Delaware State journal and statesman., 1865-08-25

HE HANGS HIMSELF WITH A PAIR Ol
DRAWERS.
From the Cedar Falls dowal Gazette.
Last Fall there appeared IN this city one Franl
N Case, agent for mutual tire-insurnnce com
many located at Madison, Wis. lie represented
himself as h single man, aud paid his addressel
to the daughter Of an esteemed and intelligent
family, the name Of which we omit by speoa
request The parents did not favor the suit
Case being almost stranger and his age
nearly l0--was deemed unsuitable for the young
maiden of scarcely 20 years. However, he
succeeded in winning the giTl's affections, and
she, viewing him through the roseate hue Of
be grlish love, with her guileless, unsuspecting
nature believed him oil that her fancy painted
him. The parents being determined to prevent
the MATCH availed themselves of temporary
absence ON the pGrt 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 whereabout, when he
immediately sought her.
The result WAS that the young girl, away from
home aud the loving care which would have
sVsd her, yielded to the speoious pleading of an
artful villain, aud consented TO n candesline
marriage, which was effected at Delhi, in this
State on the 10th day Of April last Soon after
The marriage, Case, and she who supposed her
self bis honOrcd wife, returned to her parents at
this place, who, seeing that further opposition
would be useless, received them kindly aud cor.
daily So matters passed on until month or
liz weeks ago, when the father of the lady was
informed by II citizen OF this place that Case had
wife living in Wisconsin at the time of his
marriage here. As might be expected, this in
tegence fell with crushing weight upon II
family whose good name was above reproach,
..I of hna h,l H..
even the shadow of dishonor to fall on their do
nestle hearIhstone The father Immediately be-
gan investigating the matter, aud found the iu-
formation but too true. Cautiously he went to
work to collect the evidence, having obtained
ahieh he had Case arrested the early part Of
ibis week He had his examination yesterday
before Justice Crosby. d, Powers appearing
for the State, and A. +. Brown conducting the
defense.
The facts developed in the examination, and
learned from other trustworthy sources, prove
Case 10 be william Of the darkest dye. II is
satisfactorily aseertained that he married not
kss than five different women in Vermont and
contiguous States, before commencing his career
10 the West. At one time he was paying his ad
dresses to the sister Of n lady now living in this
city, and she was about accepting him when, at
ila alyico of fileuds, she wrote down to another
TaH Of the Stat where lie had been living, TOR
lls purpose Of iDquiring into his character. The
slsWer returned was that he had wife living
here and two or three children. happy cir
substance would it have been for the unfortu-
nate girl whom he dshonored here had she taken
similar precaulion. Since he 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, o
ioung lady living in this State, not great dis
lance from Cedar Falle. He was arrested, Of
course, on the charge Of bigamy. The plea II
lhe defendant was novel one, remarkable for
iis bareiaced thametuness, its unqualified ac-
ktowledgment OF heno0s crime. The defense
VAS this;
20 1850 Cbse married one Lenorn Cady, who
he sAys deserted him, shortly sfterward he
hsried Hannah Sutherland, the only daughter
n q wealthy farmer vi Green County Wiscon
su Some time after this marriage he procured
adiVorce from LenoIa Cady. lie now claims
that he did not commit bigamy in merging the
lady in this place, because Hannah was not his
ht!ul wife, ne having married het before be had
procured divorce from Lenora. lie acknowl-
edged that be had committed bigamy, but II was
10 Wisconsin aud not in Iowa, therefore the
tOuvt had no jurisdction in the case, and should
lscharge him from custody. Tue prosecution
'aered in evidence certified copy OF the mar
rage certificate, showing that Case had been
married in legal form to Hannah Sutherland,
all as the marriage with the lady here was also
proved, he clearly stood convicted of bigamy,
An, - -. h"ld tn hail in the sum OF 81, 500 for
bis appearance at the next term Of the District
Court, in default of which he was committed to
lhe County Jail There ia no doubt but that
Csse was divorced from Lenoga, and not unlll
after he had married Hannah, as he had a GER
ifed copy of the divorce bill in court, but II
being not properly authenticated, it was not ad-
nltted as evidence.
1t was O scene of thrilling interest when Cases
lost victim came into the court room. So over
come was she by her sense of the degrading and
humiliAting position in which she was placed
that her emotions we'll nigh overcame her, and
she had to be supported by her aged mother,
who accompanied her. II was well that she was
not obliged to go on tho witness stand for we
DO not believe she could have passed the terrible
oideal, As soon as the mother saw Case she
shook her fist at him and exclaimed 80, you
lDtamous villain if | had pistol | would shoot
you dead on the spot" and the clenched teeth
aud the flashing eyes Of the injured mother
we're guarantee that she would not have been
slow to execute her threat had opportunity Of
Tered. Case sat there with q sneerng smile on
bis dark swarlhy face, apparently the least con-
eerned of any one present. The girl is a noble
looking specimen of womanhOod, and those who
KNOW her say she is as good as fair. Young and
inexperienced, she was unable to look beneath
lhe mask which hid the incarnation Of evil, and
Tell victim to the wiles of ono whose long ex-
perence rendered him competent to pursue his
heiarious designs with success.
r. s.-Just as we 60 to press we learn that
lhe prisoner committed suicide this morning
Last evening Officer Sessions placed Case in
charge Of A. +. Brown, who took the prisoner
2 bis room to pass the night. This morning
brown went to breakfast, ieaViug the man in
oed handcuifed, as he had been oil night About
o'c!o9k Officer Sessions got the key and went
up TO take charge Of Case, He entered the outer
once and passed to the bedroom, when he dis
covered Case hanging in the doorway, he having
AEen pair Of drawers and tied them over the
ManHom and about his neck. The officer imme-
e'alely cut him down and sent Brown, who had
~ the meantime came in, for physician. Life,
however, was extinct and Case had passed be-
tohu all reach of human laws 10 appear before
lae tribunal Of the Most High. His self-de-
bructiOn was determined effort as, when dis
covered, his feet rested upon the floor. lie must
have drawn up his knees aud kept tho WEIGHT
Of his body upon his neck until gtrangnatior
took place, and he 80 far gone that he could moi
stand upon his feet lie EFT o letter 10 his wifi,
10 this place, saying that he did the deed tbroupt
love Of her, and that her father had driven lin
10 the act. Thus ANONYMOUSLY has ended Nh,
earthly career of one who has blasted the hanni
less Of many family circle and, as he wa,
delested and abhorred while living, no sympatb,
OF respect will be attached to his memory nov
That he is dead.