Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1873-08-22
A Man with One Hundred
Wives.

The London Matrimonial News" hal
lately been instrumental-bu deserves ne
thanks for tin bringing to justice scoun'
drel who, were he to be punished according
to his Just deserts, should be kept at hard
labor in prison for the remainder of his life.
The man in question, whatever his real
name may be, has been known to small
army Of too confding young ladies as REV.
Reuben Allunder Berson" An excellent
education, tolsrable appearance and at
tractive manners. being, for aaght that is
known to the contrary, his entire stock in
trade, he appears to have started out i'll life
with the purpose of making matrimony the
stepping stone to fortune. His early efforts
not having succeeded in the way that be
desired, he resolved to continue entering
into wedlock, until he should have accumu-
lated enough money from bowers to enable
him to settle down comfortably with the
most prepossesslng OF his victims. 1t is
suspected that he began his uDprincipled
career about ten years ago-he is now over
thirty-and that he has ever since piled his
trade with unfagging energy. 10 Judge
respondeDce at the time of his arrest it would
scarcely be overshooting the mark to say
that fully one hundred women have been
married to him.
An account has already been given in
these columns of few OF the circumstances
which led to his being at last put upon trial
for bigamy While in London several
months ago, engaged 10 paying his address
SEES, through the medium of the "Matrimo-
NAL News to from thirty five to forty young
ladies, with the intention of wedding all of
them, he contrived to make the acqualn.
tance OF General Frangini. The house of
that gentleman he used as base of opera
tons. Among those who were advertising
in the News for positions as governess.
was Miss Boulton, the daughter of a re-
tired naval officer, residing at Chaplain
Berson obtained al introduction to her from
the editor of the News Having assum-
ed, for the time being, the role of Presby
terrain clergyman, he wrote several letters to
her in most pious stran, concluding with |
a note to her father, in which he requested |
the honor of an alliance with his faml "
To satisfy the paternel mind as to his abili-
ty to provide for wife, he announced in
that he had just been appointed
head master of new college in Brazil, at
salary of $500 year house. rent free .
hat he had already some property, and ex-
oeeted in few years to be able to retire on
\ handsome fortune Mr.. Boulton, unwil-
ing to lose such good chance for securing
he happiness of his daughter, gave the re-
lured consent, and the marriage was SOL
emnzed soon afterward As the prelimi-
1aries were being arranged, Berson took ad
7antage of the opportunity to induce Gen.
Fraugini to lend him e2O0 on personal Sc
,urty He led the General to believe that
Miss Boulton was helress to considerable
ortune, Of which he was to have the man
.gement. Indeed, Gen Frangini was SO
thoroughly impressed as to the truth OF the
statement, that he invited Berson to pass
he honeymoon at his house, and to use it
Is il it were his home. Subsequently, the
General having discovered the true state of
he case, turned Berson and the unfortu-
late young lady out of doors.
Berson was then arrested, and the pub
icity which bis doings received as the means
If shedding light upon many of his infamous
leeds. A large sum of money found in his
by the police was claimed by the
German consul on behalf of one of his coun-
rywomen, whom Berson had decoyed to
london upon promise of marriage. In
act, victims turned up by the score but,
or the purpose of the prosecution, it was
lot necessary to use more than one 10 addi-
ion to Miss Fulton. This lady was Miss
Kidd, daughter of justice OF the peace at
Armagh, Ireland, to whom Berson was
married in 1870, while acting as assistant
master of a school in that place. After
eaving Miss Kidd he advertised for wife
n the Irish Times" but not succeeding to
lis satisfaction in Dublin, he removed to
london. and there began the brilliant career
which ended so suddenly. On the 9th of
he present months he was found guilty of
'igamy, and sentenced to five years penal
ervitude---a punishment altogether to
light, considering the number and character
# his crimes