TWO FOND LOVERS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3229, 27 May 1911, Page 9

TWO FOND LOVERS.

HEIRESS’S ELOPEMENT TO ENGLAND. WEDDED BY STRATEGY. ®A romantic st-ary of an heiress's runaway marriage -was told l at the Old Bailey, London, when an Austrian opera singer named Max iSalzinger, 29, pleaded guilty to- causing a false entry to be made in the register when lie married Martha Gobel at Manchester. The allegation was that although- he was well aware tlie bride was not- quite 18 lie declared she was 22.

Mir Leycester, for the defence, said that was admitted, but tlie circumstances were exceptional. Tlie girl, who lost her parents when she was 13, had no -brothers or sisters, and was entrusted to the oare of an uncle, who kept an inn. She was entitled l to. a fortune of £4OOO when she became of age, but tliis fact, said counsel, the uncle kept from- her, and he was empowered to keep £4O a year for himself. The giirl and the accused fell- in love and became engaged, and as the uncle was very unfriendly they made application- to the girl’s judicial iguardian for permission to wed. The uncle was very angry on hearing of this, 'because as soon as the ward married lie would lose bis £4O a year. He became abusive towards the girl, counsel continued, and when the judicial guardian applied to him he absolutely refused to consent to the marriage. Except that he would suffer financially, counsel went on, there was no reason wily the uncle should object, for the accused was earning from £3oo' t-o £4OO a'year, and was a man-of irreproachable character. In these circumstances tlie girl joined her lover in November. He acted as an honorable- man would 1; he took her to the -house of a. friend —a landed proprietor. When it was found that the girl was taking refuge there tlie police immediately took her away at the instance of her uncle. The guardian was then most abusive, used threats, and beat her. BEGGED HER LOVER TO MARRY HER. After this, Mr. Leicester continued, her uncle locked her up in the house, and tools away her shoes and outdoor clothes. Ultimately she escaped by stealth, begged her lover to marry her, and told liim she would commit suicide unless he did so. Accused then threw up his opera engagement, sacrificed his career, and took her away. When they came to England he had no idea there would -be any difficulty in the way of -his marrying her. In Manchester he discovered their position. The girl, being a minor, could not wed without her guardian’s consent. He had either to desert the woman he loved and leave her friendless and penniless in a foreign country; live with her without being manned, and thus ruin her reputation; or marry by means of a trick. He cliose to wed, and' told the registrar that the bride’s age was 22 instead of 17 years and 10 months. In reply to tlie Recorder, Mr Leycester said the marriage could not now be made void except on the- application of either the bride or bridegroom, and this was never likely to- be. Tlie girl’s fortune would not come to her until she reached the age of 21, and the accused would not be able to t-ouc'h any of it.

Counsel for the prosecution said the allegations against the uncle were disputed, and lie denied them at the police court.

The girl, an exceptionally pretty girl, dressed in a fashionable black costume, was in court, and Mr Leycester said that sihe was prepared to go into the witnessbox and substantiate tlie allegations.

The Recorder told the accused that he had committed a serious offence, but in view of the special circumstances he would -be merely bound over in his own recognisances of £SO.