The age-herald., 1898-05-28
DIABOLICAL STORY
 OF A DOUBLE LIFE Two Women Claim Contractor ". H.
 Williams as Husband. SAID TO LIVE WITH BOTH Search of Marriage Record Fails to Con-
 firm Either Marriage. MARRIED MRS. HARRIS 6 YEARS AGO Welded 10 Miss Eva Judd at Bamford One Year Ago-Admits That She is His
 Wife, But Denies Gains
 of the Other
MARRIED MRS. HARRIS 6 YEARS AGO

An apparently strange as well as a diabol- icai case of double life came to light in Birmingham when w. H. Williams, a con- tractor, was arrested al a house in Second avenue late yesterday afternoon.
 Williams may be bigamist, or he may not. This is for the courts to settle. There are two women in Birmingham, each avow- ing that they are his lawful and legally welded wife. ae 7t
 A hurried search of the marriage records failed to confirm that a license had been issued for either alliance Both may be il- legal, and in this case Williams will have to defend himself against an ugly charge.
 The case assumed a remarkable phase after this discovery. Both women in tears and in state of nervous excitement ad- mltted that 1t was possible that both had been duped ssN
 Williams is in the, city jail, and looks at his predicamelt calmly, whi e asserting that one of the women is his wife and the other is not.
 Women at the Jail
 We've both been duped," and she sobbed and uttered sigh of pain. She was a prepossessing brunette with the stamp of the innocent country girl. The listener was a comedy woman, perhaps 35 years of age
 "Oh, the wretch, I suppose you are right" was the answer uttered with the expression of a woman who had borne much suffering.
 You had him first, and you have child ren to provide for, so I guess you have the first right to him." was the girIs rejonder
 They were both in the police station and the object of their conversation, their af- fectons hnd their present contempt occu- pied a cell only few feet away He is w. H. Williams, who was arrested ytsterd y afternoon at a house in s c ni avenue. between Ninth and Tenth streets. The oc- cupant of this house claims to be Mrs. w. H. Williams, but that gentleman ms that her name is Mrs. Harris and that she is not his wife. a
 The younger woman also claims to be Mrs w. H. Williams, and this the prisoner admits to be the truth. Both first thought they were legally married, to the man in question, now both are extremely doubtful as to whether the marriage ceremony in e ther case was legal, and both are in distressing quandary.
 Mrs Williams No. g. or the younger wo- man, alleges that she was married to Wil- Hams at her fathers residence on the 18th of May 1897. Williams, who is contrac- tor boarded in the Judd family. He court ed Miss Eva, as then she was known, and they were married, as she thought, by a justice of the peace. She did not Know the haf m r. riage was legal Soon afterwards Williams brought her to Birmingham and they re- sided at 519 Nineteenth street, be.ween Avenues E and r.
 Met By Accident
 The two women met at the police station as though by accident after the arrest was made. Both asserted that Williams had been good to them until few weeks ago The younger one said that for week she had had little to eat. The other woman told the same pitiful story and at the invi- tation of Warden Walton both sat down and ate hearty supper
 When supper was finished some one re- marked that the two women would have to draw straws for the man who had lived a double life.
 The younger one, or Mrs. Williams No. 2, very philosophically replied that the older woman, who first thought she was married to him. was the one to receive first con- sideration.
 Williams Story
 w. H. Williams is contractor. He does all kinds of work, the last contract he had being one to make barrel slaves. Since March he has done nothing. According to his story he worked for several weeks at the headquarters of Judge Wilkerson before hte primary election. He has lived in Birmingham for number of years and is a man of about forty years of age, well dressed and possessing much cunning.
 .Oh, I don't want anything published in the papers about this" said he when ap- preached by an Age-Herald reporter. "I will make bond in the morning and hush the matter up without public trial Yes, the younger woman is my wife, I mar ried her at her fathers house just as she claims. The other Is not my wife, but don't want anything said about this. She Is widow by the name of Harris who I have known all her life. I have merely helped her along because she was a widow. but since she has brought such a charge against me, I'm going to protect myself. I was never married to her and she knows it. She has been married twice, but I am not her husband. She has two child ren, two boys, one IA years of age, and another 4 years old"