The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-10
SOrdid Nature of Much Married
JOhnSOn-MadsOn Revealed by
Army of Victims
Formal Charge of Bigamy Is
Preferred Against Him
at San Jose


Mrs Josephine Amelia Tretheway.
never loved him. I only lured
him or by making love 10 him and
led him into a trap.-Mrs. Minnie
Gather.
I married him because he said he
led him into a trap.-Miss Minnie
rietta Leopold.
have forgotten him.-Mrs. Sylvia
Pollard de Bonnet.
7 don't care what they DO with him.
Mrs. Maggie Bloom.
Though emphatic in his assertion
that he had married no more than
three wives the investigation yester-
day by the police into the case OF
Chris Johnson. arrested for bigamy.
brought TO light a mass of testimony
oorroborating the story published ex-
clusively in The Call Friday which
showed him TO be none other than
John Madison, professional bridegroom,
despoiler Of homes. defrauder OF women
and with at least Is wives and sweet
hearts mourning the loss OF their hearts
and fortunes through his wiles. News
of his capture produced the existence
Of another of his victims, Mrs. Julia
I3aus Of Santa Rosa. Johnson. or Mad
son. viii be taken 10 San Jose this
morning 10 answer TO a formal charge
of bigamy
His local victims gathered together
last night under the leadership of Miss
Minnie Gather. residing at the Blair
hotel 1888 O'Farrell street. TO discuss
what action they should take in the
matter. there being a general opinion
that with concerted movement suffi-
cient pressure could be brought TO
bear upon him TO refund some part
Of the money which in their faith and
trust they impaired 10 his care.
What love the man once inspired in
their breasts. when his hypnotic blue
ewes fascinated them out OF their cash,
was turned TO hopeless and impotent
anger on the knowledge Of the mans
true character. OF all his numerous
wives. OF all his loves. none-except
two-have spoken other than i'll of him
one was Miss Minnie Gather Of San
Francisco. who referred to his gen
rlemsnly qualities. and the other was
Mrs. Mary Brown Of Springfield. Mass.
who died Of broken heart when she
learned that she had been duped.
PATHOS BLOTS OUT HUMOR
The humorous tinge TO the biga-
misCs career was completely blotted
out by the pathos surrounding the
cases OF his victims. According 10
their stories he was actuated by i'm
pulses OF the basest kind. He robbed
the widow with a shamelessness be-
yond belief. taking from one conhding
woman the hard earnings of years
which she intended spending on her
dying daughter in an effort 10 make
the last days OF the latter comfortable.
This was Mrs. Leopold.
The woman, an aged, cultured Ger
man, the victim Of financial reverses,
had succeeded in saving through the
stormy years enough money with
which TO furnish and conduct a board
ing house She had on her hands a
daughter Of 10 years who needed the
closest medical care and attention to
keep her alive. The one hope Of the
mother was TO save enough money so
that she could move to a warmer eli
mate, where physicians had declared
her child would have a chance TO re-
cover She worked day in and day out
toward this end. and finally. after
years Of toll and self-sacrihce she
managed 10 get together $500 Her
furniture was worth the same amount.
Then appeared Madison, alias Ander-
son, alias Johnson. In single month
he had won over the mother by pro-
Tossing q great love for the child and
by his promises TO take her to his pa
latial home in Los Angeles where she
could be given the proper attention and
care necessary for the safeguarding of
her life They were married February
3. 1903. and that night he took all her
money and disappeared.
Now the child is in the hospital.
slowly dying. The mothers neart is
broken. Her struggles of a lifetime
have been as naught
BJNKOED, But NOT MARRIED
There is a sameness about the stories
Of each Of hts victims. Mrs. Julia
Haus Of Santa Rosa, who thinks in
Madison she has discovered a man who,
under the name Of Sherwood. swindled
her out Of a consfderab bic sum Of money
wrote the following letter to Mrs. Leo
, pOld yesterday:
"He bunkoed me out Of large
amount OF money, but we were not
married. as he wished to be. The de-
scription Of Anderson answers quite
vel that Of Sherwood. Please give
me as mach information as you can
about him"
The letter was turned over to the
police by Mrs. Leopold
MAKES CHARGE OF BIGAMY
Mrs. Josephine Amelia Tretheway of
Stockton. one Of the many wives OF
Madison, slipped quietly into Justice
Browns court in San Jose yesterday
afternoon, where she was married to
Madison. alias John c. Anderson. April
p. 1903. and preferred a charge of
bigamy against him. In the complaint
she asserts that at the time that she
. VENT through the marriage ceremony
with Madison he was the lawful hus-
band OF Henrietta Leopold.
Sitting in the apartments in the
house in San Jose last night where she
and Madison spent their first night as
man and wife, Mrs. Tretheway voiced
her determination TO prosecute the case
10 the finish.
i didn't intend to be brought into
this case at all" she stated, put
don't want people to believe Madson's
or Anderson's statement that I scolded
him into marrying me. OF course [
don't love him. What attracted nae