The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-31
MICHIGAN Man HAS
HAD Nine WIVES
David Seeley, an Aged Man, Is
Said to Be Champion
Bigamiss


Seeley. aged seventy years and acknowl-
edged to be the champion bigamist of
Michigan, will stand trial in the circuit
court at its next term on plural marriage
charge preferred by Mrs. Julia A Blanch-
ard, respected widow of this city.
The aged -deceiver is known in Southern
Michigan under dozen aliases and has
been charged with many petty crimes and
convicted of most of them, and has served
one four year sentence in the state prison
for bigamy. Just how many wives are
now outstanding against Seeley is hard
to determine but seven are known, and it
is believed there are others. Owing to the
obscure character of most of them and the
small amounts of money he obtained. they
have, not attracted great attention Sew
eral prefer to be in obscurity rather than
have their matrimonial tangles made
public.
Seeiey's process appears extremely sim
pie. When out of funds he seeks a town
where he is not we'll known, picks up an
acquaintance with some widow or old
maid past the fifty-nile post and pushes
matters to an early conclusion usually
making the visit to the minister or justice
within a few weeks at most after first ac-
quaintance. He always selects a woman
with some money in the bank and as soon
as possible obtains possession of the coin
and disappears. The list of wives Of
Seeley bore the following names:
Mrs. Julia A. Blanchard, Kalamazoo.
Miss Cora EHingham Marceilus
Mrs Nellie Benton. ST. Joseph.
Mrs. c. C. Peck, Dewa giac
Mrs. frankie Williams, CLYDE.
Mrs. Minnie B. Schilling, Oshtemo.
Mrs. Lucy Killiam. Kalamazoo.
From Mrs Blanchard, who prefers the
present charge of bigamy, Seeley secured
no money, but lived several weeks before
and after the marriage on her bounty
Mrs. Blanchard is too chagrined over the
affair to talk much about 1t.
The wretch lied to me and I believed
him., is all she will say. Her daughter
Mrs. Cora Frisbie, gives an account of the
incidents surrounding her mothers expe-
rience with the man, who was known to
them as William H. Smith. She saws:
Mother was returning from her work
the afternoon of March Is, and near the
corner Of Edwards and North streets met
an Old man. 1t had. been raining and he
said something about it's being slippery.
Then he asked mother if she knew where
he could get housekeeper. She could not
give him any information and came home
He Needed Housekeeper
The next day Smith found out where
she lived and came to call on her They
had a long talk and he told mother that he
had considerable property and needed a
housekeeper. He made mother an offer
and finally we allowed him. to stay for the
time being. He said he. had hogs and
wheat to sell and as soon as the high
water subsidized he would take his produce
to market MR. 5
Soon after he came to the house he was
taken i'll, and it was while mother was
caring for him that he made her an offer
OF marriage. He said on the dav the1y
were welded he would deed her a forty
acre farm he had near. Comstock. Finally
ne induced mother to marry him. He was
too ill to leave his bed, so mother oh
tanned the license and Justfce.I. NJ Wat
ties came to the house and married them.
They stayed here two or three weeks and
about the first of May decided to move
to the farm near Conlstock
1T was Sunday afternoon and tho
dinner was over. Mother had her trunk
pacheu ready TO go and he said Ma,
I'll go and get a team That was the last
we saw of him.
When mother went to file the deed to
the farm She found it belonged to r.
P. Flanders and that Smith had no claim
on it at ALL
Supposed to Be Latest
This is supposed to have been Seeley,s
last marriage. He has gone under the
name of David Seeley most of the time.
but is also known as William H. Smith.
William Sherman, Henry Ebson and VII
liam Finch. The officers of Berien county
have known him under the latter title for
many years, and by them he was called
Uncle Billy Finch and Foxy Grandpa -
He married last fall Mrs Harriet Kers-
tens, of Dowaglac. This bride was the
widow of a Civil war veteran and when
she married Seeley she gave up a pen
sion of IS a month. She also gave I'D
$500 in cash which Seeley took charge of
the day of the marriage. Twenty-four
hours later he was gone.
Mrs. Nellie Benton, of ST. Joseph. lost
about $50 and some groceries as the re-
suit of her marriage with the man, and
Mrs. frankie Williams, of Clyde, has to
regret the loss of $275.
Seeley was arrested about six wears go
on charge of bigamy preferred by Mrs.
Lucy Killiam. living near Kalamazoo. The
case was tried here and other wives were
nrOdnOad in no of