The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-21

r1S' FIrSt W1Ie was SOncOcut
Mimi, GirI-The Trial VIII Be
Racy.
Sheriff Thomas J. Davidson, of Lewis
and Clark county. Montana, arrived in
st. Paul last evening having In charge
Reginald Norris who is being taken back
to Helena to answer to a charge of big
amy. Norris was turned over to Sheriff
WAGNER at the county jail for safe keep
Ing and will leave with Sheriff Davidson
this afternoon for Helena.
The prisoner was seen last evening at
the jail, but refused to discuss his arrest
or the charges made against him. Ac-
cording to the requisition and warrant
which We're issued to the governor or
Iowa Norris Is charged with having on
March 8, 1899, married at Helena Maggie
M. Hughes, although at the Same time
he was legally married to Lena Chase
Norris The first marriage, according
to the warrant, took place at st. Paul,
Jan 10, 1894 his wife previous to her
marriage being Miss Lena Chase, of Con-
cord, Mimi. Norris was arrested at Vim.
ton, Benton county, To-, on a telegram
from the officers at Helena several days
ago.
A Helena special gives the following
account Of the charges and arrest OF
Norris:
Parson Norris, who was placed under
arrest at Vinton, To-, Saturday night,
was to have preached there Sunday. The
arrest was made under Geographic ad-
vices from the county attorney of Lewis
and Clarke-county, who proposes to pros
ecute Norris for bigamy.
If Norris stands trial when he Is
brought back the case will be a racy one.
He has wife in Helena, another in Con-
cord, Mimi, and from the tenor Of lot
of his intercepted correspondence, 1t is
believed he has a wife in Chicago, one in
Tennessee and perhaps one in London,
Canada. When he went seeking new
ccnquests in the marriage line he alter
mated the occupation of preaching with
that of a line repairer for electric light
and telephone companies. He Is only
thirty-one years old, but from all accounts
he has had busy career.
The story of Norris conquests of hearts
and the methods he resorted to in order
vealed in mass of correspondence now in
the possession of County Attorney Nc
Cornell, would fill several columns. He
has been read out of the Methodist church
twice for immoral conduct, once at the
BoZeman conference and once in Seattle.
He at one time embraced the Christian
denomination and is understood to have
been baptized into that church. He al
ways confined his preaching to small
towns in the suburbs of large cities, per
haps to escape Identification He has
the reputation of being a smooth talker.
Judging from the tenor of the letters he
wrote to his Helena and st. Paul wives,
in which he sought to deceive each re-
specting his relations with the other, he
can handle the English language very
cleverly. H..
Several days ago Maggie NJ. Norris,
formerly Maggie NJ Hughes, a nurse in
St Peters hospital, who was married
here to Reginald Norris, for such is the
name he gave, on March last, called
upon the county attorney and said she
had proof that her husband was a biga
mist, being already married to woman
by the name of Lena Norris in Concord,
MINI. She told the official how she had
corresponded with wife No. 1 in Mime
sofa and laid before him lot Of letters,
including some from Norris to both
women She felt modest at first about
having her misfortune aired in the
courts, but finally agreed to prosecute
Norris to make an example of him if
nothing else, as she put it.
That Norris had more wives than the
law allows became known to his Helena
wife in September, when letter from
Norris to wife No l fell into the hands
of a friend of the Helena wife, who
promptly, notified the latter. She CORE
sponded with the Minnesota wife and
learned how both had been deceived.
From the correspondence it appears that
under the name of Reginald Norris he
married Lena Chase in Concord, Mimi,
in January, 1894, They lived together
about fifteen months, but she says he did
not contribute very much toward her
support. The fall of 1895 found him
coming West On the cars he made the
acquaintance of young lady living in
Washington. The acquaintance ripened
into a betrothal. In the nick of time the
Washington girl learned of his first
wife's existence. The match was de-
clareG off.
He hoated over the West, preaching
and working as line repairer Last
September, while working here for the
electric light company, he went to st.
Peters hospital to submit to an opera
ton. AT the hospital he met the Hughes
girl and subsequently married her. as
| stated Three or four months ago he left
for the East. He is known to have form
ed an attachment for woman in London,
Canada, that. for all that is known Ie-
suited in a marriage, and to have carried
on a correspondence with woman in
Chicago and one in Tenness ee, written in
terms that would indicate marriage
Through the medium of wife No. / he
was traced for the past few weeks
through small towns in Iowa. where he
was speaking. Clippings and hand bills
advertised him as PEARSON Norris, the
Rams Horn Evangelist" who called upon
| 'Ye who are thirsty, weary and heavy
| laden" to come and hear him. One hand
| bill announces that the "parson was 10
| speak with Rev. J. B. Lister. of Big
| Timber. On the 24th of this month Norris
was billed to speak from the same pat
! form at Watarville Mimi, with Rev. Mr.
| Tiff, formerly of this city.
The county attorney expects that the
| publication of Norris. arrest and exposure
| will result in the discovery of still mere
evidence of his rascality.