A Peculiar Case.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1456, 16 September 1885, Page 4

A Peculiar Case.

An extraordinary divorce case was heard before Judge Higinhothoni at Melbourne last week. The petitioner Wilkinson, a telegraph operator sought to obtain a declaration of nullity of maryiage, on the grounds that it was arran-_ ged between the respondent and himself that the ceremony should be a sham ; that he was under twenty-one years of age when the supposed marriage took place, and he had not the consent of his widowed mother ; that the usmal oath was not administered- to him or the respondent by the officiating minister, and that the requ'reii declaration thiit they were of age and knew of no impediment to the'mnrriage was not read over to cither the respondent or himself before they signed it. The marriage was celebrated m 1880 at the house of the Rev. N. Kinsman, Moor-street, Fitzroy. The petitioner's »tory was partly supported by one of the witnesses to tlie marriage but the other witness, the respondent, and Mr Kinsman sworo ' that the marriage was affected with all the requirements of the law. The jury found for the respondent, and Mr Justice Higinbotham dismissed the petition. His Honor added that he would call the attention of the Atti rney-General 'to the cas j, as that Minister was the guardian of the marriage law and ths administrator of the criminal law of the colony, an! that it would be for the Government to consider what steps should be taken against Wilki json. ..-■"