New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-10-31
A GEoLOGTCAL SCOUNDREL-PASS HIN
ROUND


recently of Nassau-st, New fork, called upon
to surre der for trial charge Of having ntermar-
RED with lady resident in Brooklyn, his frat wife,
Charlotte Deck, being alive at the period Of such
second marriage, and now residing in the City Of
Eorwiob, England As the learned Doctor deemed
II most prudent to forfeit bail and is fugitive
from justice, VIC have been at considerable pains in
collecting the facts of ths very interesting case and
now lay them before readers in the hope that
they may be copied extensively through the press
and facilitate the ends Of justice by leading the
capture Of the criminal
In the year 1852 the family Of deceased English
EpiscopalisD clergyman we're so unfortunate to be-
come acquainted with Mr. Deck, who was then resi-
dent chemist Of the Montgomery Mues, Sullivan Co.,
in this State and one Of The judges in the Chemical
Department OF the American institute; more recently
he held somewhat similar place In the distribution
Of prizes at the Crystal Palace in conjunction with
Professors SiIliman Antsel, Jackson and other eel
cntifc men of note. Shortly after his introduction to
the family in question he paid the most marked ten
ton to the youngest daughters LADY Of great per-
sonal beauty and highly accomplishment go far
succeeded, though very many years her senior to
gain her affections. He proposed in due form and
was accepted,-hs high position here, his age, and
the known responsibility OF his family in Cambridge,
England, precuding all suspicion Of his character.
They wire married by the Rev. Dr.. Vinton, friend
the young adys, in the January Of 1853, and the
marriage was regularly announced both in the papers
Of this country and Great Britain. For the succeed
ing year they lived happily together the lady giving
birth to son; and on the 9th Of February last Mr..
Deck sailed for Jamaica under professional engage
meBt made by the Messrs. Dawson Of Pearl-st on
behalf OF Mr. Barrett the proprietor Of some copper
mines in that island.
On The rery day after has departure the young
ladys mother received information of the prior mar
rage from her friends in England aud without ap-
prising her daughter Of what she had learned,
fastened to Mr.. VIM. c. Barrett, then Of Wallst.,
now Of Broadway, for advice as 10 what conduct she
should pursue and to initiate proceedings for de-
claring the blasphemous mockery Of marriage null
and void. AS Mr.. Deck was not expected to return
until the latter end Of April and much depended
on his being kept in ignorance that his vlainy had
been discovered, Mr.. Barrett-whose conduct in this
case the young lady and her family feel that they
never sufficiently knowedge-advised that the
daughter should be kept in ignorance Of the matter
until within few days Of her lsupposed) husbands
return, and so sbe was Pretending to be anxi Jus
about her lonelit and ilhealth the mother imne
diately removed her daughter from the house Mr..
Deck bad provided 10 her own; and there for three
long weeks, the young wife lived among her family,
fondly anticipating and constantly speaking Of the
return of her husband feeling angry, perhaps, that
no one seemed to rejoice with her, and rendered
vaguely uneasy by the plying tenderness which sur
rounded her-whie her sisters and her mother had
to control their tears assign them to fictitious
cause.
Meantime Mr.. Barrett was not idle. lie put him
self into communication with the family of the fret
wife in England and obtained full evidence that in
the year 1914 Isaiah Deck, chemist, of bennington,
had married one Charlotte - of Norwich, lady
Of high family and with very considerable fortunes
1--we have heard from private source that her prop
erty amounted TO between fOrty-fve and sixty thou
sand dollars that he squandered Der fortune in the
course of short dissipation, il-treated and finally
deserted her Bad as all this may appear, there was
yet deeper treachery behind it. Deck used fire.
quently, on the receipt of the English mail to tell his
second wife that he had received letters from home
from his mother his brother, father sisters in Cam
bridge. lie did not give her the letters, but read
aloud to her passages full of affection for himself and
congratulations on his good fortune in finding such
partner as his letters described his present wife to be-
Those letters must have been either forged by the
man himself or improvised as he pretended to read
past Mr.. Decks family had found ii impossible to
continue any correspondence with him; thai they had
cast him off, and were never aware of his second
marriage until after the institution Of legal proceed
iDgs.
Yet lsorse than that lit appeared that even alter
his engagement to his second victm-even while be
was urging ON the marriage with speed that would
preclude the possibility of arriving in time
10 break it of he bad written to his first wiies So
Tcitor enreating a reconciliation with that injured
lady, declaring his ardent affection for her person,
and his eeteem for her character-and thls he wrote
while the accepted sutton Of another
Thee facts elected such profound duphcity, and
other circumstances proved the dangerous charac-
ter of the man that Mr.. Barrett resolved if possible
10 bring him to punishment. Consulting with MS
friend the late amepted DisricAttorney, Blunt, be
impaired some Of his fervor to the desire at all
times evident by that eminent officer to bring retrou-
ton on the guilty. Mr.. Blunt, who was aware how
much this trans. Atlantic bigsmy is increasing by i'm
punity in this country, joined Mr.. Barrett in an APP
plcation to the Governor to appropriate sufficient
funds to bring over the necessary witnesses from Eng
land The application was successful and the Grand
Jury then sitting found bill against Isaiah Deck
for bigamy.
On his return from Jamaica in the latter end OF
April, Deck was arrested by Officer sPicer who hsd
yieian'l, watched every Californian and West Indian
arrival for several days, and was held to bail in the
sum of 81 900 by Mr. Blunt This bail was aiSerward
reduced OIL half; but at that small amount the
= prisoner could not find any sureties among friends
estranged by the knowledge Of his misconduct AT
length he obtained some person with whom he had no
previous acquaintance to be his bOndmani but
against this Mr. Barrett, on behalf of the family, en-