The morning call., 1894-03-13
Bigamist Feigns Death to
Escape Justice.
ANOTHER BURIED INSTEAD.
Mrs. Meagher's Tale of Crime
and Deception.
McCOMB WILL INVESTIGATE.
After Three Years an Oakland Woman
Thinks She Has Found That
Her Husband Still Lives.
McCOMB WILL INVESTIGATE.

If Mrs. Meagher Of Oakland is to be
believed she is in The peculiar predicament
of having a husband who is both dead and
alive.
Her story as she told 1t yesterday TO
Secretary John McComb of the Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
while extraordinary on the face of it. has
elements of truth sufficient to cause the
general to start an investigation of his
own.
This husband who seems TO have come
out OF The grave is James A. Meagher. In
life his home was at 500 Tenth street, Oak
land, where his supposed widow still lives.
Meagher was carpenter by trade. After
several years of happy married life he got
out of work. Ill luck logged him, and at
last, desperate. he determined to go south
to look for employment. He went to San
Diego. leaving his wife in the little Tenth
street homestead. After an absence of
year he suddenly returned home, spent
two weeks with his wife anG then
started south again, promising to send
for her later. She never heard
from him again. however. until she
read an account Of his marriage 10
Phoenix, AriZ Almost beside herself the
unfortunate woman wrote to the second
wife and found also that she had been de-
ceived. Upon learning that her husband
had been already married, the second wife
left him and later on Meagher was ar
rested on charge of bigamy. Bail was
fixed at $1,000 and being unable TO procure
this Meagher went to jail. There he was
visited by wife No. 1, who wilted into love
again atthe sight of him and at his en-
treaty mortgaged the Oakland homestead
TO get him bail. He promised to go to
work and provide for her, and got her to
return 10 Oakland while be went to San
Diego to get work. a short time after
this Mrs. Meagher received news of her
husbands death. 1t was reported that he
had fallen from scaffolding while work
ing on frame building and been killed
instantly. This was three years ago. His
body was in due time inferred in a little
cemetery near the town.
Everything appeared to be quite right,
but Mrs. Meagher had suspicion that her
husband was not dead and buried, despite
all the accounts. She noticed that in many
accounts in different papers the name was
spelt in as many different ways. Then
several months ago she was informed by a
man named WissmaD, hotel proprietor
of Los Angeles, that he had seen her hus-
band in Los Angeles alive and we'll and
that he was known there as Meyer. Later
still she received information that be was
q prosperous farmer in Oregon at place
called SellW God, where he was known as
James Merchant. The wife claims also to
have discovered that under the name of
Meyer her husband is part owner of the
Pueblo rancho near San Diego and was a
very wealthy man. She has been tracing
him for months. During her investiga-
tons she went to San Diego and was taken
to the grave where her husband was sup
posed to have been buried. There she
found the name was spelled flames a.
Meager." All these things, together with
his reputed wealth, induce Mrs. Meagher
to believe that her husband still lives.
His motive for allowing it to be supposed
that he is dead and buried, she claims, as
to escape the trial for bigamy, as it would
be impossible for him to avOidlpunishment
for his offense. 1t was some other person
that was killed, Mrs. Meagher asserts, and
this other person was buried under the
name of Meagher.
The story is so strange ard improba BILE
that General McComb does not know
what to make Of ii. If 1t is all the result
of an hallucinaton the woman talks most
nationally and eonuectedy. In order to
make certain General McComb sent the
information OF Mrs. Meagher to the Mayor
and Chief of Police Of San Diego with a
request to Investigate the tale and find out
whether the man killed and buried was or
was not the husband of Mrs. Meagher. If
her story proves true Mrs. Meagher will
take steps TO obtain an interest In the
supposed estate of her husband and prose
cute him for bigamy.