The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-11-11
WIFE DESERTER MAY
FACE WORSE CHARGE
B. D. BAWN MAY BE CHARGED
WITH VIOLATION OF "WHITE"
SLAVERY. ACT

A strange case of an aged woman s
linfatuation for man almost young
enough to be her son, is Brought to
! light in Investigations of the case of
B. D. Bawn, now in the Latah county
Jail on six months sentence for wife
desertion. That Bawn brought his
wife here from Ahsahka and desrted
her to go away with a woman said
to be 16 years his senior, is the
charge made by Prosecuting Attorney
Nisbet and pretty well substantiated
by evidence on file in the court of
Probate Judge Nelson.
Among the exhibits shown in the
case is letter from woman ad-
dressed to Mrs. Bawn urging her to
leave her husband and saying, IT saw
him with his arms around another
woman and you know that if a man
will put his arms around another
woman he will go further. i would
advise you to leave him and get
divorce from him." This letter was
written by the same person who wrote
the endearing letter given below, to
Bawn after he was arrested and
brought to Moscow. The writing is
evidently by the same person, accord
ing to Prosecuting Attorney Nisbet,
who worked up the evidence in the
case.
Another letter of unusual interest
and Importance in the case, bears the
Of the prisoner, B. D. Bawn,
and was written to D. E. Leach, whose
wife is said to have been in Bawn's
when Bawn was arrested at
Portland. This letter is dated from
Idaho, "5-9-19" To D. e.
Leach, Juliaetta, Idaho, and states
that II have located your wife here"
The letter tells Leach that his wife
is planning to go to another place SO |
miles from Lewiston to work and that
il Leach wants the writer to "act as
mediator" and try to get Mrs. Leach
% return to her husband "you must
pay my expenses" The letter tells
Leach that "I can't find anything
again her but idle talk. Some folks
say you tried to stab her in the back
It Culdesac the night of the peace
celebration. But if you are going to
ret divorce from her as you agreed
you don't care what people say.
I'M going to sue for divorce" There
S much more to the letter but these
ire the salient points. The letter
S signed "Broderick D. Bawn."
The officers say that Mrs. Leach,
With her son, 21 years old; daughter, {
8 years old, and two other sons, aged
2 and 9, accompanied Bawn when he
eft Lewiston in Ford car and the
tx persons travelled from Lewiston i,
ia Walla Walla and Pasco to Van
ouver, Wash, and Portland, where
lawn was arrested. Mrs Leach is
aid to be 49 years old and the moth
r of 10 children. Bawn is 33 years ,
Id and the father of three bright, j
andsome and intelligent children, aged {
ight months, and three and five {
ears, according to the statement of |
udge Adrian Nelson, who says they {
are beautiful children" I
Leach and his wife, who lived at {
seem to have been having I
'ouble for some time, for it is said
the Sheriff's office that she had
heriff Woody go to Juliaetta and in
sstigate a charge that Leach had i
lreatened her with gup. When r
avn was brought to Moscow he en- a
oyed S. o. Tannahill, attorney of \
ewiston, to defend him. Mrs. Leach t
Id the four children who accompan F
d her, went to Vancouver, it is said. t
he Following letter, written and mail t