"A Man with a Multiplicity of Wives"

qc times jun 28 1875

"A Strange Story. On Saturday last Louis Walker died at West Liberty. Before his death, he expressed the earnest desire that, if he died, he should be buried on the farm where he formerly lived, near Bevington, a station on the Winterset Branch of the Rock Island Road. The stricken wife, filled with love for him, and with a heart broken with sorrow and grief, sought to fulfill the wishes of her dead husband. She procured a burial case and started on her sad errand. She arrived at Bevington, a stranger to everybody. Of the station agent she inquired as to the location of the farm where her husband was to be buried. The agent inquired who it was that was to be buried, and on being told he quickly foresaw a very unpleasant affair. The widow had come to bury her husband on the premises of another man whose daughter, then at home, was the wife of the deceased. The agent, after some consideration, deemed it best to inform the widow of the facts. She received the story with perfect astonishment, and could scarcely believe her late husband guilty of such baseness; but on being assured it was so, she became indignant, and left the body with citizens to be conveyed to wife No. 1 (whose first knowledge for years of the whereabouts of her husband was his arrival in a burial casket), to be disposed of as she saw fit, and taking the first train she returned to her home. Since her departure it has been discovered that Walker has still another wife in Missouri."

tc jun 30 1875

"A Singular Affair. Two Wives Meet at the Burial of one Husband. While the daily press is teeming with murders, outrages upon feminine virtue, and crime of every sort, as if the demon of crime, and the basest passions of mankind were let loose, it would not be strange if now and then something new, startling unlike the usual daily record, should burst upon the astonished gaze. On Saturday last Mr. Louis Walker died at West Liberty, leaving a widow. Previous to his death he expressed the earnest wish that if he died he might be buried at his old home, a short distance south of Bevington, which is eighteen miles from Des Moines, on the Winterset road. With a heart full of love and affection, and weighted with sorrow and desolation, the widow placed the body of the late husband in a casket and started to obey his last request. She passed through the city Monday morning. Arriving at Bevington, inquiry was made of residents, as to the locality where the body was to be buried, the widow being an entire stranger to everybody. She was asked whose body it was, when it was discovered that the deceased was the lawful husband of the daughter of the owner of the premises where the deceased requested to be buried, and who was then residing at her father's. Of these facts the widow was ignorant, and the certain knowledge of the scene which must follow the meeting of the two wives of one husband under such circumstances induced some of the citizens to inform wife No. 2 of the facts. She was at first astounded, then mortified and indignant at the base deception which had been practiced upon her. She instructed the citizens to take the body to wife No. 1 and taking the first train returned to West Liberty, and the first knowledge wife No. 1 had of the matter was the arrival of the body at her residence. Since her departure it has been discovered that Walker has also a wife in Missouri, another in Ohio, and perhaps others elsewhere. The foregoing are facts as we have gathered them from parties who were present at the occurrence at Bevington. - Des Moines Journal."

adp jul 12 1875

"Too Many Wives Spoil a Funeral. A man named Louis Walker recently gave up the ghost at West Liberty, Iowa. Before he died he exacted a promise from his wife that she should bury him on a farm, where he had formerly lived, near Bevington, a station on the Rock Island railroad. The wife bought a nice burial case and started by rail with her husband's corpse. She knew nobody at Bevington. Of the station agent she inquired the location of the farm where her husband was to be buried. The agent asked her who the dead man was, and, being told, he pictured in his mind a very unpleasant meeting. The widow had come to bury her husband on the farm of a man whose daughter, then at home, was the wife of the deceased. The agent thought it best to tell the weeping widow of the hornet's nest in which she was about to run her head. She was amazed at what she heard, and for a time refused to believe it. She was finally convinced that her husband had deceived her for years. Then she quit crying and became indignant. He was not her lawful husband, and his corpse was not hers. She refused to have anything more to do with the funeral business, went back to her home on the next train, and left the dead to bury their dead, according to command. There was no use in crying over the spilt milk of human kindness, and she dried up. The station agent through officiousness got himself into a job. He sent the body to the farmhouse. The first knowledge of the whereabouts of her husband that wife No. 1 had for years was his unexpected arrival in the burial casket. She was surprised too, and probably indignant, but she could not get rid of the corpse without burying, which was done as quickly as possible, and at no cost of tears. Walker's funeral came pretty near being a total failure. It is said he leaves a widow somewhere in Missouri. Two or three more wives, and he would not have been buried at all, probably. What could have induced a man to destroy the good opinion of his last wife? He might have left one mourner, anyhow."

cr jul 28 1875 (only unique info)

"Walker must have been educated at Plymouth Church, and then took Greeley's advice and went West."

twd jul 26 1875 (only unique info)

"Since our publication of the above, we have learned from Dr. Somerville that this same Walker, about 1860, came to French Creek, in Upshur county, claiming to be a Tennessean. After remaining there a short time, he married a very estimable young lady, who has since died. About 1861-2, however, he deserted her, and afterwards came back, in company with a woman he said was his sister, but who afterwards turned out to be another wife. He was warned to "'git up and git,'" and did so; and nothing has been heard of him until the publication of the above article. Evidently Walker was a "'marrying man,'" and has doubtless led half a score of ladies to the altar, and subsequently deserted them."

bmf jul 29 1875

"It is hard to conceive of a more provoking situation than that in which Mrs. Louis Walker, of West Liberty, Iowa, found herself a week ago, when she was about to bury her lamented husband. In obedience to his dying request she carried his body to his "'old home'" at Bevington and there found another Mrs. Louis Walker, and learned that a third was still living in Missouri. She did not remain to attend the funeral."

story was reported in (at least) 2 languages (English and German) across iowa and (at least) 21 US states

Sources: