The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-09
CONFESSED WHILE DYING
With Money Taken From His
First Wife He Amassed a Big
Fortune in the West.
THEN HE TOOK A SECOND SPOUSE
Made Mysterious Trips During Which
He Supplied His Daughter
With Funds.

WICHITA, KANs., Nov. S.-The mys-
terry surrounding the dual life of Jacob
Brown, or Joseph Bond, as he was vari
ously known in the States in which he
lived at different periods OF his life, who
died recently at Humboldt this State, is
the subject of general comment in the
community in which the latter part of his
life was spent. For over thirty years
"Major Bond lived in Humboldt, Kans.,
where he married and engaged in many
important and successful enterprises. Not
until he was upon his deathbed did he dis
close the fact, hitherto unsuspected by his
most intimate friends, that he had been
wearing false name and covering up i'm
poTtant chapters in his life history. The
revelations which he then made seemed so
incredible that for days the watchers at
his bedside believed them to be only his
delirIoUs dreams.
In 1868 tail man of military bearing
came to Allen County, Kansas, giving his
name as Joseph Bond. claiming to hail
from Pennsylvania. In those days people
didn't inquire closely into the antecedents
of stranger, provided he was on the right
side of the slavery question. He settled in
considerable money and invested in land
and in various industries that sprung up
at the close of the Civil War. In 1868 he
married a woman about 50 years of age-a
Miss Turner-who possessed beauty and
some wealth Bond was successful in a
financial way, making money rapidly in
all his ventures. He claimed to have been
a graduate Of a Pennsylvania law school
nd Ill - Ill II
possessed fine general education and,
having splendid knowledge of law, sub
sequently held many positions of trust
and honor in the county. People who
kraw him considered him a just man, but
one who would take advantage in a deal
If there was any money in it for himself
He adoed farm after farm to his posses
sions until about two years ago, when
called upon to fill bond, he stated under
oath that he possessed in the neighbor-
hood of 100, 600 acres of unincumbered land
in the States of Kansas, Missouri, Califor-
mia, Iowa and Nebraska. In addition to
this he was interested in great many
local enterprises and was for many years
the vice-p president of the First National
Bank of Humboldt.
During the early seventies he built a
boldt at a cost of $4,000 and for two or
three years kept the tollgate himself and
made an immense amount of money, the
receipts often overrunning 500 day. 1t
was currently reported that the bridge
paid for itself the first nine months after
its completion. In addition Bond OBJ
tanned a subsidy from farmers as an in
ducement 10 build the bridge. He sold it
to the town subsequently for the original
cost. Throughout his thirty years resi-
dence at Humboldt, Bond made frequent
pilgrimages away from home, telling his
wife on each occasion that he was going
away on business and would be gone a
stated time. There was nothing remarka-
bic in this, as his large business, which
was managed entirely by himself, would
warrant his absence from home much OF
the time.
Not long since he was taken violently ill
and the attending physician told him that
he had a very short time to live. Upon
learning this he sent for George c. Barber,
cashier of the Humboldt Bank, and an
other man, Paul Fisher, in whom he had
great confidence. When they arrived at
his house he told them that he had mar
ried daughter living at Salt Lake City
Utah, and requested them to send lor her.
He also stated that he thought he had
another wife somewhere in the West.
They thought his mind was wandering
and paid no attention to his requests.
However, after repeated visits and earnest
solicitation on the part of the sick man,
they at length concluded to humor his
whim. Bond had forgotten his married
daughters name, but told them to tele-
graph to the Bank of California "Give
nsme and address of Jacob Browns daugh-
ter" In due time the reply came Mrs.
Frank Kinney. Salt Lake City"
The Bond family and friends were thun-
derstruck. They Immediately sent a dis
patch TO the address and an answer was
received saying that Mrs. Kinney would
leave on the first train. In due course oil
time the lady arrived from Salt Lake City.
She brought her own marriage certificate
and that of her mother. Bond died just
before her arrival. She stated that in 1853
her mother married Bond in New York
under the name of Jacob Brown. Subse-
quently they moved to California. Her
mother possessed considerable property at
the time of her marriage with him. Bond,
it appears, schemed to get this property in
his possession, and after having lived with
the woman seven years, until the opening
of the Civil War, and having had three
children born TO them, all landed property
was sold and all personal property con-
verted into cash preparatory to leaving for
the East Bond left his home in Sacra-
mento County with all the money one
night and was never seen there again.
Where he went no one knows, but it is now
supposed that he went to China and en-
gagged for time in the trade that was just
then developing SO rapidly with the United
States. He left the family without cent.
His wife managed to obtain assistance
from some friends and kept her family to-
gether.
Two of the children died and the one
that was left, girl, was one day notified