Mitchell - Jane Cooper Zerface - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

The Danville Ill Commercial contains the following interesting news concerning a woman well known in this county. The woman was born in on the Putnam-Parke County lines and her maiden name was Jane Cooper. Her first husband’s name was Zerface. He was insanely jealous of his wife and was killed while attempting to murder his wifes’ supposed paramour. Her second husband met almost as tragic a death. The remainder the Commercial tells:

Several years ago a man by the name of William Mitchell, an Englishman, resided in Crawfordsville, Ind where he was the proprietor of a first class merchant tailoring establishment doing a flourishing business. In his employ was a lady who had twice been married and divorced.  She was handsome and graceful, possessed fine business qualifications and performed her duties in a satisfactory manner. Mr. Mitchell was a married man at that time but afterwards secured a divorce from his wife and married his lady employee. He finally disposed of his business sin Crawfordsville and came to Danville where he carrie don business for several years when he died. Mrs. Mitchell still continued to reside here. She was a member of the First ME Church and a great church worker. WG Johnston came here from Portland, Oregon and boarded with Mrs. Mitchell for some time and finally married her and they went to his home in Portland. He was a contractor and accumulated considerable property. On the 20th day of June 1890 while drinking heavily caused principally by financial reverses, he committed suicide at the Hotel Portland. After the death of her husband Mrs. Johnston continued to reside at their home on 14th and Laurel Streets, Portland Heights. She opened a marriage bureau and for a while did a fair business but the venture was not ultimately a financial success. She was now 47 years old and still handsome and of pleasing address and becoming acquainted with Otto Serflint, through the marriage bureau was married to him 28th February 1892. He had been married twice and this was her fifth venture in the matrimonial market. It is said that her former husbands, except Mr. Mitchell had met violent deaths. Serfling, like Johnson had been a drinking man and before she married him she mad ehim promise that he would not drink any after their marriage. They moved onto a farm near West Scio in Linn County Oregon not very far from Portland. Serfling did not keep his promise and soon after marriage began drinking heavily despite remonstrances of his wife. He became jealous and suspicious without cause and made life very unpleasant for his wife. The breach kept on widening. He refused to sign papers to enable her to convey real estate and did everything in his power to estrange her form him. On the night of Saturday Feb 3, Serfling shot her in the back of the head and afterwards hit her in the face and on the right temple with an axe, killing her almost instantly.  He then burne dup everything he could get ahold of belonging to her, including two trunks of clothes, pictures silverware and some money. He then killed himself. And thus ended a terrible tragedy!”