The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-05-03
HE'SAGAY old CHARMER
And He Committed Biga1nY
in New Jersey and Had
Other LiaiSons.

In the prison pen of the Hudson County
Court of Quarter Sessions sat yesterday
afternoon tall. lanky faced old man at.
tired In a black brsadcloth suit, who is
known to the court as Edward Smith.
alias Ezekiel Smith, whose real name Il
Ezekiel Abrams, known to every one in
Roslyn, L. I.,.s as 'Old Zeke Abrams"
where he has wife and seven children,
Abrams, under his assumed name,
was arrested in jersey City recently on u
charge OF abandoning his young wife, to
whom he had been married less than
four months, and thus he came TO be arr
ralgned In Court yesterday Oh an indict~
rnent for bigamy. Abeams became acs
quainted with young widow named
Maggie Waldron, who was living
out at service in the Lafayette disc
trict of Jersey City. Sne was the mother
OF two children and the possessor Of 4
bank book representing a snug sum OF
| money left her by her first husband, sea
captain. who died 8 Year ago, which fact
became known to Abrams, alias Smith.
| The old man coveted the money and
with view Of gaining possession of it,
laid Siege to the heart Of the young
widow.
.'Old Zeke" represented to Mrs. Wal.
dron that he was the owner of fine
| property on Long Island, and proposed,
| as an offset, that If she would become
| his wife he would provide for ber and her
| children comfortable home.
GETS A RICH PRIZE.
The proposition was accepted, and on
| the 18th day of January last ''Old Zeke"
| and Maggie went before the Rev. Mr..
| Bagly, Pastor of the Lafayette NJ. E.
| Church. and were made man and wife.
Soon after the wedding, Abrams, un-
der various pretexts, obtained sums Of
| money from his wife, until finally her
suspicious were aroused, and further ad-
vances were refused, and the desertion
and arrest for abandonment followed,
When arrested there was found on the
person Of the prisoner railway excursion
| ticket from Roslyn. and with this and a
photograph obtained from wife No. 2.
Detective Smith of Police Headquarters
went to RoslYn to hunt up the record Of
the accused.
Every one in that town recognized tha
photograph rs that of "Oldz TX Abrams"
| as also did wife No. l.
Mrs. Abrams, who is the passessor of q
snug little property, told Detective Smith
! that her husband had deserted his home
nine wears ago, and that she did not care
how many marriages he had contracted
since. All she cared for was to gain pos
session of some legal papers relating to
their property which he held in his pos
session, and for that purpose was Wiling
" Cubl6 OfSE W Jersey auO dSbl5t ii the
prosecution,
WIFE NO. APPEARS.
| While old ZeEe was sitting in the pris-
oner's pen, Mrs. Abrams, attired in
mcprning apparel, and Maggie Waldron.
wifs No. z. fashiouably dressed. and wear
| ing costly hat adorned with profusion
of bright colored flowers, advanced to the
| Judges bench ana held lengthy and
| animated discussion with Judge Hud-
| speth, at the conclusion of which the
| prisoner WIS arraigEed.
SWELL" said Judge Hudspeth, '9rom
| what have been told. you appear to be
a gay old woman charmer. You not
| only abandoned your wife aud seven
children. but you have deceived young
and conhding woman, and, not only this,
| you are accused OF consorting with well
| known colored woman in Roslyn, the
proof of which is in possession of your
wife, in the shape of letters found in your
| trunk, addressed by this colored woman
| to you. Besides that. your iiaison with
| this woman Is matter of public scandal
| in that town. What have you to sayP'
Abrams only reply to the latter aecus
sation was THAT other people do such
things" and TO the charge of bigamy he
pleaded guilty.
Accused was then remanded to Jail to
await sentence, the Court remarking that
such old reproDates as he deserved and
would receive the severest penalty allowed
by law.
Mrs. Abrams. her grown up daughter,
who bad witnessed the scene in couri,
and Maggie WaldrolESmith, left the court
room together ana held friendly copsuk-
Iaton in the Court House grounds.