Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1865-08-11
A LETTER TO Ills LAST VICTIM.

Suicide OF the Prisoner He Hangs Him
self With Pair of Drawers.
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A LETTER TO Ills LAST VICTIM.
Last fall there appeared in this CITY
one Frank N. Case, agentfor mutual
fire insurance company, located at Mad
ison, Wis. Ho represented himself as q
single man, and paid his addresses TO
the daughterof an esteemed an iatolG-
gent family, the namo Of which we
omit by special request. The parents
did not favor the suit, Case being ALMOST
a stranger, and his age, nearly forty,
was deemed unsuitable for the young
maiden of scarcely twenty years. How
ever, he succeeded in winning the girls
affections, and she viewing him through
the roseate hue OF her girlish love, with
her guileiess, unsuspeeting nature be-
lieved him al that her fancy painted
him. The parents being determined to
prevent the match, availed themselves
OF a TEN porarv absence on the part of
Case to send the girl to friends at Straw
berry Point, Delaware Co., to get her
out of his way. On his return Case by
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
spacious pleading of an artful william,
and consented to clandestine marriage,
which was effected at Delhi, in this
State, on the Goth day Of April last
Soon after the marriage, Case, and she
who supposed herself his honored wife,
returned to her parents at this place,
who, seeing that further opposition
would be useless, received them kindly
and cordially. So matters passed on
until month or six weeks ago, when
thefather of the lady was Informed by
a citizen Of this place that Case had a
wife living in Wisconsin at the time of
marriage here. AS might be expect
ed this intelligence fell with crushing
weight nponia family whose good name
was above reproacll, and no one of whose
members had ever suffered even the
shadow of dishonor to fall on their do
nestle hearth-stone. The father imne-
diately began Investigating the matter,
and found the information but too true
Cautiously he wentto work to collect
the evidence, having obtained which he
had Case arrested the early part OF this
week. He had his examination yester-
day before Justice Crosby j.. Pow
efs appearing for the State, and a. F..
Brown conducting the defense. The
facts DEVELOPED inthe examination, and
learned from other reliable sources,
prove Casc to be q villian of the darkest
dye. 1t Is satisiactori!v ascertained thai
nc married not less than five different
women in Vermont and contiguous
States, before commencing his career in
the West At one time he was paying
his addresses to the sister of lady now
liSng'in this city, and she was about
accepting him when, at the advice Of
friends, she wrote down to another part
ST the state where nc had been living,
FOR the purpose Of inquiring into his
character. The answer returned was
that he had q wife Lying there, and two
or three children. \ happy circuli-
stanee would it have Leen for the unfor-
tunatc airl whom he dishonored here,
had che taken similar precaution, Since
he has been West Case has married no
less than four other women, ana we un-
deTstand That at tic time Of his arrest
he Was intending TO marry the fifth one,
G young lady: living in this State, net a
great distance from Cedar Falls. He
was arrested, of course. OH the charge of
bigainy.' The plea Of the defendant was
anovel one, remarkable for its barefaced
sliamefulness, its unqualified acknowl-
edgement of henious crime. The do
tense was this; 49,
Tn 1880 Case married ono Lenora Ca
dy, who he says deserted him. Short
ly afterwards ne married Hannah Suth-
erland, the only daughter of q wealthy
farMsr Of sGreen County, Wis. Some
time after this marriage he procured a
divorce from Lcnora Cady. He now
claims that hesdid not commit bigamy
in nlagrying tho lady in this place, be-
cause Hannah was net his lawful wife,
he having married her before he had
q divorce from Ienora. lie
that he had committed
biga1ny, but It was IN Wisconsin and
not In lava, therefore. the court had no
Jurisdiction ia the case, and should dis
charge him from custody. The prose-
cutioA offered IN evidence q certified
copy Of the marriage certificate, Show
ing.that Case had been married In legal
form to Hannah Sutherland, and as the |
rnHrriss.e with tho lady here was also
proved, he clearly stood convicted Of |
bigamy, and was held to bail in the
sum of fifteen hundred dollars for his |
appearance at the next term of the Dis
trlct Court, In default of which he was |
to the County Jail. There is |
no doubt but that, Case was divorced
from ,Lenora, and not until after he had
married Hannah, as he had certified
copy of the divorce bill in Court, bat it
being not properly authenticated, it
was not admitted as evidence.
1t was scene of thrilling interest |
when Cases last victim came into the
court ROOM So overcome was shelby her
sense Of the degrading and huniliating
position in which she was placed, gthat I
her emotions well-nigh overcame her,
and she had to be supported by her
lged mother, who accompanied her.
It was Wen that she was not Obliged to
30 o. the witness stand, for we do not
believe she could have passed the terri
Die ORDEAL. AS soon % the mother saw
Jase, she shook issr fist at him and ex-
;laimed, sssOh, YOU Infamous villain! If