The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1894-01-13
LOOKS BLACK FOR AUSTIN.

LOOKS BLACK FOR AUSTIN. |,
Serious Charges Against E. c. Austin.
Claimed that He Is a Bigarnist and
Has Deserted Wife No. 2.
"E. C. Austin, Seattle. Wash.," was
written on the register Of the Dakopolis
Saturday morning and shortly after the
gentleman himself was greeting old ac-
qusintances around town. His arrival
was quickly followed by that Of Pacific
coast dailies chronicling under startling
headlines very unsavory accounts of his
departure. The papers we're passed from
hand to hand and out of it all sorts of
stories and reports were circulated in
reference to the ma tter-sOme of them
wild and at utter variance with what the
papers actually contained. Accordingly,
we herewith append verbatim the article
from the Tacoma Daily Ledger of the Both
ulto. 1t is bad enough in itself without
imaginative additions to it by idle street
lalk.
"In room No. s OF u lodging house OF
the orncr OF Eleventh street aud Yakima
avenue lives a heart-broken woman and
her ten-year-old daughter. Left destitute
of all her earthly possessions bv the ras-
cal,ty OF an alleged bigamist who posed
- her husband. she does not know what
to do or which way to turn. He name is
Elma Austin and she is apparently 80 or
50 years Of age. Her pale face and deli
cate slight frame do not impress one as
being those of a healthy woman by any
means. Twice she has yentured upon
tho matrimonial sea. The first time
death severed the bonds, and the last
time she was left, If I'LL the stories told
about him are true, by q scilemer of the
first order.
Many people will remember thesmoutli
talking gentleman who caine from Seat
tle about three mouths ago aud engaged
III the work OF charging and framing
pictures under the name Of the North
western Portrait company. He was nice
in appearances, wore good clothes, had a
bCnutiluI DiOllu LlUuSluCliC huu CUu.u
talk a spinstsr into having her picture
enlarged in five minutes time. In the
three months i'll which he operated in
Tacoma he is said to have done over
$1,000 worth Of business, nearly all Of
which was clear profit.
Together with his wife and step
daughter Ernest C. Austin boarded at a
fashionable hotel. He rode around town
in Il carriage, and to all appearances had
unlimited means at his command and
was possessed of n restless desire to get
rid of it.
Last Sunday night Austin vanished
and since then no trace of him has been
discovered. In departing so hurriedly,
however, he did not neglect, it is claimed,
J to take all his wife's jewelry and cash,
while he certainly failed to inform his
creditors Of his intended departure,
r When it was discovered that he had skip
ped, his wife was almost heart-broken
r She Immediately consulted Il we'll known
firm of lawyers and placed the case un-
reservedly in their hands. The police
were also notified and a Geographic
search has been prosecuted for several
days, but so far he has not been definite
ly located. 1t is stated that he robbed
! his wife of everything valuable that she
possessed, not oven leaving her with
sufficient money to buy food. In addition
to the cash taken, which amounted to a
considerable sum, her friends claim that
he took a gold breast pin set with eleven
fine emeralds, valued at $1,000; a pair OF
diamond earrings worth $500, and &
sapphire ring worth $3.50, besides numer
4 Gus other valuable trinkets.
G He also, it is said. left unpaid bills
amounting to a couple of hundred del
lars.
Q Austin is described as about 35 year!
a OF age, Eve feet six inches high, lighi
hair and mcastache, an agreeable talkel
: and apparently All accomplished gentle
), man. According to suTae stories tolt
about his past life by one who las know
y him intimately since 1879 Austin is
naturally bad character and this is no
the first escapade in which lie looms VI
as the central figure. In speaking abou
him to a Ledger reporter yesterday thi
" gentleman gave the following sketch 0
Z his life since 1879:
In that year, he said, Austin was
q drug clerk in Springfield, South Dakota
Soon afterward he quit clerking ard ral
II a hotel in Chamberlain, S ID. Later o
a he was engaged in farming and was the
a deputy in the county treasurcr's ofic
IS OF one OF the counties Of that state. Dul
re ing his residence there he married
If handsome young woman who bore hill
n two children and from whom, it is SAT-
lg he has never been divorced.
Shortly before the Seattle fire In 1ss
10 Austin came to the coast and opened
restaurant in Seattle, his wife short
wv afterward following him out. Amarrit
IN woman acted in the capacity Of cook
the restaurant and it il alleged that wi,
her Austin became intimate. When Ii
wife come out from Dakota he prompt
., put her in the kitchen to cook the fot
and promoted his former cook to IL
81 position Of cashier, still continuing Ii
intimate relations with her. His wi
soon saw the way things were going at
:, taking her children. left again for II,
Dakota home. This, 1t is alleged, WI
just what Austin wanted and assume
d the most open relations with the woma,
III whose husband Ill vain protested at Il
's way his domestic affairs were shapin
" themselves. Austin and his fair casl,ie
10 it is said, frequently made trips to Tao
ee ma and Olympia and on one Of the
trips to the latter city were followed h
'st the injured husband, who ascertaine
as the hotel where they stopped and Til;
er night had them both arrested Oh a chars