The San Francisco call., 1896-11-25
An Unhappy Young Wife
and Mother Hears
Good News.
Her Husband, Though in Jail,
Declares He Is Worth
Much Property.
If Not Divorced From His First Wife
His Dates Shcw That He Is
Bigamist
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL, F.,

90S Broadway, Nov. "a, 1896.
The little boy OF Mrs. John Lee, the
young wife who has left her husband be-
cause he could not produce satisfactory
evidence that he had been divorced from
his first wife, Will probably inherit a large
fortune. His mother, who was Miss
Minnie Diehl, has just received word from
Los Angeles that her husbands name is
not Lee but that he IS the son of Antonio
Schiappa Pietra of Ventura, who died
about year ago while on visit to Italy,
leaving mis- brother apparently the heir to
an estate estimated to be worth about
81, ,00O, 900 to 81, $50, 900.
Lee declares he is the son of Schiappa
Pietra, and it was often cause for wonder,
while Lee was in Oakland, why an Italian
should have such name, for there is no
doubt about Lees nationality. He is now
in Jail in Los Angeles charged with an
assault on a young girl. In San Francisco
he married woman under the name of
John Bisbee, and in this city he married
Minnie Diehl, 17-year-old girl, by whom
he has one child, about year old.
Lees story as told by himself, is as fol-
lows: II must have been about or
years old,'' he said, "when my mother
married Fred sbee. a stage-driver run
ming from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles
When l was about 10 | was indentured to
man named Higgins, on the Soledad
ranch, for $50 a year and clothes. A
Spaniard named Olivas, one of my father =
early friends, came to the ranch one day
and recognized me and told me who L was
My grandfather came later and took me to
Saticoy and later to Santa Barbara. Bisbee
finally went north and mother ana fol-
lowed him. l went to Honolulu when Is
years old and stayed there six years.
T han IL r
was out OF funds and l worked all round
through the State. Over a year ago l re-
celyed a letter from 4 lawyer, whose name
/ think is Williams. This was lust before
my fathers death. He said he was an
old friend of my father, mother and
grandfather, and he wanted to make some
arrangements TO get me my share of the
property. My mother was then in San
Francisco. Shortly after this / saw a
notice of my fathers death and heard
that the lawyers were looking for me. l
saw my mother and asked her to tell the
story of my birth. but she evaded it.
Just after l arrived In Los Angeles,
about six months ago, Carlos AngusoIa,
the son OF an old friend of my father in
Ventura County, met me, and l found
out through him tnat my mother had
made very foolish move IN letting her
rights in the estate go So long. i know
a prominent lawyer he said who has
rights, and he advised me to fight the
case. About two months ago l received a
letter from my mother, saying she had
not done exactly right by me. she SAID
It was a good deal her fault shat / had
been kept in ignorance of who was. Sue
: said she had been keeping it back because
she did not want to dig up the past, as it
involved several prominent and wealthy
people, and for that reason had let it drop.
Shortly alter my return from Homo
lulu l married, in 1888, in Oakland a
woman whose name do not wish TO state.
She died seven years after the marriage.
L worked in Oakland and in Alameda
County and also on the steamer Harriet,
Captain Sanchez, on the Sacramento
River
Unless Lee was divorced from his first
wife he committed bigamy when he mar
ried Minnie Diehl, as he married the
latter in 1894, and says his first wife led
in 1895. Friends are looking out for the
interests of the young wife and her child.
and il. Lee is really old Pietra's heir, his
family here will certainly get share At
present they live with Mrs. Lees mother,
and they are not any too well blessed With
this worlds goods.