The Shasta courier., 1865-11-04
An Insurance Agent with Ten Wives.


Frank n. Case, agent for a mutual fire
insurance company located at Madison, Wis.
He represented himself as single man, and
paid his addresses to the daughter Of an
esteemed and intelligent family, the name Of
which we omit by special request. The
parents did not favor the suit. Case being
almost a stranger, and his age-nearly 40
was deemed unsuitable for the young maiden
of scarcely 20 years. However, he succeeded
in winning the girls affections, and she,
viewing him through the roseate hue of her
girlish love, with her guileless, unsuspecting
nature, believed him all that her fancy
painted him. The parents being determined
to prevent the match, availed themselves of a
temporary absence on the part OF Case to send
the girl to friends at Shrewsbury Point,
Delaware county, to get her out of the way.
On his return Case bv some means learned
her whereabouts, when he Immediately
sought her.
The result was that the young girl, away
from home and the loving care which would
have saved her, yielded to the specious plead
ing Of an artful villain, and consented to a
clandestine marriage, which was effected at
Delhi. in this State, on the 26th day of April
last. Soon after the marriage Case and she
turned to ber parents at this place, who,
seeing that further opposition would be use
less, received them kindly and cordially. so
matters passed on until IA month or six weeks
ago, when the father of the lady was informed
by citizen Of this place that Case had wife
living in Wisconsin at the time Of his mar
riage here. As might be expected. this
intelligence fell with crushing weight upon
F.,
proach, and no one Of whose members had
ever suffered even the shadow of dishonor to
fall on their domestic hearthstone. The
father Immediately began investigating the
matter, and found the information 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 his examination yesterday before
Justice Crosby-J. 3. Powers appearing for
the State. and 4. +. Brown conducting the
defense.
The facts developed in the examination,
and learned from other trustworthy sources,
proves Case to be villain of the darkest dye.
1t is satisfactorily ascertained that he mar
red not less than FIVE different women in
Vermont and contiguous States, before COM
mencing his career in The West. At one time
he was paying his addres, es to the sister Of a
lady now living in this city, and she was
about accepting him when. at the advice of
friends, she wrote down to another part of
the State where be had been living, for the
purpose of inquring into his character. The
answer returned was that he had wife
living there. and two or three children. A
happy circumstance would it have been for
the unfortunate Girl whom he dshonored here
Jcbo +al-o H.
has been West, Case has married no less than
four other women. and we understand that at
the time of his arrest he was intending to
marry the fifth one, II young lady living in
this State, not great distance from Cedar
Falls. He was arrested, of course. on the
charge of bigamy. The plea of the defendant
was novel one. remarkable for its bare
faced shamefulness, its unqualified acknowl
edsment of heinous crimes. The defense was
this:
In 1860 Case married one. Leonora Cadv.
who he SAYS deserted him. Shortly after
ward he married Hannah Sutherland. the
only daughter of wealthy farmer of Green
county, Wisconsin. Some time after the
marriage he procured divorce from Leonora
He now claims that he did not commit biga
my in marrying the lady in this place,
because Hannah was not his lawful wife, be
having married her before he had procured
divorce from Leonora. He acknowledged
that he had committed bigamy, but it was in
Wisconsin and not in Iowa, therefore the
Court had no jurisdiction in the case, and
should discharge him from custody. The
prosecution offered in evidence a certified
copy of the marriage certificate. showing that
Case had been married in legal form to
Hannah Sutherland. and as the marriage
with the lady here was also proved, he clearly
stood convicted of bgamy, and was held to
bail IN the sum of $500 for his appearance
at the next term of the District Court, in
default of which he was committed to the
county Jail. There is no doubt but what
Case was divorced from Leonora, and not
until he aad married Hannah, as he had
certified copy of the divorce bill in court, but
it being not properly authenticated, it was
not admitted as evidence.
1t was scene of thrilling intereet when
Case's last victim came into the court room
So overcome was she by her sense of the
degrading and humiliating position in which
she was placed, taat her emotion we'll nigh
overcame her. and she had to be supported by
her aged mother, who accompanied her. 1t
was we'll that she was not obliged to 90 on
lHc NltHtSS etdHu, lOr we 10 not DelleVe SDe
could have passed the terrible ordeal As
soon as the mother saw Case she shook her
fist at him and exclaimed, 20, you infamous
villain If | had pistol | would shoot you
dead on the spot;' and the clenched teeth
aud the flashing eyes of the injured mother
were guarantee that she would not have
been slow to execute her threat had opportu
nity offered. Case sat there with sneering
smile on his dark swarthy face, apparently
the least concerned of any one present The
girl is noble looking specimen of Woman
hood. and those who know her say she is as
good as tar. Young and inexperienced. she
was unable to look beneath the mask which
hid the incarnation of evil, and fell a victim
to the wlles of one whose long experience
rendered him competent to pursue his neva-
rious designs with success.
r. S--Just as We go to press we learn that
the prisoner committed suicide this morning.
Last evening officer Sessions placed Case in
charge OF A. T. Brown, who took the prisoner
to hls room to pass the night. This morning