Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-05-30
NINE WIVES TOO MANY.
low n Cay Dcccivcr Married nnd
Abandoned Ten Women.
From tho Detroit FREQ Press, MAY IT,

From tho Detroit Free Press, May lG
A Brooklyn official named Prell ar
rived in Detroit yesterday morning for
the purpose Of making the arrest of a
man named James Kingsbury, on
charge of bigamy. Prell had a letter
directing him to manufacturing es-
adjustment on Atwater street, where
he expected to find Kingsbury at wolk,
but on going to the shop he learned
that his man had left for Saginaw the
day before. It seems that Kingsbury,
who has until lately resided in the east,
married q woman at Mt. Morris, n. Y,
about seven years ago. He lived with
her about six months, and then ran
away, turning up at Jersey City year
after us a minister of tic gos.
pei, and having another wife.
While the first wife was
taking measures to have him arrested.
Kingsbury slipped Off to New Haven,
stealing several hundred dollars from
his second wife. He was not heard of
again for ten months, and was then dis
covered serving as clerk in a crockery
store, and had been married about O
month, the third wife being a respecta-
ble and worthy young: lady. The
6rotherlof wife No 2 was complainant
in having Kingsbury arrestet',- and tho
bigamist was placed behind tile bars of
police station to be taken back to
Jersey City. In some manner, which
has never been satisfactorily explained,
he made his escape from the station,
md though closely pursued for several
days, he got into Pennsylvania and con-
cealed himself.
The relatives of wives one, two and
three then made up shake purse and
employed IN official to spend his whole
time looking after the gay deceiver.
he looked for several months, and then
gave up the chase until he saw notice
Ill Harrisburg paper that Kingsbury
had married the widowed landlady Of
a boarding house in that city, ~obbed
her of her money and jewelry, and been
arrested in the act of absconiing. The
notice was u week old when seen, and
when Prell reached Harrisburg Kings
bury had induced wife No. 4 to with
draw her prosecution, and, once out of
jail, had made q successful escape.
From what can be learned, Kingsbury
was galivanting through Ohio and Vir-
ginia for two or three years, taking
wife here and there, and it is quite GER
tain that he came to Detroit a month
ago from the Obi" state penitentiary,
having served n short term there for
being connected with horse-stealing
scrape in Lorain county.
Kingsbury boarded at house on
Hastings street, and had not been an
inmate of the house d week when he
wanted to marry the servant girl, Civ.
ing her 10 understand that lie was to
soon come into the possession of large
fortune. Being addicted to drink, he
one night got to feeling highly elated,
and "blabbed" most of his history to
a companion. This man got the name
OF the wife at Jersey City, and wrote to
her that Kingsbury was here. The let
ter was sent to Prell, and he came on
as stated, but Kingsbury had departed.
Prell left for Saginaw as soon as possi-
BILE, and hopes to catch the bigamist
somewhere up in the valley. It is be-
lieved that tho man has, during the
seven years, married at least ten wo-
men. Prell has personal knowledge of
four, and newspaper slips concerning
four more, and, as the fellow was lost
track Of for about two years, he proba-
bly, married at least twice during that
period. If arrested and given the
average sentence for each time he has
married contrary to law, he will spend
his remaining days in prison.