Girls Love Bad Boys

This is quite an interesting story that I actually forgot I had (whoever sent it to me, let me know so I can credit).


A girl with an appetite for murderers.


On the morning of April 27, 1924, in Marysville Alfred Bollinger's wife, Eva says he killed a man named Alex Summers with an ax. The scene was described as a "campground" and the body of Summers was dumped off into a nearby slough.


This was not the first time Mrs. Bollinger married a murderer. Just a couple of years ago previous, she married a man named James Mellarky who was found guilty of murdering James Doughtery, a circus bandsman, in 1888. It was alleged that he shot Doughtery while he was playing a cornet at a circus performance.


After 18 years confinement serving a life sentence, at Folsom Penitentiary, he was paroled in 1905. Mellarky was pardoned in 1909 for the crimes he was accused of., due to perjury of a witness to the crime.


Eva married Mellarky in 1914. She claims she knew nothing about his history. In 1923, Mellarky died and in that same year she met and married Alfred Bollinger. (Two newspaper clipping here claims she had wed 4 separate slayers, but unsure who the other 2 are).


On October 9th, 1925, Alfred Bollinger's sentenced was completed and he was executed by hanging at Folsom Prison at 10:07 a.m. He was pronounced dead 13 minutes after the gallows trapdoor dropped.

Extra coverage of Melarky's case -




Alex Summers is buried in Marysville Cemetery, Marysville California.
Information Credit - Vickie Tudor

The information below was obtained from "Book I, Record of Burials - City of Marysville - From 1870 To 1939", on page 142 (Maintained at Marysville City Hall)

Date Interred: 6-3-1924
Age: 50 years
Sex: Male
Color/Race: White
Single/Married: Married
Nativity: No record
Place of Death: Marysville, Yuba County, CA
Cause of Death: Murdered, crushed skull and chest
Physician/Coroner: Frank Bevan, Coroner
Number of Grave: B-483
Location of Grave: Potters field

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173627450/alex-summers