The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-07-03

cause OF his downfall, ana ne 10 tOiehS
languishing in prison in RaWllns, Wyo-
ming.
George NJ. Thorp is the title when
this clergyman enjoyed and his smootn
ways and pleasant manners are wei
known to many in this city. Captain
Paul at one time chief of police, car
tell a story of his actions while mere
and a pathetic tale it would De, 100
for the rascal broke the heart OF a con-
fidng girl, the daughter of a friend Oh
the eX-chief
Thorp is perhaps one of the mosl
married mel IN the country Ihree
wives have turned up thus far and sew
eral localities where he has lived are
vet to hear from. He would have made
a Salt Lake young woman No. A. but
for the vigilance of Captain Berry ano
Chief of Police Paul, the latter saving
his worthless life at the hands OF the
rate father of the young lady Who1r
he had persuaded into promising tc
marry him.
The names of the girl and her
parents are suppressed, owing TO the
fact that publicity would only cause
them annoyance and would serve no
purpose in the publication OF the STORY
other than that.
made himself conspicuous at the re-
union, of the G. A r.. which that year
was held at Wagner's grove. lie pc
came acquainted with the young
woman, who was present with her
father, member of the veterans, and
owing to his smooth personality she
fell in love with him and promised to
marry him.
Captain Berry got on to the fact
+l,o 1ri, -i11cr lar
wedding trousseau. and having been
made acquainted with some of Thorp s
antecedent conduct, communicated to
CAPTAIN Paul what he knew and
asked him to have the wedding put off
until he could wriee back to Missouri,
where Thorp came from. and make
some inquiries. This was managed very
adroitiy. but it was a close shave, as
the information sought arrived but an
hour before the time the ceremony was
to have been performed and then the
rage of the father of the young woman
became such that Paul hurried him
away in order to save his life, publicity
of the affair and the commission of a
crime by a friend for whom he had a.
warm personal friendship.
After leaving here Thorp went east
and stalked through Iowa, where he
remained until last January, when he
came west. Denver, was his point of
vantage and there he succeeded in
running the daughter of a state sen
ator. He was gladly embraced upon
his arrival by all the members of the
several churches and as the soul-mov-
ing villain could preach like a Tai
mage, he became very popular and a
great favorite, especially with the
ladies.
He was having a. good time, when a
man from Chicago came over and ac-
cused him OF swindling him out of
some money. and Thorp made his exit
to Cripple Creek, where soon matters
again became warm and he moved to
Altman, Colorado, Here he raised
funds enough to buifd a church and
was doing well. when he fell before the
dai's tongue got to wagging, with the
dalS tongue got to wagging with the
result that he left the place between
two days. Carbon. Wyoming, was his
next place of duty, and there he mar
REQ young woman, Is years of age
whom he deserted in three DAYS. and if
was through her writing that he was
arrested on the charge of bigamy. The
arrest was made in Denver. where he
was living at one Of the hotels with
another woman, whom the register de-
scrlbed as his wife. From letters found
IL appears that he had two wives in the
east and was entering upon the mar
REQ state very numerously indeed.
Inc announcement Of his arrest
reached this city through the medium
OF an Associated Press dispatch and
Mr.. j. C. Duncan. who knew Thorp
while he was in this city, wrote him
postal card. asking him for particu-
lars. The reply shows that Thorp is
as accomplished a scoundrel as ever
walked the surface of this globular
planet. He writes under date of June
"a and says:
Friend Duncan:-Your postal of in
quiries came to hand this a. M It
found me in best of health and doing
quite nicely. They give me three meals
day and have quite a good deal of
time for meditation. And by the way,
/ have quite a good deal upon which to
mediate. The papers have stretched
the dark scroll farther than it ought
to have been stretched and made it
darker than is real
/ l have but two wives, that the
law would call wives. | have been
married but twice, save on the Euro
pean plan, and as the law doesn't re-
quire man to convict himself, will
not say how many wives 1 have been
married to on the e. P.
But | suppose I have enough more
than | can we'll handle under present
circumstances and 1 think more than
I care for again. I think I am about
| through such foolishness and | mean
to, if possible, TO be a man. l expect
to face facts as they are and meet them
as best I can.
/ realize fully my position. If I were
the only one involved 1 would not care
so much, hut the cause of the Christian
religion mas been made to suffer.
| This is what pains me most. But the
rest of my time 1 mean to spend trying
| to make amends as best l can for my
waywardness. Let me hear from you
l remain your once respected friend
G.. M. T.
1t will be noticed that not once in
his penitent:a1 letter does he express
any feeling of repentance at the wrong
he has done the innocent victims of his
passions and indeed it is not impossible
that this letter was written in order
to create sympathy for himself in this
| location: When arrested he said he
was -hot thing" gay old sport
and such other expressions were used
which convinced those who came in
contact with him that he was man
with little care for the moral side of
life
Thorp will be prosecuted by the par
ents of his Wyoming victim to the full
extent of the law and when he finishes
there and has served his term, he will
be taken to other places for trial.
THE FOURTH AT SAI,TAIR