The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-08

iiCi a IOinC III THIS linen l.
went back to marry her. That was II
years ago. and on the very day set for
our wedding my sweetheart died Her
father is still alive. He is IS years
old, and he is my only friend in the
world 1 still correspond with him"
Johnson declared that Mrs Leopold
advertised for a husband and that he
answered the advertisement At the
same time he himself, inserted an adj
vertisement in which he described him
self as "a refined bachelor, so years
old, unincumbered and of independent
means" From this advertisement he
declared he received nearly 200 letters
only three of which he answered. Two
of them, he said, were to women who
were afterward found to be Mrs. Treth-
way and Mrs. Mitchell. All the women
who could be seen yesterday denied the
beginning of an acquaintance through
the medium of such advertisements.
Johnson was positive in his assertions
that his only marriages were to Mrs.
Leopold and Mrs. Trethway
Mrs Leopold's story differed in many
essentials from that of Johnson. She
said he first came to her home in SUIT
ter street and rented a room for one
night, taking great interest in her
II year old invalid daughter, Regina.
BY making love to the child the man
won the heart of the mother.
Benjamin Fay Mills, the noted lee
turer and leader of the Fellowship
movement, has meeting rooms at the
home of Mrs. Leopold, and after meet
ing Johnson expressed himself as ia
vorably impressed by the man. Johnson
visited Mrs. Leopold often and begged
her TO marry him, that he might take
the sick child to a home which he de-
clared he owned just out of San Jose.
Consent was finally given. and on the
day of his marriage Johnson presented
two rings, one to the mother and one
to the child The same night he left
his bride of two hours, taking with
him $500 of her money.
A month and two days after this
marriage Johnson, then going by the
name of Anderson, took Mrs. Trethway
from her Stockton home to San Jose,
where he was married to her by Justice
of the Peace Brown. He had told Mrs.
Trethway that he owned extensive
properties in New York and fine home
on the Hudson river and that he ex-
pected a large legacy on the death of
an uncle in Germany. 1t was again
through children that Johnson played
upon and won the affections of the
mother.
SOUGHT TO BORROW MONEY
Mrs. Trethway went to Santa Cruz to
prepare for her promised eastern trip,
and at the same time Johnson made
three weeks trip to Byron hot springs
and was with Miss Gather at least
portion of the time. Immediately after
his marriage to Mrs. Trethway he at
tempted to borrow money of her, as
he had done of Mrs. Leopold.
THAT occurred to me as strange,
said Mrs Trethway when seen last
night at her home in Stockton. Later
I was in his room while he was down
stairs and 1 noticed letter addressed
to Mrs Ida Mitchell, Ingleside, San
Francisco 1t began, My dearest little
wife That is just the language he
had used to me. I was shocked and
confronted him with the letter He
was taken by surprise and was unable
to answer me. I literally drove him
from the house and I have not seen him
since 1 Immediately sent a telegram
to Mrs Mitchell, warning her. and later
we met and exchanged our letters,
which were very much alike.
Among the letters which are now in
the possession of the police is one writ
ten by Johnson, under the name of An
derson. to Miss Gather from Byron Hot
Springs. 1t was dated March IL and
reads:
MY dear little wife: 1 received
your letter just now on my return
here and hasten to answer same
so you will receive it tonight. oh,
darling, l do miss you so much
more than 1 can put down on this
paper-and 1 want you to send me
a telegram as soon as you get this
and let me know if you are coming
here to spend Sunday with me. If
you are not l am going to Stock
ton. ] will leave here at IL o'clock
tomorrow noon. If 1 don't hear
from you before, either by tele-
gram or by phone, / will leave on
that train. 1 have shipped the
stallion. Everything is o. r., but
it almost cleaned me out. l have
also received a letter from the old
man in Germany. He is feeling
better again. Hoping this letter
finds you o. K. and that I will
hear from you before noon tomor-
row, telling me whether or not 1
may expect you. 1 close with all
my love and many kisses.
Your own husband
JOHN c. ANDERSON"
Miss Gather also believed that she
was the victim of avarice. She told
Mrs. Leopold that Johnson always I'M
derstood that she was the owner of
a rich mine, which was, in fact,
myth, and that she thought his adj
vances were based upon desire to get
hold of this property.