From the Albany Evening Journal.
A YOUNG MAN WITH TWO WIVES.—On the first instant we gave a sketch of the career of a young man with three wives, and to-day we are called upon to chronicle the adven-tures of one with two wives. The hero of the last is a young man of twenty-three years, of prepossessing appearance, who, with his borrowed watch and chain, made the ob-ject of his affection believe that he was wealthy, having recently inherited from his deceased mother a fortune of $60,000, which, in due course of law, he would obtain; but, just then, he was not flush, having exhausted nearly if not quite all his means in litigation. He gained his point, not only in law, but in obtaining the affections of the lady. They were married, and what followed is a matter mainly of record.
About nine months since, a genteel appear-ing female entered the Police Office in this City, and applied for a warrant for the ar-rest of her husband, John Burton Shaw, for neglecting to support his wife. She obtained the precept, which was placed in the hands of Police Constable Maloy. After an unsuccessful but constant search of nearly a fortnight, that officer accidently met him in the street, and escorted him to the Office, where an examination was had. He appeared there with a friend by the name of Wm. B. Litch, who acted as his counsel and adviser. A partial examination was had, and the case not being concluded, Justice Cole (as is usual in such cases) gave the accused an opportu-nity of defending himself by an adjournment of it to the following day, to enable him to procure the attendance of his witnesses.
Upon that hearing, his friend and counsel, Mr. Litch, represented to the Justice that he was a man of property, which was located in Ballston Spa, and that he would be responsi-ble for Mr. Shaw's appearance on that day. It was then proven that John Burton Shaw was married to Euphemia Ann Wells on the 13th of March, 1858, by the Rev. A. A. Farr of this city, and the witnesses were Mary Mossup and the wife of the officiating cler-gyman. The hour for the adjournment came, but Mr. Shaw and his counsel and adviser, Mr. Litch, were not to be found, nor was there anything heard of either until the first of February, when the latter appeared in this city, and called at the residence of Mr. Shaw's mother-in-law to solicit an interview with Mrs. Shaw. It was obtained, when he ur-ged upon that lady a jaunt to Troy for the purpose of having a reconciliation with her husband, who was stopping at the Troy House. Objections were raised by her, but she finally yielded upon obtaining the con-sent of her mother. This was only obtained at the urgent solicitations of Mr. Litch, who said that he was the cause of the separation, and was desirous of making amends for his conduct by bringing them together. He was accompanied to Troy by both mother and daughter, for the former refused her consent without she accompanied them, and upon their arrival a sumptuous supper table was spread in a private room. Mr. Shaw then urged upon his wife to go with him to New York, but she refused, and the entire party finally came to this city, when the proposals to go to New York were renewed.
They remained in this city until the fourth of February, when a reconciliation was ef-fected, and the arrangements for leaving were to be perfected on the following day. That day came, but no Mr. Shaw or Mr. Litch made their appearance, and nothing was again heard of them until the 29th of March, when the Chief of Police of this city, Mr. John-son, received a letter from Joseph A. Wing, of Montpelier, Vermont, stating that a per-son by the name of John Burton Shaw was in jail at that place for debt, and that he had secretly married a young lady in that place. He also stated that he learned from Shaw that he resided in Ballston Spa, and that suspi-cions were entertained in Vermont that Shaw was a married man and had a wife living in this State. He desired the Chief to make some inquiry, and to give him all the infor-mation in his power. The subject was broach-ed by the Chief to Officer Maloy, whose rec-ollections of the transaction at the Police Of-fice were so clear that the letter was immedi-ately answered. Mr. Wing was informed that he was not only married, but that his wife was now in this city. A reply was re-ceived from Mr. Wing last evening, and this morning Officer Maloy found Mrs. Shaw and the witness, who expressed their willingness to go to Montpelier when their atcendance is required by the authorities of Vermont. The present indications are that John Burton Shaw will speedily obtain justice in the Green Mountain State, even if he did escape it by fleeing from this city.
Shaw and Litch are in Montpelier jail, and are to be examined to-day (Thursday.) Wash-ington County is a very unsafe place for sus-pected persons of this sort. Sheriffs and at-torneys sharp, jail strong, and jurors decid-edly anti-Mormonish.
19th Century Mormon Article Newspaper Index
