Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1865-08-24
AN EXTRAORDINARY CAREER.
An Insurance Agent With Ten
Wives-He Hangs Himself With a
Pair of Drawers.
From the Cedar Fails uowa) Gazette

Last fall there appeared in this city one Frank
N. Case, agent for mutual irc insurance compa-
ny, located at Madison, Wiss. He represented
himself as single man, and paid his addresses to
the daughter of an esteemed and interesting fam-
lv-the name of which we omit by special request:
The parents did not favor the suit, Case being al
most a stranger, and his age, nearly forty, was
deemed unsuitable for the young maiden of scarce
ly twenty years. However, he succeeded in win
ming the girls affections, and she viewing him
through the roseate hue of her grlise love. with
her gueless, unsuspecting nature believed him all
that her fancy painted him. The parent. being
determined to prevent the match, availed them
selves Of temporary absence on the part OF Case
to send the girl to friends at Strawberry Point,
Delaware Co., to get her out of the way. On his
return Case by some means learned her where
abouts, when he Immediately sought her. The re-
suit was that the young girl, away from home and
the loving care which would have saved her, yield.
ed to the specious pleading OF an artful villain,
and consented to a clandestine marriage, which
was effected at Delhi, in this State, on the Doth
day OF April last Soon after the marriage, Case.
and she who supposed herself his honored wife,
returned to her parents at tins place, who, seeing
that further opposition would be useless, received
them kindly and cordially. So m itters passed on
until month or six weeks ago. when the father
Of the lady was informed by a citizen of this place
that Case bad wife living in Wisconsin at the
time OF his marriage here. As might be expected
this intelligence fell with crushing weight upon a
family whose good name was above reproach, and
no one of whose members have ever suffered
even the shadow of dish nor to fall on their do
mesiic hearth h-stone The father Immediately be-
gan investigating the matter, and found the infor
nation but too true. Cautiously he went TO work
TO collect the evidence, having obtained which he
had Case arrested the early part of this week. He
had an examination Yesterday before Justice Cros-
by,-J. b. Powers appearing for the State, and A.
F. Brown conducting the defense. The facts de-
veloped in the examination. and learned from 9th
er reliable sources, prove Case to be villain OF
the darkest dye. IL is satisfactorily ascertaned
that he mirricd no. less than five different women
in Vermont and contiguous States. before COM
mencing his career in the West. At one time he
paving his addresses to the sister OF lady
now living in this city. and she was about accept
ing him when. at the advice OF friends, she wrote
down to another part of the State where he had
been living, for the purpose OF inquiring into his
character. The answer returned was that he had
a wife living there, and two or three children. A
happy circumstance would it have been for the
unfortunate girl whom he dishonored here had she
t,ken similar precaution. Since he has been West
Case has m rried no less than four other women,
and understand that at the time of his arrest
he was intending to marry the fifth one, a young
lady living in this State, not great distance
from Cedar Falls. He was arrested, of course,
on the charge of bgamy. The plea of the de-
fendant move. one remarkable for its baIe
faced shlmefIlness, its unqualified acknowledg.
ment of fhenous crime. The defense was this:
In 1860 Case married one LeDOra Cady, who he
says deserted him. Shortly Afterwards he marri
ed Hannah Sutherland. the only daughter of a
wealthy farmer of Green comfy, Wisconsin,
Some time alter this he procured a divorce from
Lenora Cady. He now claims that he did not
commit bigamy in marrying the lady in this place,
because Hannah was not his llwful wife, he ha'
ing married her before he had procured divorce
from Lenora. lie a"knowledged that he had COM
mtted bgamy, but it WAS in Wisconsin and not in
Iowa, therefore the Court hid no jurisdiction in
the case, and should discharge him from custody
The prosecution offered in evidence certified
copy of the marriage certificate showing that Case
had been married in legal form to Hannah Suth- |
erland. and a the marriage with the lady here
also proved, he clearly stood convicted Of bigamy,
and held to bail in the sum oil fifteen hundred !
dollars for his appearance at the next term of the
District Court, in default of which he was com.
mtted to the county ji There is no doub: but
that Case was divorced from Lenora, and not un !
ill after he had married Hannah, as he had n Ger.
titled copy ofthe divorce bill in court, but it, being
not properly authenticated, it not adm tied as
evidence.
1t was a scene of thrilling interest when Cases
last victim came into the court room. So over |
come was she bv her sense of the degrading and /
humiliating position in which she was placed. that
her emotions well nigh overcame her, and she hld
To- be supported by her aged m,ther, who accom- I
panied her. Ii was well that she not obliged /
TO go on the witness stand. for do not believe /
she could have passed the terrible ordeal As soon
as the mother saw Case she shook her fist at him |
and exclaimed, "Oh, YOU Infamous villain, If [ /
had pistol would shoot YOU dead or the spot"
and the clenched teeth and flashing eyes of the |
injured mother were a guarantee that she would |
not have been slow to execute her threat had op-
portunity offered. Case sat there with sneeriny
smile on his dark swarthy face, apparently the |
least concernej Of any one present. The girl is a
noble looking specimen OF w0manhOod. and those !
who know her say she is as good as fair. Young |
and inexperienced. she unable to look beneath
the mask which hid the incarnation of evil, and i
fell victim TO the wiles Of one whose long sx- |
perience rendered him competent TO pursue his ne |
IA rious designs with success.
p. S.-Just as We go to press we learn that the !
prisoner committed suicide this morning. Last i
evening officer Sessions placed Case in charge of
A. + Brown, who took the prisoner TO his room |
to pass the night. This morning Brown went to |
breakfast, leaving the man in bed handcufel. as
he had been all night. About eight o'clock officer
Sessions got the key and went up to take charge |
of Case. He entered the outer Office and passed /
TO the bedroom. when he discovered Case hanging |
in the doorway. he having taken pair OF drawers !
ard tied them yer the trensom and about his neck.
The officer immeiiitely cut him down and sent |
Brown, VINO had i'm the meantime come in, for |
physician. Life, however, wis extinct, and Case
h ID passed beyond the reach of human laws. to ap
pear before the tribunal Of the Most High. His !
self destruction was determined effort, as, when .
discovered his feet rested upon the floor. tie |
must have drawn mp his kneesand keptthe weight /
OF his body upon his neck until strangulation took
place. and he SO far gone that he could not stand
upon his feet He left letter to his wife il this
place, saving that he did the deed through love of
her. and that her father had driven him to the act
Thus ignomnousiy has ended the earthly career
of one who has blasted the happiness Of many a
family circle; and. as he was detested and abhor-
red while living, no sympathy or respect will be
attached to his memory now that he is dead.