Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-12-09
Bieamous DR.. Linn.

The Philadelphia Record Of Sunday says ::
"a handsome Philadelphia widow, with
fortune Of $5OO,000 her marriage to an adj
venturer who already had one wife liv-
ing. the bigamist's successful plot to
get $4,000 from the wealthy widow, bis
flight, and the annulment of the second
marriage. are the elements Of rare ro
nance which eliminated in this city on
Saturday Mrs. Harriet S. Wilkinson,
whose husband, Il very wealthy merchant
OF this city, died ten years ago, has been
travelling in Europe for several years. A
large fortune, including over $3.50, 900 worth
of real estate in Philadelphia, enabled her
to CRAFTY long cherished desire to visit all
the great capitals of Europe. AT Paris, in
1882, she met DR.. Hugh J. Linn. of this city,
a brother of the secretary of the republican
State central committee of Pennsylvania.
He made love to the wealthy widow, won
her heart and her promise to become his
wife. The Doctor then sailed for his Quaker
City home, with promise to get his affairs
in shape, and promised to return for the
wedding in the spring. In April, 1883, Mrs.
Wilkinson went over to London, and few
davs after her arrival Linn reached there
from New York, and on May they were
married.
within month after the marriage the
newly-made husband. pleading urgent busi-
ness, sailed for New York. He had not been
in this country long before he wrote to the
wife that he was engaged in a scheme to
build new airline railroad from New York
TO Boston, and was about to be appointed
treasurer of the company if he could invest
$4,000 in the new enterprise, and asked
that Mrs. Linn should send him over that
amount at once, as his own affairs were
temporarily involved. The lady at once
made up her mind to come over herself, and
arrived in Philadelphia in September On
October 8, after listening to the eloquent
story of her husband, she went with him to
the Philadelphia Trust Company and bor-
rowed upon collateral security the $4,000
which he represented it was necessary for
him to put MP in the new Boston air line.
The Trust Company paid over the loan in
check drawn to Liun's order, which the
coniiding wife passed over to him. few
days afterward be accompanied her to New
York and put up at the Metropolitan Hotel
where they remained for three weeks. AT
the end of that time Linn told bis wife
that he had business in Boston, and bid
ding her an alIectonate good by left
ncr. he never TSJuTuel. 1llSltOi VI SoibS
to Boston ho came TO this city and hav-
ing been identified by the messenger of the
Philadelphia Trust Company, went to the
Philadelphia Bank and had the ten thou
sand dollar check cashed in one hundred
dollar bills. With this he left the city, and
his whereabouts since have been u mystery.
Mrs. Linn came 10 Philadelphia and con-
suited counsel. He discovered that Linn
had lived al adventurous life, often on the
continent Of Europe, sometimes in the far
West engaged in mining speculations, once
New York police surgeon, and thus had
Knocked about the world at haphazard for
wears, and that he had been married for
eight years to Miss Mary Shaughny, whose
father lives at No. 1922 Locust street, al
though the fact of the marriage had
not generally been known. On May 10,
five days after Linn's bigamous mar
riage to Mrs. Wilkinson in London, the
real Mrs. Linn became mother. Mrs.
Wilkinson at once saw how she had been
duped and wronged. All efforts TO find
Linn were fruitiess, and the first Mrs.
Linn had also disappeared. MIR. Shaughny
is wealthy and well known in this city.
Saturday the Court of Common Pleas OF this
city ordered decree anuulling the LONDON
marriage"