took divorce proceedings against his wife, and of assertions made by him in affidavits relating to the case. He swore that his wife had confessed to adultery with his brother George, but as a matter of fact his brother George died in 1862, when only six years of age. His wife did not know that divorce proceedings were pending. She MU served with the usual papers; but, acting on the instructions of her husband, who at that time was away in the country, she forwarded them to him without looking at them. After the petition had been filed Mrs. Winter gave birth to a child, and, acting under the influence of her husband, she had it registered in the name of Weston. Mrs. Winter had signed a paper saying that the children were not the prisoner's, but she did so at the prisoner's earnest request, he representing that it would do him a great deal of good—Mrs. Winter was called, and Mr. Wontner (for the defence) contended that she could not legally give evidence against her husband.—Sir John Bndge overruled the objection, saying that inasmuch as the lady had been divorced, and the decree made absolute, she was no longer prisoner's wife. —Mrs. Winter stated that she was married to prisoner in March, 1872, at Emanuel Church, Streatham. After that she lived with her husband—a professor of music— at various places. A child was been in 1873, and another in 1875. In 1880 she gave birth to a child, and her husband told her to register the child in the name of tieston, as it would be a great benefit and help. She objected to do this, but a few days afterwards she consented, and registered the child in the names of Edith Florence Weston. She gave the name of the father as Henry Weston. Early in 1881 prisoner, who was at that time living at Blackheath, told her that she would receive some papers, and instructed her to forward them to him without looking at them. Soon afterwards some papers arrived, and she put them into an enevlope and forwarded them to her husband without reading them. Her furniture was seized, and witness, with her youngest child, went to live at Camberwell. Prisoner visitesi her there on several occasions, but never stayed the night. On one occasion he made her copy and sign a statement he had written out to the effect that he was not the father of her third child. She remonstrated with him, saying it was untrue, but he told her the paper would do him a lot of good, and therefore she consented to copy and sign it Her husband eventually went to America, and for sometime sent her £5 a month. Then the payments I ecame irregular,and finally ceased in August, 1883. In August, 1884, she received a newspaper cutting announcing that a man bearing her husband's name had committed suicide. The address on the envelope was in a disguised handwriting, and witness came to the conclusion that it was that of her husband. Prisoner's letters and remittances came through his mother at Streatham, who treated her as a daughter. She afterwards wrote to her husband, but received no reply. Until Detective-inspector Littlechild went to see her in 1886, she had not the slightest idea that he was divorced. In 1881 she saw a paragraph in the newspapers as to a report of divorce proceedings in which his name was mentioned. He said it had nothing to do with him; it was a man bearing the same name. It was not true that in 1876 she informed prisoner that her child Sydney Herbert was not his child. It was not true that he did not cohabit or reside with her after 1876. The third child died in 1882,and she registered her death in the name of Winter. —The accused's sister was called, and spoke to having seen a report :if the divorce proceedings in a weekly paper. Her brother said that he had men the report, and that someone had congratulated him upon being divorced. lie added that it had nothing to do with him. It was someone bearing the same name. Witness had not until the proceedings were taken, ever heard the slightest whisper as to the chastity of her sister. in-law.—Rhoda Rose, formerly in the employ of the prisoner and his wife, was called to prove that accused was cohabiting with his wife at a period when he swore he was living apart from her, although at times they occupied separate rooms. Prisoner was remanded, Sir John Bridge again fixing the bail at two sureties in £l,