Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-09-05
Woman He Married in Iowa
Identifies Her Bigamist
Husband in Chicago
HE MAY NOT BE PUNISHED
On Promise to Get Divorce From His
First Wife and Remarry the Second
Wife, Mrs. Goddard Agrees to Not
Prosecute-Left First Wife Thirty
Years Ago.

Chicago, Sept. 5.-'MfS. Sldla Sou7
dard, of Hurley, S. D., has positively
identified Prof. Charles II. Frye as the
man she married in 1878, and with
whom she lived until few months
ago. Mrs. Goddard, with her lawyer
and Attorney Plotke, representing
Frye, went to the county jail and saw
the prisoner for the first time since she
reached Chicago week ago.
THAT is the man." Mrs. Goddard de-
clared when Frye was brought before
her. The man admitted that he knew
Mrs. Goddard. and also her daughter,
but refused to say he ever married
Mrs. Goddard, or that he was Miss
Goddard's father.
After the meeting in the jail the law
yers announced that Mrs. Goddard
would sign Frye's bond, releasing MN
from Jail. The present Mrs. Frye
will then secure divorce, it was stat
ed, and Frye woLG remarry Mrs. God
dard.
My life as the wife Of Goddard was
one of misery, want and neglect, SAID
the woman; Sin the twenty-nine years
that we lived as man and wife l am
sure he did not contribute $500 to the
support of our three children. l met
Goddard first in Humboldt, Iowa, in
1877 He was school master there.
He made violent love to me, and the
next fall we went to Spencer, Iowa,
and were married. We then went to
Hurley, S. D., and there we gained
possession of a government claim OF
800 acres. l worked the claim alone,
and my husband went to Hurley and
taught school for five years"
Mrs. Goddard bore the name of Mrs.
Sweetz when she married Frye or
Goddard
Frye returned to Chicago last spring
after an absence Of thirty-one years.
He gave his wife in Chicago $4,000 in
gold, stipulation when he turned the
money over to- her being that she
would not insist that he tell her where
he had been during the long absence,
during which he had never even writ
ten to her or their children. He was
formerly prominently identified with
the Chicago Normal school.
AIS. STOuudIu, VI I1uIlSS, r., saw
the account of Frye's return in the
newspapers and the description Of him
fitted so nearly the man she had known
as husband for thirty years that she
had him arrested and came to Chicago.
Frye, as Charles H. Goddard, had been
practicing law and engaged in the real
estate business for some years at
Hurley, S. d.
After the interview with wife No.
Frye or Goddard" talked freely of
the tangle in his matrimonial affairs
after he had refused to say whether
he and Mrs Goddard had been mar
ried before.
Calls Troubles at End.
II am glad it is all over Frye
said Il regard it as all over because
the woman who made this trouble for
me has consented to do the right thing.
All the reparation / can make is to
marry her legally. That l am willing
to do as soon as am free. which can
not be until Mrs Frye obtains d.
vorce from me. The story that gave
Mrs Frye $4,000 as the price of silence
on her part is not true. All the mon
ey / gave her on my return after
There is one matter that l wish to
make clear to all. 1t is that under the
laws of South Dakota, as they have
been interpreted by the supreme court
of that state, would not be adjudged
a bigamst, even tho should admit
that / married Mrs. Clara Goddard
without having first secured divorce
from Mrs. C. H. Frye, of Chicago. /
am a lawyer myself. and was for years
a Judge in South Dakota, so ought
to know what l am talking about.
Talks of Dakota Law.
"The Dakota law is that anybody
can remarry legally if previous wife
or husband has not been heard from
for seven years. 1 waited nineN years
before assuming relations with Mrs.
Clara Goddard, and during all those
years 1 had not heard from Mrs. c. H.
FRYE. So | had the legal right to mar
nv Mrs Goddard in 1880, or there
abouts'
What are your plans for the future
i'm case the arrangement made today
should result in your release and prove
a final and complete settlement of your
matrimonial troubles"
/
shall attempt to begin life anew here
as a lawyer. / want to say that l was
never a professor at the Chicago Nor
NAL School My connection was with
the old University of Chicago, in whose
law department / graduated some thir-
ty-tive years ago. 1t is true that nave
been a teacher in many schools and
colleges. 1 was an instructor in Cath
Ollie university at Washington for two
wears and was two years more at the
head of the Catholic schools in the
Philippines.
Lays Blame on First Wife.
GAS a final word, l would like to say
that it was never my intention to do
anything wrong. l have proof that !
exhausted every means to find out
whether my wife was living or dead. /
frequently wrote to her and my son
here in Chicago but they never ans
swered. They now admit that they got
letters from me in the late 7os and
early sos but l never heard from them
until few years ago"
One of the attorneys said that tho
Mrs Goddard would drop the prosecu-
ton of Frye and marry him after his
Chicago wife secured divorce, she
would never live with him again.
.sThe marriage will be solely for the
purpose Of giving Mrs. Goddard's chill
dren a legal right to their name" he
said. zone of Mrs Goddard's daugh-
tiers is very wealthy and socially prom
inent in Hurley, S. D., and Mrs. Gods
dard intends to make her home with