The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-03-31
HOLDS GIRL BRIDE
IS MERELY A DUPE
S. d. Lee, Whose Wife Dis
appears Shortly After Mar
riage, Has Faith in Her.
PROPERTY Is INVOLVED
Search of Husband and Rela-
tives for Missing Young
Woman Is Futile.
PROPERTY is INVOLVED

Was s. d. Lee the victim of a plot
in which Bertha Amelia Backman. hi.
bride of an hour, was but passive
dupe, when be decided TO her two
pieces of property in return for hel
hand in marriage, only to lose her
shortly after the ceremony had been
performcdl
Lee himself thinks such was the
case. even though he has instituted
suit in the Third district court TO have
the property transfer annulled.
Lee, who is sixty years old, decided
his property to the girl last Thursday
morning, married her at noon aud lost
her the same afternoon. She is still
lost so far as Lee or any of the girl S
relatives profess to be aware. Beside
the deeds to the $4,000 worth of prop
erty, Mrs Lee, formerly Miss Back
man. is wearing clothing and jewelry
to the value of $400, which Lee pur-
chased for her the day before the mar
riage.
Has Faith in Bride.
"I believe the girl is all right and
meant TO be square with me, Lee de-
clared yesterday, but | think her
disappearance is not entirely OF her
own volition. There is some other
person in the deal, who is trying TO
dupe to that end. II she will como to
me and show me she was not to blame,
ss / firmly believe she is not, every
thing will be all right. l have no de-
sire to go back on my promise TO give
her the deeds TO the property, pro"
vided she will perform her side of the
understanding.
No trace of the girl was to be found
last night, She is the daughter Of
Charles Backman of Pennington. Mr..
Backman declares he has not seen nor
heard from his daughter since Thurs
day morning. when she left his home
to come TO Salt Lake. He knew moth
ing of the marriage, he said, until Fri.
years old. She was formerly an en-
ployee of the Bell Telephone company
in this city, and had lived with her
married. sister, Mrs. W. j. Carrigan,
923 West First South street. 1t was
there that Lee met her, The house is
his. the Carrigans renting il from HIM.
First Wife a Suicide.
Lee came into considerable publicity
several months ago when his first
wife committed suicide under peculiar
circumstances at rooming house on
West Third South street, of which he
was proprietor, The police arrested
Lee because he refused to give sat
sfactory account Of hls wife's death,
and ne was held in the city Jail over
night, for which he threatened to
bring suit against the city. Mrs. Lee
shot herself while standing in front
Of mirror in her room. Lee was in
the room at the time, but he said he
was sleeping when the shot was fired
He said he knew of no reason what
soever why his wife should have killed
herself
According to his own statements,
Lee has known his lost bride for sew
cral months. The CarTigans say that
he wooed the girl so ardently that 1t
became necessary at one time to call
the police To eject him from the house.
Later Mrs. Carrigan promised to favor
Lee s suit for her sisters hand pro-
vided he would give her deed to the
furniture in the Carrigan home, which
they were also renting from Lee. Mrs.
Carrigan admitted this agreement yes
terday, and declared that Lee had
failed to give her the promised deed.