An American "Bluebeard"

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 33, 29 June 1870, Page 7

An American "Bluebeard"

Dr William D. Potts, alias Duvall, an old resident of Newark, New Jersey, has been connoted of the murder of his fourth wife, at Janesville, Wisconsin. Dr Potts is a native of New Jersey, and was born near Trenton. When fourteen years old, he was known as the "Boy Preacher," and continued in the ministry until he was thirty, when he engaged in the practice of medicine. Dr Potts came to reside in Newark ten years ago, and opened a botanic dispensary at No. 140 Broad-street. He had lived in Trenton, where' his first wife, a young lady of Plainfield, had died suddenly of mercurial rheumatism of the heart. The first Mrs Potts was dead about a year when the Doctor movadto Newark. He professed to cure diseases by the laying on of hands, and gave out that he was the " seventh son of the seventh son ;" so that by these and some other pretensions, and by his botanic dispensary, he succeeded in carrying on a profitable business. He dressed in black, had a heavy beard, and long, well cared-for hair. He made the acquaintance of a young woman of wealth, and married her, against the wishes of her relatives. Mrs Potts brought her husband a considerable property, which he squandered. _ He lived in Newarkforfour years after his marriage, and was forced to leave jbecause of the suspicion which the death of the second wife aroused in the minds of the neighbours. She was found one morning lying dead at the foot of the stairs leading to her room, and was buried without any satisfactory account of her death being given. The Doctor then went to Buffalo, changed hi 3 name to Duvall, and married a Miss King, who died without apparent cause. He then married a Miss Moore, of Janesrille, Wisconsin. When they had lived together* for six months, she-was in turn killed, her death being the result of poison, administered by her husband under pretence of giving her a medical preparation. Upon his trial for this murder, the Doctor testified in his own behalf, and gave an explanation of all the circumstances surrounding the death of his wife. The jury found him guilty of the charge, and the Judge sentenced him to the State Prison for the term of his naturallife.

' Mosheah, the paramount chief of tho Basutoa, ia dead, and he hM~beea aueceeded by' liCttea. •