Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1881-09-03
"MARVIN," THE BIGAMIST AND
SWINDLER. ...r....g

- "
Arrest of n Professional BiganIIst and
Swindler--An Account of the Villain-
Gus Exploits Of Most Remarkable
ScOundrcl Several Women Married
and Deserted-HIs Financial Swind-
ling Transactions.
For more than year past, at tOlerably
regular intervals, there have appeared in
the daily papers dispatches from various
cities between Boston and Richmond, and
as far west as Missouri or Kansas, giving
particulars of the achievements ola profess
sonal bigamist and swindler, who operated
under the names Of Marvin, Morton, Adams
and other fictitious appellations, His meth
DDS in almost all his adventures have been
nearly alike, and the descriptions Of the
man have so closely tailed that Us fast as
the announcements of his achievements
were made his previous victims recognized
him as being still on his travels. This reckless
individual was arrested yesterday at Lynn,
Mass, through the efforts of Pmkerton's
detectives, and is now in jail awaiting eX-
tradition to Virginia, where he is charged
with forgery, bigamy and obtaining money
under false pretenses. Captain 'Bob"
Pinkerton, who is in charge of the New
York Office and has directed the detective
movements against the swindler, says the
man who Is widely known as Marvin is
most remarkable fellow. lie is about fifty
seven years of age, about five feet nine
inches in height and weighs about $50
! pounds. His bead, which Is well formed, is
covered with growth Of white hair, and
rather thin ut the crown, and he wears n
white mustache and long side whiskers.
His complexion is tlOrld, his eyes are OF a
dark blueish gray, aud he has deep-set
lines in hi cheeks. He wears Prince Al
bert coat, kept closely buttoned, always wears
black or blue-black clothing, and has dis
tingue, semi military air. Added TO this he
is what is sometimes called "a beautiful
talker," and has unbounded nerve and en-
prSs mint. Some eight or nine wives have
already been traced to his transitory posses
sion, with no one Of whom lie has ever lived
longer than n week, while his forged or
fraudulent commercial notes are too nu-
mereus to be cataogued. He has been
hunted down mainly through his Virginian
e>capade.
In May last the Hartford Comm Church
man contained an advertisement, from
which it appeared that one Thomas A. Mar
vim was in need OF gOverness, he being q
widowcr, for his eight.yeOrold daughter
Among others who replied to the advertise
ment was Miss Turpin, Of Richmond, Va,
n lady of good faiiiily, but in moderate cir!
cum.tances, then living with her mother.
Miss Turpin was about twenty years old.
She received reply from Marvin, dated at
New Haven, in which he said he was very
fayorably impressed with her written aupli-
cation, and would like to see her. but he
wished to know her terms. Again she Wrote,
giving her terms, to which he responded,
saying the terms were rather high, and ask
ing her for references. She answered, Civ
ing him the name of Judge and minister
in Richmond, and asked him for his refer
enccs. In return he gave her the names Of
Judge COwan, of Germantown, Pa; w. A.
Taylor, OF Camden, N. j., and the Rev.
John Danforth, OF Media, Pa. Miss Tur.
pin wrote to these parties and received from
them most eulogistic Endorsements OF Mr..
Marvin, as gentleman OF wealth, culture
and responsibility. Ina few days Miss Tur.
pin received a note saying Mr.. Marvin was
about going to Richmond TO visit her. He
called ON her accordingly, appeared to be
pleased, and concluded an engagement will
her as goyerncss. Then he left, saying he
had some business TO attend to in New
York, and saying he would be back in .
week to take Miss Turpin to New Haven
The letter Of recommendation from w. A
Taylor was signed by Mrs. Taylor, who sale
she had opened her husbands letter be.
cause he was absent from home, ant
that she could indorse Mr. Marvin. A
few days after Marvin left Richmond
Miss Turpin received a second letter
from Mrs aylor in which she said
Mr.. Marvin had just called on her, and tina
he was highly pleased, and Mrs., Taylo
also said she could not avoid committing III
objectionable breach OF confidence by in
forming her that Mr.. Marvin had told he
that Miss Turpin was his ideal, and that h,
proposed to seek her as his wife. Mrs
Taylor closed her letter by again recon
mending Marvin as a paragon Of coniuga
goodness TO his first wife, and saying tina
Miss Turpin would do well in acceptin,
him should he offer his hand and fort
une to her. Two or three days later Mar
vim turned up iii Richmond anddd actuall
propose marriage. Miss Turpm accepte,
his offer, but told him very frankly that sh
could not yet love him, but could fulfill he
duties faithfully as a wife. On July 20 the
were married, and Marvin gave her an in
} strument in writing by which he settled o.
her a marriage gift of $4,000. Not lon
after the wedding Marvin went TO A. NJ
t Brownell, Miss Turpn's .brother-in-law
and got him to 90 TO bank in Richmon
, and identify him as the holder Of the draft
! drawn by the First National Bank of Madi
son, Wis, on the First National Bank @
Chicago. The drafts were i'm favor Q
, Baird iS Bradley, but were Endorsed payabl
to Marvin, for 500. He received for then
$3.50 in cash and the balance in two smalle
drafts on the Merchants National Bank @
: New York. lie next borrowed 500 iron
, the clergyman who had married him to Mis-
! Turpin, when he left Richmond with hi
bride for a bridal tour. A few days afte
!, he left his wife S relatives found out by tn
: return Of the drafts that they were worth
less, and beginning to suspect Marvin, the
wrote to eX-Judge Shipman, in this city
who put the case in Pmkerton'
hands. All Of these letters of rec
9 ommendation, it.. is almost needles
q to say, were written by Marvi
himself. or at his instance. There were n
L.,