The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-08-24
HE HAD NINE WIVES.
And IS a Natural Consequence
Cot into Trouble.
A TRAVELLING SALESMAN
Who Ead a Familyin Nearly Every
Town in His District and Lived
OF Them. Worse Than
BRIGHAM NnIIno
Brigham Young.

OilShdill IOung.
y convention Of Martin .Jergensen's
wives was recently held at O'Neil, Ncb..
nine witt in attendance. Jergensen
is Lighting rod salesman. Although
he earns >nly Sl00 month. he has ex-
perienced 40 difficulty in maintaining
his various establishments. In fact,
the multiplicity of his helpmases consti-
tuted his great financial strength. For
helpmates they were in the fullest sense
Of word. Nearly everyone of them
worked for her own living and Jergen-
sens too.
He married Mrs. Jergensen, No. l,
at Beatrice, Neb., in 1883. She was
dressmaker. Her income was as large
as her husbands, and she quite agreed
with him that it would befoolish in her
to stop work simply because she was
married She managed to squeeze out
$50 or S25 for her husband every
month. Jergensen never gave her a
cent. BY No. l Jergensen had no chill
dren
Until few weeks ago No. 2 always
supposed her name was Mrs. John B.
White. She married at Midvale, Neb.,
in 1885. She was teaching school at
the time and has continued to do SO
ever since. Her salary was only $40 a
month and her husband did not con-
trive to get much cash from her, but
she was never source Of expense to
him. She has two children.
Number three also teaches school, in
Butte County, S. D., a few miles north
of Belle Fourche. She married Jergen-
sen in 1886. He gave the name OF
Frank Scales at the time. Her salary
is larger than number two's-s50
month-and as living expenses are light
in Butte County her husband has in
duced her to part with SO or SIS every
month. She has one child.
A week after his wedding with num-
Der three Jergensen arrived at Long
Pine, Neb., for similar ceremony with
Mrs. Hepsebah Scott, a widow and
quite wealthy He married her under
the name Of George Graham. Jergensen
has induced her to part, so she says,
with $1,000 or $4,000. She has two
children.
Jergensen married No. 5 in 1888,
while on visit to Richland, S. D. She
was unemployed at the time, but Jergen-
sen soon found place for her as a
bookkeeper, ard she has been at least
self-supporting until three or four
months ago, when an attack Of typhoid
fever put her husband to considerable
expense fer time. She supposed her
self to be Mrs. Hamilton B. Trewin,
and has one child.
No. 6 teaches school at Sundance,
Wyo. Jergensen told her his name
was Walter Marsh. Out Of salary of
S45 month she has always managed to
ind So or SO to relieve her husbands
pressing necessities.
Number7 is music teacher at Fort
Pierre, S. D. She has gone by the
name Of Mrs. Reddick McCullen, and
has four children. She married Jergen-
sen in 1891. Her income isa good one,
and she handed over to SMcCullen"
s25 or $50 a month.
Number s owns farm near Bonestel,
S. D. She was married in 1893 to
Harry Ord-such was Jergensen's alias
and has supplied him with SO or SIS
month for the past five years.
A month ago Jergensen added No. 9,
and he ought to have waited even
longer. for it was his ninth wedding
that proved his undoing The bride
was Miss Hannah Murray, the daughter
of a well-to-do farmer, near Hermosa,
S. D. Jergensen won her under the
name of Paul Wentworth Ali might
have been we'll had not Mrs. Went
worth and Mrs. Jergensen No. / pos
sessed a common friend at 0Neill.
This friend had photograph of Jer-
gcnsen presented to her by No. and
when No. 9 married she sent the bride
groom's picture to the self-same friend.
The friend noticed the resemblance
and communicated with No. l. No. l
came to O'Neill, compared the photo
graphs and telegraphed Jergensen to
come to her. Jergensen came at once
and tried to bluff the thing through,
and would have succeeded, perhaps,
had not local newspaper printed a
rough ''chalk-plate" copy Of his photo
graph. By some mischance a copy Of
the paper fell into No. 3's hands, and
she hastened to O'Neill to see about it.
No. ! and No. 3 saw how the land
lay and communicated with No. 9.
So she cams, too Nos. 2. i. 5, 6, I
and s discovered the situation one at a
time. and also arrived. They had Jer-
genscn arrested and refused to bail him
out
1t is expected that the next Holt
County grand jury will indict him, and
all his wives will probably appear
against him except No. 5. who says she
still loves him and cannot think O. in
crcasing his troubles. Jergensen pro-
fesscs confidence that he will yet be
able to talk the others over, and that
the cases against him will ultimately
be dropped.
How he managed to prevent any of
his wives from having suspicious before
is a general mystery. His BUSINESS
has kept him much away from home,
however and ioy n1aking his rounds be-
tween the towHs where his various
wives jiye he baS managed to keep up
reasonable show OF interest in each
Fatal Game Of Marbles.