Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1897-03-13
TOWNSEND TALKS TO 4 REPORTER
NarrateS His Troubles with the
Family of His Second Wife.

| Lancaster WIS., March 5.-The preim-
! mary examination of Mark w. Townsend
| has been postponed to next Tuesday. This
| was done at the instance of District AT
| tOrney Howe. to secure evidence from the
| fa1 west. Townsend who was a former
resident of this county, was recently
| brought here under arrest from Feitzville
Wash, to answer q charge of numbering
his wife in 1885 After the death Of his
wife. he went to Washington, located in
Adams county, taught school, took up
government land, and married. In recent
years serious troubles have arisen be
tween him and the family of his wife.
which ended in their separa tion a divorce.
much ugly feeling and arrests and coun-
ter-arrests.
To a reporter of the Teller of this place
Townsend makes the following statement
of his life and troubles:
Shortly after his wifes death, in Sep
tember 1889, Townsend went to the Val
paraisc. Ind. school and was a student
there until the next August. In the Win
ter OF st to 81 he was Il caVaSSing agent
in Illinois FOR q medical work published
by a Chicago firm. Near the beginning of
1887 he taught school near Durand I1l
boarding with a man named RoWley for
about three months. At the end of the
time he came back here and went over
into Crawford county and worked on a
farm for Lewis Christ. In the fall of that
year he bought a ticket for Seattle and
started on his journey. AT Spokane he
stopped off to rest day or so. There he
met farmer who told him of the fine va
can't prairies in Adams county. He went
out at once to Ritzvile arriving there on
Saturday. A week from the next Tuesday
he began teaching and taught light along
for 10 months, and taught III that school
and neighboring school alternately for
two years. He took up land in the
spring of 1883 and built house on it. The
woman he married had ''taken up land,
and in the forenoon Of day in the fall of
1888 she proved up her claim, and in the
afternoon Of the same day they were
married. He followed teaching in the win
ter and worked to improve his claim in
the summer. He had two quarter sec
tlons, one being a timber claim. He was
appointed q member of the teachers ex-
amining board in 1885, and has been a
member every year since that time except
one. He showed one of his appointment
papers. In that state each county mas
three teachers examiners who constitute
an examining board. He lived on his
farm; has two children there = Paul.
years old, and Ruth, years old. His
Wife's name was Mary Watson
Origin of the Trouble
ioWnSend says they lived in peace: nev-
er was trouble between them until in May.
Ac'''
having been out making examinati ons,
and his wife and children were gone At
ter some days, she not returning. he went
over to her fathers six miles distant, to
bring her home. He found her unwilling
to go. 1t took him two hours to persuade
her to go. After they We're home and he
had convinced her that stories told her
We're untrue and her fears groundless, she
told him she had decided her place to her
father 1t was on her place that her
fathers family lived. They had induced
her to do this by persuading her that he
was going to kill her and then he would
get the place This he said made him very
angry He convinced her they were wrong
and she Joined him in a suit to recover the
deed and get possession of the land They
failed in their suit by nonsuit the next
September. While the suit was in prog
ress, when he was away attending to his
business, her brothers would go to his
house and endeavor to persuade her TO
leave him. Among other things they told
her that Townsend was not his right
name: that she was not married to him:
was living in adultery. He convinced her
as to his name by showing certificates as
teacher in this county and a demit from
the Masonic lodge here. In May last he
went away to Hatton 12 miles distant |
His wife pleasantly kissed him goodbye |
When he returned home, she and the chill
1ren We're gone. Her people had been |
there and tried to have her leave The
week before, but the sickness of a child |
was in the way. He went to her fathers |
but they forbade his entering the prem
ses. Her brothers came out with a Win |
chester ard threatened to shoot him if he |
went into the yard.
Told Her Stories.
Townsend says that on their visits to |
her to go they would tell her |
n 1n1Ie- c-1S
/ wife 20 years ago in Dodge county, this |
state, ana that he ran away from there
and had never been heard Of Said they |
nad letters to prove it. and would show
1er if she would go home with them
They told her various ways they could |
dispose Of Townsend. Said they would |
get him out in the woods and pound him
nearly to DEATH that they would thrown
lim on a freight, where he would die,
md the train men would run him over to
he sound, where he would be buried
ramp. Another way was, they wanted
ler to fill the gun with mud. so he would |
De killed by it's explosion. Wanted her
o give him two tablespocnfuls of Croton
'il.- She would tell Townsend of these
hings afterwards They finally succeed
ID in inducing her to leave him, and they
De affected.
In August last she had him arrested
N the charge of thraa tenins to murder
Ter. At the trial she tilted that Last
winter or spring, | c<ta+ tell just which,
lie said as long as / s.Gti with him there
vas no danger, but that if l left he would
lean up the whole family, and l sup
'ose 1 am one of the family This quo
alton is given as her own words. She
aid it occurred in ordinary conversation.
She brought three witnesses; not one
would testify he had ever made threats
Lgalnst her. While one of Townsend's
witnesses was testifying the lawyers got
nto a quarrel as to what should be adj
nitted as testimony. He had three more
Witnesses to testify, but the justice stop
'ed proceedings right there and decided
hat Townsend should give bonds in $1,000
o keep the peace for one year. He told
he justice he would not give bonds. He
vas sent to Jail. The case was appealed