Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-08-22
THE PRINCE OF RASCAI.S.

-WhdtfeT.
THE PRINCE OF RASCAIS
Using Half Score OF Aliases. and Marrying as
Many Women.
Marvin who has been captured at LINN.
Mass by the Pinkerton agency, has been one of
the most daring and successful rogues on rec
ord. For at least ten years past he has perpe-
trated a series of offences of peculiarly heart
less and repulsive character. inasmuch his
victims have so often been young and innocent
women. Forgery. false pretences and bigamy
are the designations which the law applies 10
the outrages of which he has been guilty. but
1t is feared that even the most severe statutes
will fail to provide adequate punishment. so art
ful and shrewd has the perpetrator become by
long and uninterrupted practice. Eleven
men of virtue and responsibility are known to
nave been the victims of mock marriage with
this man. only to be robbed and deserted while
several Others are believed to have been among
MS pretended wives. The design of the adver-
turer was to obtain money, and his plan, briefly
described, was to entrap poor girl of wealthy
connections, forge the pames or endorsements
OF her friends with bank accounts, procure
money on worthless checks. and then abandon
the trusting bride to seek fresh victim Homes
have been blasted and banks and business
houses victimized in almost every section of the
country 10y this unique adventurer. and yet the
whole story of his misdeeds is not known.
THE CRIMINALS REAL NAME
is believed to be Arthur Merritt, but his more
recent aliases, among many Others have been
Gen. A. b. Morton, Thomas A. Marvin. A. T.
Marvin, j. b. Lindsey. Benjamin +. Adams and
}. b. Mathieson. What aggravates his offence
is that he is man of Intelligence and talent
and over sixty years of age. Five years ago
under the name of David Lindsay he deuded
two young girls i'm New York, deserving one in
Washington after plunderng her of five hundred
dollars and the other i'm Chicago. having first
had
has been living with wife in New Haven for
three years past, and has daughter.
AMONG HIS NUMEROUS WIVES,
in addition to the four already mentioned (the
two New York girls, the New Haven lady, and
his latest victim in Rchmond), was the young
lady in Lakewood, n. j.. whom he married on
July 10th. only four days before his marriage to
the Richmond lady. The adventurer at that
time called himself Albert p. Marvin. and claimed
to be an attache of the United States legation at
Paris. He deserted his victim in Washington.
after obtaining money from her father a clergy
man. His hasty departures from Richmond
were owing to the necessity of his keeping this
wife from suspectng his plans. while he was
arranging to marry Miss Turpin. About two years
ago he married a lady in Carthage, Mo-. and de-
to have visited Philadelphia; where he
was united to another-the seventh-so
far as known. In Little Rock, NO.. he next
turns up as the husband of daughter Of
former governor of the state whom
he quickly abandoned. Mrs. Nellie De Hart. a
young widow. was his ninth BRIDE and two
Others are known to exist-one recently married
in gainesville, Ohio. The names of the ladies
which are not given i'm this article are sup
pressed at the request Of their friends, but are
known to the detectives In nearly all cases
Maryins mode of procedure seems to have been
about the same. He would advertise for a gov
elneSs. and then propose to his confiding charge
to marry him.
HUNTED DOWN
When at last run down at Lynn Mass, he was
living ObScurely at the Syracuse hotel under
the name of b. F. Addens. He was identified
10y a brother-in-law of Miss Turpin. 1t was as
certalned that when Marvin had deserted his
last wife he We'll to Canada and swindled a
Toronto firm out of 81 200 10y a worthless check
drawn on the Chicago branch of the Merchants
bank of Canada. through the First National
bank of Madison. Wis.,
Arthur Merritt. or Marvin had a hearing at
Boston Friday and was held i'm S. OO0 bail until
Tuesday. when the papers for his extraditon
will be ready
HIS FINANCIAL OPERATIONS.
Marvin alias Merritt. &c. appears not to have
been very successful i'm his attempted swindling
operations in New Haven, where he resided.
internationally, for period of four years One
OF his first acts was to place three notes i'm the
New Haven City bank for collection. and by
going to the cities where the notes purported to
have been drawn took means to have the notes
taken up in proper form and i'm this ingenious
manner tried to establish bank credit His
plans, however. were upset by an accidental dis
coyery by the bankers of what was going on
SO far as can be ascertaned Marvin never at
tempted to victimiZe any one i'm New Haven
His policy. according to those who were until
within fortnight very devoted friends, seem to
have been to fOrtify himself with show of re-
year ago last May this foresight saved Marvin
from
VERY UNPLEASANT INTERRUPTION
in his career. While stepping on board the cars
at st. Louis for Hot Springs he was recognized
by President Sargent, of the Joplin, Mo-, Ma
tlonal Bank, as man who had passed on that
bank forged check for So 600. He was ar
rested and thrown into the Joplin Jail. where he
was confined for six or eight months Now his
eastern friends became useful. He managed to
secure the insertion of various articles i'm
eastern papers declaiming against the
way he had been treated. Marvin had
completely hoodwinked those who knew him
in Connecticut. and they considered him a
person Of unimpeachable integrity One of
these gentlemen. Judge ID. C. Birdsall of West
port, agreed to act as his counsel in New York
Marvin also engaged Judge McAfee and Judge
Richards OF Missouri, as counsel. With his
usual adrOitness he hadcOnyeyed to all these gen.
tlemen not less than score of affidavitS pur-
porting to show that, when he was alleged to
have passed the check, July 5, 1885, he was hun
ultus vi HilicS l1Om JOpflH. these
created a diversion i'm his favor among those
who had known him in Connecticut On the
strength of the afiidavits, they moved towards
raising more money to let him out of Jail Ii
has since been satisfactorily shown that all these
affidavits were fraudulent. Finding the Mis-
souri, authorities immovable Marvin feigned eX-
IRENE illness. He said that he had had a para
lytic stroke and had lost the use of one side By
this means public sympathy i'm Joplin was
aroused and counsel succeeded i'm getting his
bond reduced from $4,000 the original figure,
to $1,000 Judge Birdsall made himself surety
for Marvin's temperance i'm this amount. and
Morton returned to New Haven with his family
THE RICHMOND MARRIAGE THE CAUSE OF HIS
DOWNFALL.
Some time In June he left his family in New
Haven, telling them that he had business. He
went to New York, and subsequently appeared
in Richmond, where he married Miss Turpin.
and this resulted in his detection and identifi-
cation by the brother-n-law of Miss Turpin and
by ID. A. Preston, of Joplin.
In consequence of telegram received in
Richmond Saturday. stating that the much mar
ried I an was making a strong fight in Lynn.
Mass, to avoid being brought to Richmond. the
commemorative attorney procured two other
acquisitions from the governor Saturday even
ing and forwarded them, one charging the pris-
oner with forgery and the other with bgamy
Mo- ,-f