The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-01-02
A SECOND BLUE-BEARD.
Conscien celess Rogue Charged with q Ser
of Startling Crimes.

ConscienceI Rogue Charged with Series
of Startling Crimes.
BosToN, Jan. 1.-The REV." William
Hammond, known throughout the United
States, and especially New England. as q
confidence man, bigamist. ewindler and'al-
most every kind of a criminal in the cate
CORY, has been up to his old tricks in Auck.
land, New Zealand. according to advices
received by the police of this city, who
were applied to for information by the
Auckland authorities.
Before he was exposed, however, he sue
ceeded in marrying wealthy widow there,
and, after securing $4,000 of her money, de-
serted her. leaving for Japan. whore he is
now supposed to be. This marriage makes
his ninth. so far as known. and at least five
of the vlctimized women are living
He has acted as q Methodist Unitarian,
Free-w Baptist and PrIsby terian minis
ter. as q physician and lawyer. and had
joined md been expelled from many secret
societies. Yet, with all his misGeeds. he
has been arrested only twice. and each time
escaped punishment Dy some startling the.
atrical Llay at his trials.
He appeared in Yuba. CAL, some years
ago. and had with him two women, one of
whom he called his wife and the other his
sister. He preached In the Methodist
Church, and his apparent piety won for
him high regard. Complaints began to
arise, however. of his attention to women
OF his congregation, and while the citizens
were preparing to investigate him his al
legged wife and sister died within a week of
each other. He collected $1,000 OF policies
on their lives, and shortly afterwards left
town and q number OF creditors.
At South Puitney, N. Y. ne acted as a
Catholic priest and Is said to have ap-
Aa1 n b0 hal lAff IN
suddenly. In Allentown, Pa, he is remem-
bered as Presbyterian minister, and a
''cOnscienceless liar and protiigatc." In
Llgonier. Ind. he appeared as q physician,
went TO Wolf Lake, Ind. When he le {
there the citizens expressed their gratih-
cation by firing cannon.
At Indian Lake. Ind. house that he
lived in was burned and he secured S1,50O
insurance on the furniture. Here another
alleged wife died suddenly, and 81, 800 life
insurance came to him.
Late in 1855 he appeared as preacher
In Bedford, Mass. and. after six months
service, was driven oat of town. He was
o Unitarian there. He then went to Madi-
son. \. H.. and later appeared at Frank
lin Falls IN the same State. He was u
Free-wlli Baptist minister there and made
love to Mrs. Dr.. w. II. Broekway. widow.
who had money. She finally consented to
marry Hammond. Just after the marriage
be got 81 600 deposited in a savings bank
in her name and also secured thousand
dollar bond she held.
Then, Mrs. Brockway says, he dosed her
with morphine and left town. A ncighbo
found Mrs. Brockway in o stupor and saved
her life. The $1,000 in the form of q
draft on Boston, payment of which was
stopped by telegram. Hammond was ar
rested in Boston and taken to Franklin
Falls. but when his wife found that her
money was safe she was persuaded to drop
the CRIMINAL complaint.
Hammond quit Franklin Falls. and, with
a woman whom he called his wife. came to
the surface next in Montreal. He procured
employment for time In the Etna Life
Insurance agency in Montreal. but W Us dis
charged He had obtained his situation on
forged letters of recommendation.
few months later he was arrested for
perjury and the police found in his room
full kit of burglars tools. and In q pawn
shop, for which he had tickets. q set of
safe-breaking appliances. including q
brace and diamond dtills In the summer
of 1887 he was lawyer IN Macon. Ca and
married wife No. 6. He was arrested for
selling liquor without license. but
jumped his bail and deserted his wife.
he turned up in Savannah, where. rep
resenting himself as q Mason ami Odd-feI-
low. he sold piece of land which didn't
exist, TO n Mr. Jackson for $1,000 In De-
cember. 1857. he was arrested in Fulton
county, Illinois. the day before he was TO
marry again. and was charged with fieec-
ing farmer of Sl.0a0 The money was re-