Chenango Union, Norwich, Chenango Co., NY
August 7, 1890
Three prisoners escaped from the Orange county jail at Goshen, early Sunday morning. Among them was the notorious bigamist, Ernest V. Utter, formerly of Norwich [Chenango Co., NY], who was under indictment for bigamy, in having married Jennie Griffis in July, 1888, he having another wife in Warwick at the time. With Utter's escape from the lockup in Middletown, dressed in the clothing of Jennie, who was visiting him, and of his subsequent arrest, our readers are already familiar. The prisoners escaped by sawing an opening in the grated door of the cell, and reaching a second story window one of the three iron bars at that opening was sawed through the bottom and bent back, providing means of escape. An examination showed plainly that the escape had been assisted by parties on the outside as the window bar was cut from that direction. It is believed that Utter's friends, with ladders, saws and crowbars, effected his release, and that Jennie planned the job. The Sheriff offers a reward of $50 for the capture of each of the prisoners.
Shamed Herself to Save Him
Ernest Utter's Second Wife Denies the Story of Their Marriage
New York Herald, May 4, 1890
Middletown, N.Y., May 3, 1890: In the Recorder's Court of this city today Ernest V. Utter, a boyish looking brakeman on the Ontario and Western Railroad was arraigned on a charge of bigamy. Utter belongs to a good family of the town of Warwick [Orange Co., NY]. His father is a well known engineer on the Pennsylvania, Poughkeepsie and Boston Railroad.
The complainant in the case was a young woman of Warwick, whose maiden name was Edith Decker. She testified in support of her complaint that she and Utter were married at Goshen, September 23, 1888, by the Rev. Mr. Winans, and that after living with her five months he deserted her, after destroying their marriage certificate. She had reason to believe that on June 30, 1889, her faithless husband had contracted a second marriage with Jennie Griffis, of Middletown [Orange Co., NY], with whom he had since been living.
Her testimony as to her marriage was corroborated by other witnesses. Mrs. Harriet Griffis, a widow of this city, said that Utter had persuaded her daughter to go with him to New York city for the purpose of getting married there, and on their return they exhibited a marriage certificate, signed by the Rev. Richard Hartley, of the Laight Street Baptist Church. A copy of a marriage certificate was put in evidence. It was dated June 30, 1889, was signed by the Rev. Mr. Hartle and named as witnesses Dr. J.P. Donovan and Mrs. H.F. Nason of West Fourteenth Street, New York.
Utter, in his own defense, said that he was never married to either of the women.
There was a sensation in the court room when Jennie Griffis took the witness stand for the defense. She is a pretty brunette of slight figure and of modest manners. Apparently her only anxiety was to screen and save Utter. In reply to questions by the prisoner's counsel she admitted that she was living with Utter as his wife, but declared in flat contradiction of her mother that she had never been married to the prisoner by the Rev. Mr. Hartley or anybody else, and that she never possessed or exhibited any marriage certificate.
The District Attorney cross-questioned her sharply, but she stuck to the story with a persistency that could not be shaken. Her self-sacrifice failed to help the prisoner. In default of $2,000 bail Recorder Bradner committed him to the County Jail to await trial.
Jennie Took His Place in the Prison Cell While Ernest Fled,
Disguised in the Dress of the Woman He Had Wronged
New York Herald, May 7, 1890
The story told in Sunday's Herald of pretty Jennie Griffis' loving devotion to young Ernest V. Utter, who had decoyed her into a fraudulent marriage, has a romantic sequel.
Monday night she accomplished Utter's release from the City Jail in a way that would make a first rate chapter in an emotional novel. It will be remembered that Utter was arraigned before Recorder John F. Bradner, of Middletown, N.Y., on the charge that his marriage with Jennie Griffis, the young daughter of widow Harriet Griffis, of Middletown, was bigamous. His first wife was Edith Decker, of Warwick.
In his own defense Utter swore that he never married either of the women, and Jennie, for the purpose of screening him, if possible, from the punishment attached to his crime, became a witness in his behalf, and swore that there had been no marriage. Jennie's devotion was of no avail. Her marriage was clearly established. The Recorder required the prisoner to furnish $2,000 bail or otherwise stand committed to the County Jail at Goshen to await the action of the Grand Jury. Utter has some warm friends among his railroad associates, and these exerted themselves to secure bail for him and save him from going to the County Jail. While this effort was pending Recorder Bradner permitted the prisoner to remain in the Middletown City Jail in custody of the police.
