Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1889-08-10
EDGEUomB,s ADOPTED soN.
Wife No. Discovered That Her Hus.
band Was His Natural Father

| WHO NO. uncovered That Her Hus.
band Was His Natural Father.
The bigamous marriage of ex-senator Of
State D. W. Edgecomb, the New York
lawyer, to Miss Elizabeth Seymour, wealthy
young lady of Brooklyn, and his flight to
Europe, is still the one subject of converse
ton in the town of Newington, the home Of
| wife No. /. Mrs. Edgecomb is still in Ches'
| ter, but is expected home in few days. Mr.
| and Mrs. Edgecomb occupied their handsome
home in Newington, the husband driving to
his business in Hartford during the time he
was general agent of the National Insurance
company, and also during the three years he
was assistant secretary of State. No children
were born to the couple. Mr.. Edgecomb, who
was especially fond of children, one day sur
prised his wife by taking home handsome
baby boy of ten months, telling her he had
adopted the child. He explained that he had
come across the infant under peculiar cir
cumstances; that his mother was unable to
care for it, and that he wished to give 1t q
home.
The wife gladly welcomed the little one
and was true mother to It. Two years later
Mrs. Edgeconab remarked to her husband
that she had for some time noticed SINH
larity in the feature. of the little fodder and
the face of young woman who had been
her dressmaker and had worked for weeks
at time at the Edgecomb house, but who
had been dead about two years. She also
said that as the little one began to walk she
had observed the peculiar gait of the dead
woman. Without waiting to be accused Of
| unfaithfulness, Mr.. Edgecomb promptly said
| that the young woman was the mother of the
| boy and that he was the father. The dress
| maker had removed from Hartford to another
| town before becoming mother, and the
| cause of her death at childbirth had been
| kept secret
After this confession there was a scene.
| Mr.. Edgecomb desired that the wife continue
| her motherly attentions to the child, while
Mrs. Edgecomb positively refused to allow
| the little one to remain under the same roof.
Appeals by the husband had no effect, and
| the child was placed with friends in Hartford,
where he remained number of years, sup
ported by his father. Mr.. and Mrs. Edge
comb continued to live together, but were
not congenial companions, and a few years
later Mr.. Edgecomb forsook his home, leav-
ing his wife in possession of the house and
its furnishings. During the latter years OF
4 his residence in NeWington Mr.. Edgecomb
became believer in free love doctrines, and
this added to the chasm between him and his
wife, Soon after he removed to Newington
the boy was taken from Hartford and has
since been In military school.
Edgecomb's European trip was announced
by himself to last two years. Inquiry made
at his Office at II Wall street yesterday shows
| that he settled up all his business affairs be.
fore he left and retired from the firm of Pope,
Edgecomb & Terry, patent lawyers.
About Miss Seymour little can be learned
At her last Brooklyn habitstion she was only
1 a ledger at the house of DR.. William Wright
| 81 briggs street. The neighbors knew moth.
| ing about her except that she was very at
| tractive and appeared to be wealthy and re-
spectacle.
Daniel Webster Edgecomb lived at White
stone, L. l., for about two years, but he was
| not very we'll known among the other resi-
dents of that place. He leased one Of the
| finest cottages neer the shore and spent
| 81, 900 in fitting it up. He built an observa.
tory, in which he carried on astronomical
| investigations, in which he professed great
| interest. Then he began to study electricity
| and became very fond of electrical clocks
| every room in the house contained an cleo.
| trica1 timepiece, which, when finally sold,
were found to be worth about $50 each.
These and the various handsome articles OF
furniture in the house were auc:ioned of
last April and are now in the homes of Mr..
Edgecomb's neighbors.
| Although he had lady who passed for hii
/ wife, and son in the house, very few people
stepped over Mr.. Edgecomb's threshold until
| they went to the auction. Mrs. Edgecomt
was a young woman of about % years. dark
| and very good looking. She dressed elegant
ly and drove fine horses. Early in 1883 she
disappeared and short time later Mr.. Edge
comb shut up his house and departed. HI
explained that his wife had suddenly become
insane and had been sent to an asylum II