The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-10
ONE HOME AND TWO WIVES
sMrTH's LITTLE sURPRIsE GETs HIN
INTO .JAIL

ne scnt Hts wife Away while NE FITTED Up q
View Houso rer Her-sho waited rive Weenn,
HUNTED Up tho House ana rsevea In-nleans
while, she Says, ne Haa n1arrioa Aneehsr.
Fred A. Smith Is under arrest in Jersey City
awaiting reQuisition papers for his removal 70
Brooklyn. where q charge Of bigamy In pending
against him. He was arrested on Saturday
night by Detective sergeants Deller and simp-
son OF Brooklyn on q warrant issued by Police
Justice Brennan Of the Adams Street Court
Lydia A. Smith, the FIRST wife, to whom he was
married by the Rev. Mr.. Baker, pastor Of the
Hendrix Street Baptist Church in Brooklyn, on
July 4. 1895, is the complainant
Smith held a good place with the Citizens Gas
Company, and he and his wife lived In q cottago
at 252 Elton street. They had only one child. .
son. and no died about a year ago. The Elton
street house was neatly furnished, and the
Smiths were highly esteemed by their neighbors
in the East New York district About the mid
die Of July Smith told his wife that he had made
arrangements to move from the Elton stroeo
house to a moro pretentious dwelling In Hem
dirk street.
II have rented the house." he said, "but I
don't want to tell you where 1t 10 or to lot ron
SEQ 1t until the furniture has all been removed
and it has been fully prepared for your reoop-
ton. want to give you a little surprise"
Mrs. Smith, although perfectly satisfied with
her surroundings, accepted the situation grace
fully and told her husband that any plans he
might mako would be entirely satisfactory to
her. On the approach Of moving day, which had
been fixed for July 81, Mr.. Smith considerably
sent his wife to the home Of one Of her relatives
In another part Of tho city in order TO relieve
her from tho worry attending the removal Of
the furniture. He promised to have everything
fitted up for her welcome to her now homo In q
week.
When a week had elapsed, and Mrs. Smith had
received no tidings Of her husband. she became
uneasy, and inquired for him at his place Of
business. Her uneasiness was increased when
she was told at the office of the gas company
that he was off on two weeks leave of absence.
She then started of to locate her new
house in Hendrix street, but although she
searched high and low through It, she could
not find that any house had recently been
rented. Her next step was to hunt up the
driver of the National Express Company. who
had carried off the furniture. and she had NOT
much, difficulty in. finding him. She learned
from him that the furniture and all her belong.
Sheffield street, and she was surprised when she
entered the house to find the carpets and al. the
containing her own clothing had been opened
and the clothing had been neatly arranged in
why. Fred has indeed prepared a nice sur
prise for me" she exclaimed.
place, and explained the mystery To- herself on
~ SA
the superstition that her husband had made =
mistake by confoundinR Hendrix street with
Sheffield street. Mr.. Smith did not turn up
until a few days after this occurrence, and he
had no difficulty in convincing his wife that the
peculiar DEVELOPMENTS were all in the carefully
laid programme for her surprise. He got into
hot water when he had to explain about his two
weeks vacation. but got out Of 1t without
arousing his wife's suspicious as to the real
state Of affairs.
Matters went along smoothly until Aug. 2,
when Smith disappeared. Mrs. Smith was then
confronted with a second and more worrysome
Thursday, her complaint says. with the startling
discovery that her husband had been married
on July Is to Miss Laura A. Fair, a very pretty
young woman living with hcr parents in Covert
street, by the Rey:, Mr.. Steele. a Methodist
minister on the Hill. On Friday she traced
her husband to Jersey City, and his arrest
her home and will probably join No. / in Smiths
prosecution. She says she understood that he
was not married, as he had explained that the
woman who was living with him in the Elton
street house was merely his housekeeper. Wife
No. l thinks that It was her husbands intention
to send her adrift in some way and settle down
to housekeeping with his new spouse In the
Sheffield street house.