Arrested for bigamy.
Emmer Straugh confesses his guilt to the officer when arrested on the above
charge.
Yesterday afternoon an affidavit was filed in Justice Smith's court charging
Emmer Straugh, a mounter employed at the Eclipse Stove Works, with bigamy.
Constable Longsdorf, armed with a warrant, proceeded to the works and arrested
this man. When the warrant was read Straugh was dumbfounded. He
requested to be allowed to change his clothes and, the permission being granted,
the two started over to Straugh's home on Newman Street. On the way over
Straugh substantially admitted his guilt to the officer, suggesting that he
would get five years sojourn at the Ohio penitentiary for his indiscretion.
Upon arrival at the house, Straugh refused to acquaint his wife with the nature
of the visit of the officer and when Constable Longsdorf told her the trouble
Mrs. Straugh broke down saying her husband had never told her that he had
another wife living. Straugh corroborated this statement, saying that he
told wife No. 2 that he was a widower.
Mrs. Straugh No. 2 accompanied her husband to the court, where he seemed to be
at a loss to know what to do. At the suggestion of Attorney Seward, who is
representing the prosecution in the matter, the hearing was continued until
Wednesday, August 17th., at 9 a.m. Straugh was required to furnish bond
for his appearance in the sum of $300. In default he was locked in the
county jail.
The affidavit alleges the following facts, which are substantiated by the
marriage records of Columbiana and Richland counties: Straugh on April 21,
1890 applied in the Columbiana Probate court for a marriage license for himself
and Miss Mary E. Ingledue and the return shows that Rev. W.H. Kellogg married
them at New Lisbon on the same day. He afterward applied for a divorce,
but as ne never pushed the case Miss Ingledue is still his wife No. 1.
On Sept. 30th., 1891, he applied in the Richland County court for a license for
himself and Miss Rebecca Toomey, of this city, and on the same day they were
united in marriage, by Rev. R.T. Stevenson.
A person who was in Canton several days ago saw Mrs. Straugh No. 1. She
was sick in bed, suffering from a severe case of erysipelas. She said she
had already made preliminary arrangements to come here and denounce her husband
and have him arrested, but became sick. She said also that her father
lives in Salem, where he is a member of the police force. It is reported
in Canton that Mrs. Straugh No. 1 is conducting a house of ill-repute.
Straugh came here from Salem about two years ago and went to work in the
Eclipse. When the recent lockout and strike occurred Straugh renounced the
union and went to "scabbing" it. He says his father is George Straugh, a
Salem tailor.
Mrs. Straugh No. 2 was led into the marriage through misrepresentation.
She was employed before her marriage in the U.S. Baking Co.'s. factory and is
known as a hard working woman. Last evening she tried to persuade W.J.
Tappan, secretary of the Eclipse, to go on her husband's bond, but was refused.
Although that gentleman sympathized with her he did not care to jeopardize $300
for Straugh's sake.
Straugh was seen at the jail by a SHIELD man this morning and said that he
applied for a divorce from his first wife on the charge of adultery, after he
had lived with her about five months. Afterward he was told by parties in
this city that she was dead and he received a letter from home corroborating the
report, but his folks could not say where she had died. No children were
born of the first marriage. The prisoner also stated that he contracted
the second marriage to save the honor of Miss Toomey. He felt downcast
while talking of his trouble and suggested to the reporter that he suspected.
It would go hard with him. When if he learned after his second marriage
that wife No. 1 was still living he answered in the negative.
