The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-04-26
ISLANDS 3 WIDOWS.
Each Claimed the Dead Coney
Island Managers Body.
Swipes the Newsboy Prevented a
Fist Fight Over the Corpse.
His Brother and sister Finally Sc
cured It and Buried II.


N The latest sensational gossip among the
NJ people of reformed Coney Island, is the
death of Billy Island, a theatrical and
circus manager, who died here Sunday
H night Of pneumonia.
IA His body has been the bone of conten-
\ tion between three women, each of whom
Il claimed TO be his widow. while gossip
(, says that he had four others of the same
4 not yet shown up.
Besides the alleged widows, there have
4 been here the dead mans father. n
Z wealthy manufacturer near Meriden,
Al Conn; his brother. Charles Island,
about to become a priest. and a sister.
Il ali to claim the body and take 1t home
I for burial.
4 The latter three arrived Tuesday, but
4 when Billy's father came In contact
with the contending alleged Widows he
7, immediatel left for home in disgust.
7 Charles Island and his sister, however,
I remained, and yesterday quiet funeral
/ was held over the remains at the Sey-
mour Club Hotel. of which the deceased
4 was part owner.
The body was placed in the cemetery
Y 1t Grnvesend, where 1t will remain until
haVe the bo eds Sasy reeved
Meriden and Inferred there in the fam
Il ny vault disa..,.,a., a..
:. luiHnu dLtenueu the SluQOnS-lyOeDer SET
4 70 in New York week ago. He caught
cold, and pneumonia resulted. DIR. 9lil
attended him during his four days ~
y ness.
4 Nellie. a concert-hall singer, whose
other name is unknown here, lived with
Island and claimed to be his wife. She
and Swipes the Newsboy were the only
ones present during the last hours Of
Monday night .'Flossie Smith," who is
said TO be very. respectable woman. Of
( Brooklyn. came here and claimed to be
A. quarrel ensued between "Flossie
|. Smith" and "Nellie," which resulted in
The following morning a young Woman Woman
said she married Island in Newark, N.
hssi 1s ana that hat she lived in
and 'Flossie" held a council of war,
which resulted In march to the Sey
4 mour Club Hotel. where Islands body
There they met Nellie, the concert
a hall singer. Swipes the Newsboy was
4 on guard At the door to see that there
Ne saw the new claimant wordy war
1 ensued, which was loud and vituperous.
+ Only the Intervention Of swipes. the
p6oldly hustled the three women into the
5street and locked the corpse securely in.
Though the three women claimed to
positiyely declared that she possessed a
fesrtificafe of marriage was Annie, the
4young, red-haired Newark girl.
v sns Y Ho nSy staying at Hunts Highland
Eddis hosbsr: the pugil,st. who, with
cured q carriage and She was allowed
tDemetery. she. the brother and
Hastsr Of the deceased, were the only
OWNS 10 the fact that Island died
8pefore the arrival Of spiritual adviser.
VCathoiic Church, and in consequence
H3he privilege OF q church burial was
tmsrked the only burial eeremon ise at1
1 tandant upon the funeral OF one of the
best known men among concert hall
4 a large ana curious crowd filled Tag
garts avenue yesterday afternoon and
1naw Islands body start for the ceme-
Nellie and "Flossie Smith," discom-
crowd. but they ofss.sS no y sSns 'A'
rss Sisst os f william snrn Island 81 l.
Conn, thirty-seven years ago, and re-
parents could AFFORD him. He fA1 was s1 mar.
Meriden. by whom. It is said. he had a
son, now eleven years old.
Islands prodigality ,precipitated dis
ed out and came to New York. Since
4 then he is said to have married, Or pre-.
tended to. seven different women The
majority Of the women are professional,
concert hall singers.
The first matrimonial venture after
leaving Mertden. is said to have beer
n Lille Veigel. a respectable girl OF
q Greenpoint, L. l., but he left her shortl,
afterwards.
The next was a Mrs. Kelly, not yer,
Old. put widow. with six children
IN Island met her in Williamsburg,
NJ The Newark girl, who alleges that sh,
n was married to him in 1891, is the sew
enth wife on the list. She eloped witt
ia MIN and has never since been reconcilet
20 her family.
The young woman has led precarlou
q existence ever since. Not long ago sh
buried a. child in Flatbush Cemetery. a
the result Of her union with Island.
An Evening World' reporter calle,
on Mrs. Island No. at the Highian
NNiew Hotel to-day. She said:
Il was the only wife and am now tn
\ only widow OF Billy Island. I have
certlncate at Flatbush to prove m
1T is said that he has been marrie
y!o seven other women. I guess that
Sc true In part. but am his true widow
He told me that he was divorced fror
5$he hrst woman he married in Merider
II have had q letter from his sister n n
.ehe says that II Is true"
MIS-. Island says that Billy had n
money and that he was backed In ever
Undertaking by Eddie Loeber.
IL