Marriage that is a Failure.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 280, 30 March 1889, Page 3

Marriage that is a Failure.

DECEPTION OF A FOOLISH GIBL. Melbourne. The arrest of tho young foreigner Alfred Casten, who was sentenced to a term of imprisonment by the Prahran Bench last week, led to ecme extraordinary disclosures. Ossten, who has served half a dozen sentences for offences committed in 1882-3, appears to have during the last year, carried his head high amongst fashionable society in Tasmania. In Hobart he made acquaintance of u clergyman’s daughter, described as a most beautiful accomplished girl of 18, and falling in love with her, he sought her hand. The young woman's father refused to consent to them being married, so the girl took a passage for Victoria and went to live with her married sister at Kew. There she was, one day about the end of September, joined by her lover, who took the earliest opportunity to elope with her and got married. According to an arrangement between them they ventured forth on a stroll, but being suspicious of their movements the sister resolved upon accompanying them. The trio journeyed to town, walked about, for some time, and at length the lovers, to evade their escort, entered a hansom and drove off. Tbe sister made a desperate attempt to enter the same hansom, and tore her dress in doing so, but was pushed off by the man who is now her brother-in-law. Calling another hansom, she started off in pursuit, but in stopping to invoke the assistance of a constable, she lost sight of the fleeing vehicle. The pair got married since, and occupied a house in Toorak, which was let to them furnished by Mrs Brown, but on the 25 January Casten sold the furniture and absconded to Sydney. He was apprehended in that city on 25th ult., for stealing Mrs Brown’s furniture, and was sentenced by the P.ihran magistrates to 12 months’ imprisonme.it for the theft, and obtaining money and goods by means of false cheques. Prior to leaving Tasmania, by skilfully imitating his mother-in-law’s handwriting, he succeeded in inducing an old servant of the family to forward him £lO during the absence of tbe woman’s mistress from home, on his representation that the latter required the money to buy shares. He and his wife left behind them bills to the amount of £2OO, which the father had to meet. When formerly in Sydney he gained the reputation of being a skilled writer, and was known by the sobriquet of “ Jim the Penman.” There are four other charges pending against him for false pretences.