The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-07-13
He Admits in Interview That
He Has Been Making Living
BY Marrying Women for the
Past Three Years.
COuRTED TEN WOMEN
WHILE IN PORTLAND
He Has Deceived and Desert
ed Women in Nearly Every
State in Union Amazing
Admissions Made.

San Francisco, July 13.-The most
remarkable confession ever made by q
bigamist in the United States was Sc
cured today by "The Examiner" from
Christian johnson, who. facing . sew
en- year sentence at San Quentin i'm
posed on him at San Jose. flung aside
reserve and admitted that he was John
Madison, who has made profession OF
polygamy and has received and de-
serted wives In almost every state In
the Union.
johnson declares In his confession.
which was signed and sealed In the
presence of Sheriff Langford and 9TH
er officers OF Santa Clara county, that
he had been making his living by
marrying and making love to women
since 1906.
Amazing admissions are contained
in almost every line Of the confession
of this most bewudering Of bigamists.
who boasts that he made love to ten
women 1t one time in Portland. Greg.
after having married one OF them In
the autumn of 1906. His confession
follow:
By Christian C. johnson.
II was born in Flensburg. Schles-
wig-Holstein, Germany, on the 11th
day Of March, 1s45. My father was a
horse dealer He bought horses for
the German and French governments.
after I completed my education at
Kiel came to the United States in
1871. l landed in New York in Oc-
tober Of that year and went to work in
the Union Iron and Steel works In
Trenton. N. J.
II got Job from the United States
government in 1876 buying horses on
commission. was buying for them .
little over three years. then got q
Recommendation to the British minis
ter In Washington and I bought for
the English on and off for thirty years,
horses, mules, ponies and mustangs
and also shipped for them.
During the Russo-Japanese war,
bought horses for the japanese gov.
ernment During all this period made
my headquarters In New York during
the summer and in New Orleans dur
ing the winter.
He eeeams Sporty.
| MY occupation brought me In con.
| tact with the sporting people and
led a rather sporty life. and 1 want to
say right here that whatever l got out
of women l spent on them right away;
they kept me broke.
| In November, 1905, married the
first woman, Mrs. Brown. of Spring
field, Mass. She was q wellko-dc
widow. I was in New York At the
time and read a matrimonial advertise
ment in a Boston paper.
/ Il went to Springfield and married
her inside of a month. She gave me
$500 on the wedding day. We remain.
ed In Springfield one night and the
next day we took the train for New
York.
Il left her because I didn't like her
She didn't suit me and I simply left
her.
Went to New Orleans.
| 81 went from there to New Orleans
and then to San Francisco. My second
marriage was to Mrs. Sylvia Pollard
De Bonnets. / first met her In San
Francisco through q friend. We were
married on December %. 1906 in San
Rafael. at that time being known ~
Christian C. johnson. think ! lived
about two weeks with her and then
told her that I had to 90 to Germany
ON important business.
/ Then l went to Portland. and put
an advertisement In q paper for . wife
There must have been 500 replies
Iremained there for two mouths. and
vas paying attention during that time
I'd ten different women I only mar
ried one. however. Her name VA
iEIixa Jones II remombef F19htlY.