St. Paul daily globe., 1888-05-12
he HOLDS Her HEART.
So Frank wilkins Can Say Of Several
Women.
SOME TENDER EPISTLES.
Career of Lady -Killer---The Suit for
Damages---Ee would Suffer"
for "His Baby"

The case of John F. Wilkins, widely
advertised as the man of many wives,
will bob up again shortly in a civil suit
which will develop some racy and in
teresting facts. Wilkins is now in Min
neapolis, but he is keeping in the back
ground with religious care. Mrs. John
Frank Wilkins No. 2, whose maiden
name was Emily Stetson. is also here,
but since the divorce proceedings
instituted by the first wife.
Lille, who seems to have been the
lawful wife, Frank and Emma have not
dwelt together. Wilkins is not hand
some man, but he seems to exert some
powerful fascination over women. Even
now he controls wife No. 2, andiit
will be little strange if he does not
succeed in inducing her to have the
marriage ceremony again performed
and make her his legal wife. Emma
has little property, including farms at
Fergus Falls and in Wisconsin, and she
has been repeatedly told that all Will
kinS wants is her money, but she is
halfway inclined to believe in him.
''Well, he says he will do BETTER" is the
heSltating way in which she puts it. In
the meantime, she is engaged in defend
ing an action brought her by divorced
Mrs: Wilkins, who wants $4,000 of her
good money for having, by her ''se-
ductive ways and meretriciOus wiles,''
alienated Franks affections and de-
prived Lille of the comfort and support
of Frank. Emma has just filed her an
answer, and it sets up that
she did not court Frank, and
that all the seductive ways
ri xr,iIn
were on his side; that she believed him
single, and that they were duly married
at Erie, Pa, by Rev. Lucien Clark on
May Z, 1887; that since that time she
has entirely supported him. AS far as
alternating his affections are concerned,
she says his only affection is for him.
self, and she has not alienated that to
any extent that she is aware of. She
has retained G. A. Gallagher as her
counsel, and music may accompany the
trial of the case. Frank Wilkins is
A GAY BIRD,
and has the aforesaid faculty of en-
Shrining himself in the affections of the
fair sex. as his history will attest. While
he was in jail in st. Paul he left Emma
lurking perdu in Minneapolis, though
he kept up correspondence with her
as Thomas Curtis, the letters being adj
dressed to 1924 Harmon place. The let
terS address her as lad, and urge her
to believe nothing in the papers, but
pin her faith to him. While engaged in
writing letters to her and Staving off his
first wife, he also found time to carry
on voluminouS correspondence with a
tender widow III st. Paul who re-
jOiced in red hair and the name of
Kittie. Kittie has always maintained
there was nothing Improper between
her and Wilkins, and that their affection
was purely platOnic; but his letters
would convey different story. They
breathe spirit of purest devotion and
humblest remorse. He says he has
wronged her, but is willing to suffer for
it; in fact, it is pleasure to suffer for
her. One letter says:
81 often think of the happy nights we
have passed together, when you used to
lay your head on my arm and sleep so
soundly. How | wish you were here to-
night. Wouldn't we have good timew
AT this time he was writing to Emma
Stetson, and telling her as Thomas Cur
tbs that he was willing to suffer for her,
also, and that when the present cloud
passed away their life would be all the
happier for this trouble. He advised
her to lay low so as not to be seen.
When he was released from Jail he
joined Emma Stetson. but his CORE
spondence kept up. From Fergus Falls
he wrote tender missives to Kittie,
and as no cruel turnkey could in
spect his billetdoux he became very
confectionery, calling her ''his dar-
ling" and Ibis oWn," and signing
himself cher own Frank" He still
was willing to suffer for her, but he
was going to see her on Sunday, eff it
took leg" III one of the letters he
said he would speld a week with her,
or1 thnn hoax fO a1ca on1
the letter concludes: 8.
II guess my Baby will let me go,
after staying a whole week, won't you,
Pet?''
From the Nicollet house, on Papa
Sherman'S letter paper he wrote
EQUALLY TENDER MIsSIyEs
to Emma Stetson, telling her she was his
all, his one true friend and other ex-
pressiOns to show he was badly infatu-
ated, apparently having forgotten the
sunset haired widow in st. Paul, for
whom he was willing to suffer. In his
letters he expresses the utmost aversion
to newspaper notoriety of any kind, his
one fohdness being for women, the
more the merrier. Emma and
Kittie met once and had round
over him. Each told the other
Frank was simply scheming for her
money, aud each admitted she had paid
the current expenses of the festive
Frank. The singular part of the whole
affair is that Frank seems averse to
having Emma defend the action brought
by Lille. Once he locked her up for
two days, and since then has kept her
moving from one boarding place to an
other to prevent her making acquain-
tances. He evidently has some object
in view, but she flas made up her mind,
and, in spite of his influence over her,
she will defend this case, when rich