The jail, being only a place of temporary detention of prisoners, is run under easy rules, Jennie Griffis or friends were permitted to visit Utter quite frequently. It is remembered that Jennie made the visits chiefly after dark, and that she always wore a heavy, dark veil, which quite effectually concealed her features. Jennie visited the jail on Monday night in company with Lizzie Utter, a sister of the prisoner, and two young men--Charles Clark and Seeley Utter. Jennie was heavily veiled as usual, and wore a large gossamer overdress.
After the party had made a somewhat protracted visit, Policemen White and Cary, who were in charge as jailers, opened the outer jail door, and the four visitors passed out. The jailers noted no change in the appearance of Jennie Griffis since she entered the jail. Ten minutes later a citizen called at police headquarters and reported that he had seen a strange figure running wildly through a by street. It was apparently a man wearing a woman's dress, which he held above his knees as he ran. Another citizen picked up from the muddy sidewalk near the jail Jennie Griffis' gaily trimmed hat readily recognized by its tuft of white and colored feathers.
Suspicion was excited and Utter's cell in the jail was visited. There the officers found Jennie, minus her hat, veil, gossamer and one of her two skirts. She pretended that she had been stupefied by drugs. Utter was missing.
The four visitors were arraigned before Recorder Bradner yesterday morning charged with the crime of aiding a prisoner to escape from custody. The young men and the Utter girl pleaded not guilty, and declared that they had no knowledge of nor part in the escape of the prisoner. The Recorder held them in $800 bail each. Jennie was pale and nervous and controlled herself with difficulty. She had abandoned the thin pretense that the prisoner had drugged her and taken her clothing while she was in a state of insensibility. After a little questioning by the Recorder she consented to tell her story. She declared positively that her companions knew nothing of the escape; that she herself alone planned and executed it.
She went there prepared for the effort. Just before the party left the jail she and Utter stepped into a cell by themselves, closing the door. Here she hastily rigged Utter out with her hat, veil, underskirt and gossamer, and finished off the job by utilizing his hat for a bustle. Thus equipped he readily passed scrutiny by the jailors as he went out. Unhappily for devoted Jennie Griffis this effort to help Utter proved as futile as did the first one. When it became known that he had got away the whole country round about was warned by telephone and telegraph, and officers started out in hot search for the fugitive. He was recaptured yesterday afternoon at Unionville, twelve miles from Middletown, just as he was about to cross the line into New Jersey. He was brought back here and last night he and Jennie were together sent to the County Jail at Goshen to await trial for the offences with which they are charged. Jennie seemed really happy in going to jail along with the man for whom she had dared so much.
Captured Through Treachery
Bigamist and Jail Breaker Utter Once More in His Old Quarters
New York Herald, Sept. 8, 1890
Goshen, NY: Sept. 7, 1890: Ernest V. Utter, bigamist and jail breaker, was recaptured at Albany yesterday, by Sheriff Jacob Johnson, and is now in his old quarters in jail here. His unbridled love for pretty Jennie Griffis, a respectable young girl living near Middletown, got him in jail in the first place, and now again after he had escaped for the second time from jail and been at large for more than a month his devotion to the girl whom he had bigamously married betrayed his hiding place and led to his recapture.
In May last, Utter, who is a well looking young fellow of twenty-three, persuaded Jennie Griffis to marry him on the plea that he had obtained a divorce from his first wife. He was arrested on the charge of bigamy and lodged in jail at Middletown.
Jenny Griffis clung to her lover, and the romantic story was told in the Herald at the time of how she assisted him in escaping from prison by disguising himself in the clothes she wore when permitted to visit him in his cell. He was recaptured and lodged in prison here. Again he broke jail on the night of August 2, last, in company with two other criminals.
Before Utter got into trouble he was employed as a brakeman on the Ontario and Western Railroad. After his second escape he made his way to Albany and got work there among the new men employed in place of strikers in the New York Central Railroad yards. As soon as he got the place he wrote a letter to a supposed friend of his at Middletown containing a note to Jennie Griffis, in which he told her of her whereabouts and assured her of his love and constancy.
The treacherous friend was instructed to deliver the note privately to Jennie, instead of which he truned the correspondence over to Sheriff Johnson.
Unless Utter breaks jail again he will be brought to trial for bigamy at the Orange County Court of Sessions, which opens on September 16.
Richfield Spring Mercury
September 25, 1890
Newburg, N.Y., Sept. 16: In the county court, judge Beattie presiding, Ernest V. Utter, the bigamist, was arraigned. Wives Nos. 1 and 2 were in the court room. Utter changed his mind in regard to his guilt since last term and pleaded guilty. He was remanded for sentence. Seeley W. Utter, indicted for assisting Ernest to escape from Middletown jail in the attire of wife no. 2, was discharged.
Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle
September 18, 1890
Ernest V. Utter, for bigamy, was sent for three years and six months.
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