Seneca Augustus Swalm: Grand Larceny

Seneca Augustus Swalm was born About 1845 in New York to Adam Millspaugh Swalm (1794-181) and Hanna R Bell (1810-1889).  He started out as a broker and in the end he was a Insurance salesman.

Very handsome distinguished gentleman of his time. He was very intelligent as well. He had a patent for improved fire escapes.

  

April 1865 he married Jennie A Laks (1845-????) They had a son.

Carroll Clinton Swalm (1873-1905).

Either she died or she left him, by 1895 he was married to Katherine Albertine Riley (1847-1962) they had 2 sons.

Adrian DeBeverly Swalm 1895-1965
Cedric D Swalm 1897-1947

Seneca was involved in a messy scandal with a married women who was very wealthy, or at least her husband was. Seneca was literally holding the bag, or in this case a trunk.

Here's a few links to a couple longer more detailed newspaper clippings:

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29966827/seneca_augustus_swalm/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29965427/seneca_a_swaim/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29964883/seneca_a_swaim/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29966867/seneca_augustus_swalm/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29964844/seneca_a_swaim/

Inmate #13711 San Quentin Prison
Rec: 1888
Crime: Grand Larceny
Term: 7 years
Age: 44
Discharged: 6 June 1894

Seneca leaves prison in 1894 and the records of him are gone, he is referred to at times as Augustus for his first name. I found 2 last newspapers clippings.

This is all there is to prove his death and burial.

I am not sure what went wrong or if he was looking to get richer than he already was, or he got tangled up with a women who tricked  him. One of the newspaper articles says a mysterious woman in black widow's weed visited him. I am almost sure that would of been Clara McDonald.  

Widow's Weed was the mourning clothing a widow would wear after the passing of her husband