The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-10-12
ARRESTS HIS WIFE.
Who WAS DAUGHTER
Of HIS FRAU NO 4
New Yorker Alleges His
Latest Wife Is a
3igamist
She Says Her Husband
Popped Question" With
a Revolver.

NEW YORK, Oct. I2.-WIlliam H.
Lasher, formerly postmaster of the
State senate and pooh-bah o. the village
Of GriTen's Corner, N. Y, Of which he
is the town clerk and road master,
caused the arrest last night of his wife,
Eta Lasher, on the charge OF bigamy.
She is his fifth wife. her predecessor
having been her own mother. Her
mother. the fourth Mrs. Lasher died
last March in the Seney Hospital. Brook
lyn, and in the passage-at-arms last
night, the fifth Mrs. Lasher alleged that
her stepfather had forced her to marry
MIN at the point of a revolver three
months later.
flasher is seventy-one years old. ana
fer two score and ten years he has
been the factotum of the little farming
community OF his native county.
His Own Sleuth.
He himself, IN spite Of his gray hairs.
did the sleuthing that enabled the police
to arrest his wife last night A week
ago he brought Constable William New
ton from GrifTen's Corner. and. to-
gether. the gray boards rubber-shoed
through Brooklyn and told the result Of
their labors to Captain McCauley. OF the
Brooklyn detective bureau.
Lieutenants Reidy and Gallagher last
night went 20 l91 Adams street, whittier
the trail followed by the aged sleuths
had led. and found Mrs. Lasher. She Is
thirty-five years old and OF really charm
ing appearance. The detectives found
her prepared for bed, and she refused
10 leave the house. Their threat 70 back
"a patrol wagon up to the door moved
her TO get into her street clothes and
accompany them.
Thought Her First Dead.
The charge Of bigamy is based on her
marriage fifteen years ago to George r.
Dennison. Of Cold Spring, Long Island,
at which the Rev. DIT. Cox, OF that vii
lage. OBLIGATED. Mrs. Lasher said last
night that she had long supposed her
arst husband dead. and she was amazed
at the charge against her She said she
had no knowledge Of the evidence her
aged spouse had found 70 warrant his
action. Lasher was not here, but the
news OF his wife's arrest was tele-
graphed to him, and he returned answer
that he would hasten to town this morn
ing.
Mrs. Lasher told the police a tabloid
history Of the marital experiences Of
her spouse. She said that he had oni2d
three of his wives with tears, up &c two
years ago, when in his loneSomeness he
induced her mother TO accept the post
OF nouseSeeper. II seems that the VII
lage patriarch had succumDed 70 the
charms of his previous wives through
admiration Of their ability as house
wives. and Mrs. Lasher the fourth fol-
lowed in their footsteps by becoming
his bride. The village made mucF OF
the wedding. Mrs Lasher the fourth
fell I'll six months after the wedding,
and was brought to Brooklyn, where
she submitted to an operation at the
Seney Hospital, in March, dying a few
days later.
The disconsolate quadrupled widower
retired to the lonesomeness OF his old
home, and wept for weeks In secret.
Then came a letter to his last wife S
daughter, in Brooklyn, asking her to
take the highly potential job of house,
keeper. The daughter was then known
to him as Mrs. Dennison, and he
thought her to be a widow.
Mothers Footsteps.
Mrs. Dennison departed, bag and bag
gage, and became wife No. 5, by the
housekeeping route, In the course Of the
three short months that she baked cakes
and swept the house. In the fifth we'd
ding, the village did not join boisterous-
~. because Of the proximity in time OF
the departure Of the fourth wife.
Five weeks ago Mrs. Lasher left her
husband and came 10 New York. He
followed her to her old address, 4
High street. Brooklyn. but she had left
before he arrived. Lasher went TO Cap
tain McCauley and told him of his de-
sire to prefer a charge CT bigamy. The
captain advised HIM to &c back home
and prefer the charge there. Lasher
went before his local Justice OF the
peace. and shortly after appeared with
a warrant charging bigamy. It was
with this warrant that ne and the ven
cable constable came to Brooklyn last
week.
He knows that NV first husband Is
dead said the imprisoned woman last
night. 7 cannot conceive how he could
DO such a thing. ] did not want 10
marry him He came at me with a pis-
tul one day and forced me % do It We
were married June Is, 1901