Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-05-27
A Bigamist's Autobiography.
HARLEY, WHILE ON HIS WAY TO PRISON,
UNBOSOMs HIMSELF.

HARLEY, WHILE ON HIS WAY TO PRISON,
UNBosoMs HIMSELF.
S. L. Harley who was convicted in the
county court of Nottoway of bigamy, was
brought to this city Monday night and lodg-
ed in Jail until yesterday morning when he
was taken over to Richmond to serve out his
sentence. The bigamist was seen in his cell
and in answer to interrogatories said that
he was native of Sag Harbor, Long Island,
and that he is about fifty years of age, that
he is well known in New York, and that
when in business there he traded with HI.
B. Claffin Il Co., and other large dry goods
houses in that place and had an excellent
credit He believed that his credit was good
there still. Continuing, he said, that he
had been the worst treated man in the world,
and that if this little trouble in which be
had become involved, had occurred in New
York, with all the facts in the case, he
would have been taken before court of JUS
tees and acquitted. He was at a loss to
know by what right he had been tried in
this state, where he had committed no crime
Harley was next asked the names of the
wives he is reported to have in New York.
He did not deny having a wife in New York
state, but her maiden name he could not re-
call. He next gave the following account
of his last two wives:
Gin 1877 was keeping dry good store
in Jersey City. Along in February of the
same year advertised for housekeeper
through the columns of the New York Her.
aid, and j. FL. Howard and his daughter
Maggie came over to see me and took tea
with me, and praised the peaches that l had
preserved and given them for tea. Not
liking the looks of Maggie Howard | con-
cluded not to have anything to do with her.
After week had passed away advertised
again in the Herald for house keeper and
the sister of Maggie Howard answered it for
her, and requested me to call at some street
in Brooklyn. Not supposing that 1 would
ever see Maggie Howard again called there
on Sunday, and that they seemed to be very
much confused that they had written to me
again, and kept laying the blame back and
forth on each other. Thinking that I might
have made mistake and misjudged Mag
gle, l allowed her to come over and keep
house for me. We had two rooms back of
the store. occupied one and she the other
| always took her to be virtuous woman.
In May, finding that could get. along with
her, to crafty her father and mother, l
went to New Haven and married her in their
presence. The first six months we got along
together quite well, but at the end of that
time her father and mother put in an ap-
pearance, and we had trouble from that
time out. l have been compelled to move
fourteen times in five years with her. We
lived in very nice house on Ninth Avenue,
New York, but she quarrelled so with the
people in the house that was compelled to
leave and destroy my business. She quar-
relied so with the people on Christopher
street, where we next moved, that had to
leave there. She has contradicted me in the
presence of my customers over and over
again, and in various ways has destroyed
my business. Goods have mysteriously dis
appeared from my store, and she could new
er tell what became of them. On the 1st
of April, 1882, left western North Caro-
lima to buy some property, leaving my stock
of goods and household effects in her pos
session. When l returned home from
North Carolina the people in the house told
me she had moved the next day after left.
l hunted for her ill various ways, but failed
to find her or any of her folks. They had
disappeared. Several mon tbs afterwards I
met young man in the street who was
friend of her fathers and he told me that
he had seen Mr.. Howard but short time
before, and he told him that his daughter
Maggie was dead; that she died after short
illness of pneumonia. Harley has the fol-
lowing to say of his last wife: ssLydia j.
Everst, No. II south High street, Balti-
more, came to me in Philadelphia and re-
lated her troubles to me and told me why
she had left her home. Believing her more
sinned against than shining herself, took
her and gave her home and subsequently
married her and had always loved her,"