The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-08-16
WILL RENFROW ACT
GRANGE FOB OKLAHOMA'S G0VEB
MOB TO WIN FAME

| Strange Case that the London Papers have
! Brought to Light in which Man 10 Sent
| to the Penitentiary from Oklahoma for
Rigamy. of which He Is Not Guilty-The
Evidence of . Woman Who Must have
Been Observation-Disclosures Bayard Work
| ing on the Unusual Case, but Morrill, of
Kansas Cannot Help 1t.
| Topeka, Aug 15.-(Special)-In the
penitentiary at Lansing is conflneoe
man who was sent from Oklahoma I'M
der the charge of bigamy for term
Of five years. He claims that he was
the victim of circumstances and that
the prosecuting witness in the case
was a woman who swore positively
that he was her husband, when in re-
atty he had never seen her previous TO
the trial The most remarkable part
of the whole matter is the fact that the
woman swore that his name was Z. w.
Church, and that he was the father OF
her six children.
All attempts on the part of the de-
PENDANT to prove the falsity of the sto-
ry were futile. Church, as he was called
was sent to the penitentiary. He has
been muaking an effort to establish his
identity as George A. Ward and he is
now making an effort to secure from
England necessary evidence that his
name is Ward and not Church. The
letter is addressed to his uncle, Alex
ander Ward and is follows:
he 1f
September, 1894, l was arrested and con
victed of the crime of bigamy and iden-
tilted as one c. W. Church of New Y ork
who was supposed to have married
woman in that state in 1880 At the
time Of my arrest ! advertised in sew
eral leading eastern papers for your
address but without avail. l am now
under penal servitude at this place for
the term of five years. l had about
given up all hopes of finding you when
the thought struck me that possibly ow-
ing to the trouble you had over the eS-
tate near Bath, England, perhaps you
had returned to the old country, hence
this letter nj care of the London Times,
as / remember having heard you speak
of visiting that place.
IF it is possible for you to come to
this country and see me / wish you
would copy from the family record
which you have, the date of my birth
and also state what you know of my
life up to the year 1885 or 1886, which
/ believe is the last time 1 saw you.
Please make your statement in the
nature of an affidavit and leave out
nothing but make it complete in every
particular. -
Il have nothing to be ashamed OF
and if you will make a true statement
of the facts L Will BOON be released from
prison. You will undoubtedly think it
very strange that / got into this trou-
BILE, but you well know that I was not
me. You also knew that it is impoSsi-
BILE for me to have children thirteen
years old. The woman who appeared
against me Swore that she had six chill
dren ranging from two to thirteen years
old and that I WIS their father.
LAS / am committed under the name
of c. W. Church please send my mail
to that address at Lansing" The let
ter is signed George A. Ward"
Moberly Bell, managing editor Of the
London Times. received the letter from
Ward. 1t was Hust delivered to Alex
ander Ward, but was referred to Hon:
Thomas F. Bayard the United States
ambassador at the court of st. James
who immedia tely became interested and
forwarded the complete correspondence
from Ward and Mr.. Bell to Governor
Morrill,, accompanied by the following
letter:
I'm the line Of humanity I enclose a
note from Mr.. Moberly Bell, managing
editor of the London Times, which ex-
plains itself. My reason for sending it
to you. together with the letter of the
man now under sentence for bigamy
in the penitentiary at Lansing, is that
1t is possible that your excellency may
institute an inquiry as to the wisdom
of allowing the prisoner to state anew
the grounds of his allegations of inno-
cence." Mr.. Bayard's letter is address
sed to the Governor of the State Of
Kansas, Leavenworth."
1t will be impossible for Governor
Morrill, to take any steps in the mat
ter, as the prisoner is from the terri
tory and without the jurisdiction Of
the state of Kansas