Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-10-19
MARRIED FIFTY-FIVE TIMES.
Remarkable criminal record of a
Baltimore man.

Remarkable criminal record OF a
Baltimore man.
Who is doing time in states prison
His plan was to marry women and
rob them-About as mean creature
as could be found-His fairy stories
about his ranches and Hundred thous.
and dollars checks always won.
@ Baltimore Sun.
There is an elderly, gray haired
man in the Maryland penitentiary who
in his way, has made a remarkable
record. His story is recalled by the
publication Of the doings of Charles
Woodruff, of Chicago, who was mar
ried fifty times and finally arrested
for bigamy few days ago.
The man whom the State of Mary
| land is taking care of is James Clarke,
| about sixty-five years old, one armed,
and it is claimed, a man SO singular
ly fascinating to women that he had
married f1fty-fve OF them before he
was arrested, nearly four years ago,
| by Detective al Gault.
Detective Gault tells the story of
Clarke's adventures in Baltimore,
and expresses his belief that Clarke
was one of the smoothest takers that
ever 'swagged tongue, He says
that there are indictments out in all
most every State in the Union against
Clarke, and that he is known to have
married fifty-fye women. He says
his charm was his wonderful tongue,
with which he was able to pour forth
in soft language such stories that
hardly a woman could be found to re-
sist him.
APPROPRIATED TWO TRUNKS.
"The first we heard of Clarke here, !"
said Detective Gault, twas the re-
ported loss of two trunks belonging
to Mrs. Sadie Fields, of 1914 East
Biddle street. Captain Freeburger
put me on the case, and / found out
from Mrs. Field that she had answer
ed an advertisement OF Clarke for a
governess, and that he had engaged
her to go to Los Angeles, CAL, at $56
month to teach his two daughters.
He had persuaded her to take all her
money and buy d lot of things to take
with her, and had packed them in
two big Saratoga trunks.
son the day before she reported the
matter Clarke had come to her and on
some pretense gotten the keys of the
trunks, which had both been sent to
Union Station. That was the last
she saw of him, and when she sent to
the depot found her trunks gone. |
found one of the trunks at a pawn
brokers' shop in this city, but the
other could not be found, and Cap
tain Freburger decided to send me on
to Harrisburg. Buffalo and Pittsburg
to one of which cities it was supposed
Clarke had gone. l left town and
when got up to York, Pa, thought
that was just the kind Of little town
Clarke would be likely to stop off at,
and [ accordingly left the train.
FAT the hotel | found man who
answered the description, who had
just come in and had a big trunk
with him. l found him in the lobby
and, calling him aside, told him who
/ was and what / wanted. He
bluffed for while and tried to shake
me in a dark passageway going up to
his room. Bnt / told him I was
afraid of ghosts and would go along
with him. Finally ! opened the
trunk and found plenty of evidence as
to its being Mrs. Fields trunk and
brought Clarke back to Baltimore
with me.
THE STORY OF THE MARRIAGE.
''The other part of the story, that
about the marriage came out later
when | got to town. Itseems Clarkes
regular game was to pick out some
young widow, with little money,
represent to her that he was quite a
wealthy cattle owner from California
and marry her. Then by little per-
suasian he would induce the bride to
turn over her savings to be placed in
the same bank with all of his wealth.
After this was done, Mr. Clarke simply
flew the coop and never came back.
''The singular part Of this is that
while he has been married fifty-fve
times, none of his wives have ever
prosecuted him and he is serving his
term now for stealing the trunks and
not for bigamy.
For Sale.