The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-01-03
BIGAMY CHARGE
DRIVES AN ELOPER
OVER BOUNDARY
Charles H. Douglass Has
Wife and Children
in Chicago
GUILTY OF A FELONY
Late Marriage to Daughter
Of Santa Rosa Mayor
Not Legal
FLEES FROM ARREST
Quickly Deserts the. Cali
fornia Girl Whom
He Deceived

Charles H. Douglass, whose sensa-
tional elopement and subsequent civil
marriage with Miss Helen Overton
last August forced the resignation of
the girls father, John P. Overton,
from the nayoralty of Santa Rosa,
has a wife and two children living in
Chicago. This fact developed with
the arrival at the Hotel ST. Francis a
few days ago of a member of a firm
of private detectives employed by
relatives and friends of the real Mrs.
Douglass to arrest the man on a
charge of bigany.
Local acquaintances of Douglass, who
were unable TO explain the mans re-
luctance to marry Miss Overton at the
time of his runaway match with
her, say that they now understand
They admit that he has deserted the
young girl he lured from her home
and has fed to Mexico to avoid prose-
cution for bigamy
Douglass was married to Mrs. Doug
lass No. I in 1892, while he was the
Chicago agent for a champagne com
pany, and by her had two children
a boy and a girl. In 1895 his wife
discovered that Douglass had been.
too intimate with woman who was
dancer in a music hall in Chicago and
left him. taking the babies with her.
There was never any talk OF divorce
until after the publication of the mar
riage with Miss Overton before Judge
Thomas J. Lennon OF the superior court
at San Rafael. News OF this mar
riage" reached the relatives of Mrs
took steps to locate the man, only to
find tnat they had started too late
Their quarry had escaped to Mexico,
from which country there is no extra
dition for the crime of bigamy.
DECEIVES SANTA ROSA MISS
1t was while Douglass was in the
employ ofvthe Herrin- -Hall-Marvin safe
company in this city that he met Nffss
Overton. He had gone to Santa Rosa
on business trip, and the deception
of the young woman was easy for a
suave man OF the world such as Doug
lass. Under promise of marriage he
induced the girl to come to San Fran
cisco with him and then declined to
carry out that promise until forced
to do so by Miss Overtons relatives
and friends.
His desertfon of his bride" almost
Immediately after the ceremony, which
was performed August 2s last by Judge
Lennon, was due to information which
concerning the action which the rela-
tives and friends of the real Mrs
Douglass intended to take For a while
the man lay in hiding in this city,
living with friends in Broadway. Two
weeks ago the hunt became too hot
for him, and he secretly left San Fran
cisco for the southern republic
son OF A MILLIONAIRE
Douglass, who though very young in
appearance and manner Is 46 years old,
has lived a varied life. He is the
youngest son OF the eccentric million
aire of the same name who died in
Santa Barbara three years ago, hav-
ing won fame by the peculiar manner
in which he spent his great wealth,
and also from the sensational details
of his marriage with the house keeper
of his beautiful home on the out
skirts of the southes n city. Most of
his money he made as the founder of
the r. G. Dun commercial agency.
When the elder Douglass. died he left
the most of his estate to his stepchil-
dren, Robert G. Dun, at whose death
it passed to Robert ]. Douglass,
at present the New York manager of
the Dun agency, and Benjamin Doug
lass, who for some years has been in
charge of the Chicago ONCE of Dun &
Continued On Page 2. Middle Column .