The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-08
DEATH ENDS A DOUBLELIFE
An Atlanta Contractor Keeps Up Two
Establishments.

LSlQDllouull MO-
One Woman His Wife By Law and the
Other Passed IS a Wife Without the
knowledge of the Real One. A Let
ter Arouses the Latter's Suspicious.
The Husband Confesses and Com
nits Suicide.
Atlanta. Ca. March IA dramatic
story of duplicity and infatuation was IN
folded to-day by the suicide OF Samuel H
Cheek. q well-known contractor. Cheek
had been in business here for nearly ten
years, and leaves considerable property.
His home for the past six years was on
the corner of of Pryor and Garrett
streets. There his wife and children
lived, highly respected by the whole com
munity
The suicide, however, discloses that
Cheek has led a dual life in Atlanta for
ten years or more. In another quarter of
the city near Belwood he kept another
establishment where his mistress was
known as his wife, and the two children
that completed the household called him
father.
. The mistress of the Bellwood house
knew that she was an interloper, but the
rightful Mrs. Cheek ana her children
never for a moment suspected the hus-
band and father Of duplicity until his
tragic suicide brought out the whole
story. Cheek came to Atlanta from
Shawnee, Ga, ten or eleven years ago
and began contracting. Six years ago he
brought his family to the city and being
in prosperous circumstances installed
them in a comfortable home.
THE OTHER WOMAN.
While living in Suwanee there one day
came to the little town a pretty, sad
faced girl of sixteen. She was friendless
and Cheek offered her his home. She
was received by his wife with open arms
and cared for with almost motherly al
lection and sympathy. Her name she
gave as Bertha Cross. For while fam
lily lite was happy, but reverses of bus
mess came and Miss Cross was sent TO
the home Of sister of Mr. Cheek,
Before going, however, she coufided a
secret to Mr.. Cheek She said her name
was not Bertha Cross but Blanche Clay
ton Her home was in South Carolina
She had left her fathers roof because of
his cruelty The husband dutifully told
his wife the girls story, but her relations
with the family were not altered, 50 firm
hold had she made by her pretty face
and affectionaJe ways.
INSTALLED HER AS HIS MISTRESS.
It seems that Cheek fell victim to her
charms about this time, ten years ago
for when he came to Atlanta to begin
business, he brought her along unknown
TO his wife, and she passed as the land
Lady of boarding house at which Cheek
lived while his family were yet in Suwan-
nee From the time Of her departure
from Suwannee, Mrs. Cheek never saw
the pretty traitress until yesterday, when
she suddenly appeared, like a specter
of the past, TO unfold the story
of the husbands duplicity. Cheek
has been in Macon for some
time Last week the faithful wife received
letter containing money addressed to
Mrs. Blanch Check it was from her
husband. Her suspicious were aroused,
but when he came home last Saturday to
look after a lawsuit he made a satisfac-
tory explanation and the good woman
thought nothing more about the circum-
stances. A warrant was taken out
against Cheek Monday by some of his
laborers, and he began lodging the bailiff.
he kept away from his house all day,
but after midnight Monday went home
CoNFEssEs TO HIS WIFE.
He remained but short time telling
his wife that he was going away. She
begged him for an explanation, and finally
breaking down, he confessed TO her with
tears the duplicity of his life. 1t was an
affecting scene later, after he had fed
from the presence of his wr0nged wife,
he sent his mistress to her with a note
asking for money and some cart
ridges. The meeting between wife and
the woman who had destroyed her home
is described by Mrs Cheek as dramatic
in the extreme. She sent the money.
however. During the day another mes
sage came from the faithless husband,
asking his son to come to him, out near
the Bellewood place at daylight. The son
was there. He saw his father and at his
request agreed to come back again at s
O'Clock. When o'clock arrived the son
was at the meeting place, but the father
did not appear. He began walking in the
woods, and was attracted TO an
old clubhouse. Inside he found his
father lying on the floor dying,
pistol by his side, and a ball imbedded
in his breast The alarm was given, and
one of the first TO come was the mistress.
Turning upon her tercely, the son drove
her away. Cheek was brought to the
hospital, where he died Mrs Cheek, the
wronged wife, is Frustrated. The family
has always been highly esteemed, and the
tragedy, with its sad circumstances, has
a