The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-28
AN UNPR1NCIPLED RASCAL.
Something of the Life History Of tn
Murderer.

Something of the Life History of the
Murderer.
SAN JOSE, CAL, May 27.-James Dun
ham, the murderer of Colonel Mckinney
and his family, has lived in San Jose for
number of years and has had rather Pc
culiar history, of which the following are
few of the most interesting chapters:
His mother, Mrs. Kate Durham, was
for many years a very well-known char
acter. She was an eccentric but quite
thrifty old lady, possessed of considerable
means, which she kept loaned out on
mortgages, from which she derived consid-
cradle income.
Her son James was the younger of two
boys and was considerable of rover.
Some years ago he took trip through
Southern California, remaining away seve-
raj months, during which time rumor
foated northward that he had married a
girl somewhere in the southern counties.
When he returned to San Jose he came
alone and had nothing to say regarding
his reported marriage. He then began
going to the San Jose Business College,
and there became acquainted with young
lady whose parents resided near Saratoga,
and to whom he began paying marked at
tention.
One day the girl and he were reported
missing, and news was sent to her people
that she had eloped with Durham.
Her brother-in-law Immediately gave
chase to the fugitives, declaring that the
young lady would either return with the
wedding license or that Durham would
return a corpse.
He overlook the pair at Fresno, met
Durham upon the street, compelled him
to go to the room where he and the girl
GfnnninC and fhQrQ a q mr. Of a
pistol, forced him to send a message to
the minister in MERGED, who, Durham de-
clared, had performed the marriage cere-
mony, with the understanding that If the
minister denied his statement Durham
should straightway be shot The minister
replied that he had performed the
marriage ceremony the day before at Mer-
ced, whereupon the girls brother-ln-law
came home. In few days the wife of
Durham also returned in great distress
and told her people that Durham had
come with her as far as Niles, placed her
on the train, and then under some pretext
stopped off and left her to come home
alone.
In day or two message came from
Chico from Durham couched in terms of
the utmost coldheartedness and cruelty,
declaring to his wife that he had never
loved her, and that he would not seek her
again. Thereupon the deserted girl told
the whole story of her relations with Dun.
ham, and also intimated that he had con-
fessed to her that he had been married
before.
Her people thereupon instituted an in
curry into his life historyup to the time of
his desertiou OF his young wife. They dis
covered some facts strongly pointing to
previous marriage in Los Angeles County,
| but were unable TO find any sufficient proof
OF the fact to cause Dunham's indictment
for bigamy. They found, however. an in
teresting condition of things bearing d.
rectly upon the present tragedy.
1t seems that while Durham was be-
slowing his attentions upon the girl with
whom ne hal eloped in town, he was also
visiting at the home of Captain McGlin-
cey and was winning the affections of his
to the time of his elopement, believed that
she would soon become his wife.
While this investigation was going on
Durham returned to San Jose and OBJ
tanned some local newspaper notoriety by
attempting to explain IN print his rela-
tons with the two young ladies, much to
the discredit of his deserted wife, who was
then lying i'll ana almost heartbroken at
her home near Saratoga, and was soon to
become mother.
The action of Durham in attempting to
| justify himself again awakened the ire of
his wlfes relations, and resulted in a di-
vorce suit being instituted against him,
| IN which severe charges of desertion and
cruelty during his brief honeymoon with
| his wife were INDUCED in. The mckinney
family championed the side of Durham,
and appeared still to look with favor upon
his declarations of love to Hattie Wells.
While the action for divorce was pend