The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-07-26
ARRESTED FOR BIGAMY.
4 Strange Case Both sides Of the
Story

Story.
Quite sensation was created yes
terday 10y the arrest of Mrs. Christian
Gustafson for bigamy. She is young
married woman of twenty-one years
of age, and her husband, Andrew Gus
tafsOn, man of middle age and
cripple. Mrs. GustafSon appears to
be very supplemented, and while
above the ordinary woman of her
class in personal appearance, is en-
tirely devoid of education, being
neither able to read or write. She
was married to Gustafson in the city
of DeS Moines. Ia, about year ago,
and several months since she and her
husband came to Austin. he engaging
in the business of keeping a fruit
stand on the Avenue. From Des
MoineS there came with them young
man by the name of Pearson and, it
is alleged on the part of the husband,
that he made love to his simple
minded but pretty girl-wife, and,
| finally, to accomplish her seduction,
induced her to marry him, and they
obtained Il license and went before
Justice Tegener and were married.
1t seems that she did not live with
Pearson, but went back, and for a
time anyway, lived with GusuafSon,
occasionally meeting Pearson and
staying with him. Her lawful hus-
band was aware ,of her iaison with
Pearson, but claims to have had no
knowledge of the marriage, and
when she came back to him and
sought his forgiveness, he cOndoned
her offense and took her back. Sun
day he learned of her marriage to
Pearson, and yesterday he filed a
criminal complaint against his wife
for the aforementioned crime, and
Officer johnson arrested the lady, and
she was bound over to the grand jury
by Justice Won Rosenberg. Being I'M
able to give bond she went to all.
A reporter for TIE STATESMAN
called upon the prisoner at the cOun-
ty Jail Yesterday for the purpose OF
viewing her. AS before stated,
she is woman Of more than ordina-
ry personal attractions, but the re-
porter found her so weak, IN antally,
that she is clearly little, if any, above
an idiot. She actually could not tell
where She was born, and could not
name any place she had ever lived,
except esMoineS, Iowa, and Osca-
loOsa. in the same state. Nor could
she. for long time, remember the
name of the man to whom she had
been illegally married. After some
time she called his name to memory,
but even then she could not remember
his first name. She admitted her
marriage with this man, but said her
husband told her to do SO, and actu-
ally paid Pearson to marry her. She
says that he gave Pearson So to pur-
chase the marriage license and pay
the Justice fees. She stated, further,
that she never lived with Pearson
after this marriage took place, and
refused to do so, for the reason that
she did love him, though her husband
insisted on her living with Pearson.
She stated also that she had been
greatly abused by Gustafson, and that
he had frequently beaten and other
wise i'll treated her Her mental con-
dition is such that she cannot hold a
logical, connected conversation. and
her memory is so bad that it is only
now and then a prominent fact that
she can call to mind. 1t is impossible
for her to give details about anything
When asked if she knew it was
against the law to marry Il second
husband, she replied no; they
told her it was all right, and
she thought it was. The
county attorney ought to bring her
before the judge on habeas corpus
and have her mental condition in
quired into. She certainly has not
mind enough to be capable of COM
hitting crime of the nature charged,
and the jailer and other officers with
whom our reporter talked are of the
same opinion. The question was not
raised before the committing magiS-
trate, and of course he could not in
quire into her mental condition, but it
should be legally raised and investi-
| gated