The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-09-01
'"MARvIN," THE BIGAMIST AND
SWINDLER.

'MA1v1NS Tue Bl6AMlST AMI
SWINDLER.
Arrest OF . Professional Blgamjst and
Swimdler-An Account Of the Vlllain.
GUS Exploits Of Most Remarkable
Scoundrel Several Women Married
and Deserted-R1ls Financial Svvind.
ling Transactions.
For more than year past, at tolerably
regular intervals, there have appeared il
the daily papers dispatches from various
cities between Boston and Richmond, and
as far west as Missouri or Kansas, givins
particulars of the achievements of a profes
stonal bigamist and swindler, who operated
under the names Of Marvin, Morton, Adams
and other fictitious applications. His meth
DDS in almost all his adventures have been
nearly alike. and the descriptions of the
man have go closely Tailed that as fast al
the announcements of his achievements
were made his previous victims recognized
him as being still on his travels. This rockies.
individual was arrested yesterday at Lynn
Mass, through the efforts Of Pinkerton'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 q
most remarkable fellow. He is about fifty
seven years Of age, about five feet nine
inches in height and weighs about 80
pounds. His head, which is we'll formed, is
covered with growth Of white hair, and
rather thin at the crown, and he wears 4
white mustache and long side whiskers.
His complexion is forid, his eyes are of q
dark blueish gray, and he has deep-set
lines in hi cheeks. He wears a 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 ga beautiful
talker," and has unbOunded nerve and en-
pysssement. Some eight or nine wives have
already been traced to his transitory posses
sion, with no one of whom he has ever lived
longer than week, while his forged OF
fraudulent commercial notes are too nu-
lnerous to be catalogued. He has been
hunted down mainly through his Virginian
escapade.
LII may IuSL ZIG 110IC1OIu \SOuusJ SNUTCns
man contained an advertisement, from
which it appeared that one Thomas A. Mar
win was in need Of a governess, he being a
widower, for his eight-year-old daughter.
Among others who replied to the advertise
ment was Miss Turpin, of Richmond, Va,
lady of good family, but in moderate cir.
cumstances, 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
favorably impressed with her written appli-
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
ences. 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. In 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 with
her as governess. 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 frsm w. A.
Taylor was signed by Mrs. Taylor, who sale
she had opened her husbands letter be.
cause he was absent from home, anl
that she could jndorse Mr.. Marvin.
few days after Marvin left Richmond
Miss Turpin received second letter
from Mrs. Taylor, in which she said
Mr.. Marvin had just called on her, and that
he was highly pleased, and Mrs. Taylor
also said she could not avoid committing ar
objectionable breach OF confidence by in
forming her that Mr.. Marvin had told hel
that Miss Turpin was his ideal, and that he
proposed to seek her as his wife. Mrs
Taylor closed her letter by again recon.
mending Marvin as a paragon of conjuga
goodness to his first wife, and saying that
Miss Turpin would do we'll in accepting
him should he offer his hand and fort
une to her. Two or three days later Mar
vim turned up in Richmond and did actually
propose marriage. Miss Turpln accepted
his offer, but told him very frankly that she
could not yet love him, but could fulfill hel
duties faithfully as wife. On July 20 they
strument in writing by which he settled on
her marriage gift of $4,000. Not long
after the wedding Marvin went to A. NJ.
Brownell, Miss Turpin's brother-in- law,
and got him to 60 to a bank in Richmond
and identify him as the holder of the drafts
drawn by the First National Bank of Madi-
son, Wis, on the First National Bank OF
Chicago. The drafts were in favor OF
Baird & Bradley, but were Endorsed payable
to Marvin, for $765. He received for them
$3.50 in cash and the balance in two smaller
drafts on the Merchants' National Bank OF
New York. He next borrowed 500 from
the clergyman who had married him to Miss
Turpin, when he left Richmond with his
bride for a bridal tour. A few days after
he left his wife's relatives found out by the
return Of the drafts that they were worth
less, and beginning to suspect Marvin, they
wrote to ex-Judge Shipman, in this city,
who put the case in Pinkerton' 3
hands. All of these letters of rec
ommendation, it is almost needless
to say, were written by Marvin
himself. or at his instance. There were no
such people living in those places as those
whom he named as references. After Miss
Turpin had written to the parties he went
to the post-offices named and got her let.
tiers and sent the eulogis site responses.
Meanwhile, Marvin had got as far as Jersey
City, and left his wife at the Windsor Hotel
while he went on to Albany. In the latter
city he bought two drafts from Spencer,
Trask & Co., having been introduced to
them by well-known railroad man as Gen.
eral A. p. Morton, by which name he seemed
to be known to other people in Albany.
As part Of the value of his Richmond
drafts he received two other drafts, one ON
Henry C. Black, and the other on Mrs.
Kenney. Leaving Albany he went to Roch-
ester, and his wife was sent for to join him
at Albion. The detectives were now on his
trail, and at Albion Pinkerton's men found
the wife, Marvin having deserted her. Hav-
ing probably learned that the authorities
were after him he failed to meet her, but
hod hor -