The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-16
MASififzzG;E HIS PAST|ME
When He Is Not Preaching He
Is Being Welded.
A WIFE IN EVERY STATE
Such, Practically, Is the Record of an
Alleged Bigamist Who Is Under Ar
rest in an Iowa Town and Who
Is Wanted at Helena.
Special Dispatch to the STANDARD.

| Special Dispatch to the Standard.
Helena, Oct. 15.-The people of the lit
tie town of Newhall. Vinton county,
Iowa, We're to have had the pleasure
this afternoon or evening of hearing a
sermon by "Parson'' Norris. They wera
probably disappointed, for the speaker
was placed under arrest last night by
the sheriff of the county, acting under
telagraphic advices from the county at
torney of Lewis and Clarke county, VINO
proposes to prosecute Norris for big
amy. a telegram from the Iowa sheriff
announces that he has Norris in jail.
Sheriff Davidson left for the East to-
night with a requisition from Governor
Smith upon the governor Of Iowa.
If Norris stands trial when he is
brought back the case will be racy
one. He has wife in Helena. another
in Concord, Mimi, and, from the tenor
of a lot of his intercepted correspond
ence, it is believed he has a wife in
Chicago, one in Tennessee ard perhaps
one in London, Canada. When he went
seeking new conquests in the marriage
line he alternated the occupation IF
preaching with that of a line repairer
for electric light and telephone conlra-
nies. He is only 81 years old. but from
all accounts he has had a busy career.
The story of Norris conquests Of
hearts and the methods he resorted
! to in order to allay suspicion, much of
which is revealed in q mass OF corre-
spondence now in the possession Of
County Attorney Mcconnell, would fill
several columns. He has Naen read out
of the Methodist church twice for inn
moral conduct. once at The Eozenlan
conference and once in Seattle. He at
iy,Je, f,1 he, 'h,,iL,t II,
nomination and is understood To have
been baptized into that church. He al
ways confined his preaching to small
towns OF in the suburbs of large cities.
perhaps to escape Identification He
has the reputation of being a smooth
talker. Judging by the tenor OF the let
ters he wrote to his Helena and his St.
Paul wives, in which he sought to de-
ceive each respecting his relations with
the other, he can handle the English
language very cleverly.
Several days ago Maggie NJ. Norris,
formerly Maggie M. 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 bigamist, being already married
to woman by the name of Lena Nor
lis in Concord, MINI. She told the
official how she had corresponded with
wife No. l in Minnesota and laid be- I
fore him a lot Of letters, including some J.
from Norris to both women. She felt
modest at first about having her mis- 4
fortune aired in the courts, but finally 7
agreed to prosecute Norris to make an
example of him if nothing else, rs she
put it.
That Norris had more wives than
the law allows became known to his
Helena wife in September when let
Ter from Norris to wife No. | fell into
the hands Of q. friend of the Helena
wife, who promptly notified the latter.
She corresponded with the Minnesota
wife and learned how both had been
deceived. From the correspondence it
appears that under the name of Rex
ford Norris he married Lena Chase
in Concord, Mimi. in January, 1884.
They lived together about l5 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 be-
truthal In the nick of time the Wash
ington girl learned of his first wife's
existence. The match was declared
off.
He floated over the West, preach
ing 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
operation. 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 formed an attachment Tor a
woman in London. Canada, that. for
all that is known, resulted in mar
riage, and to have carried on a cor
respondence with woman in Chicago
and one in Tennessee. written in such
terms that would indicate marriage.
Through the medium of wife No.
l he was traced for the past few weeks
through small towns in Iowa. where
he was speaking. Clippings and hand
bills advertised him as ''Parson Nor
ris. 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 TO speak with Rev.
]. B. Lister Of Big Timber. On the
oath of this month Norris was billed
to speak from the same platform at
Waterville, Mimi, with Rev. Mr.. Tiff,
formerly of this city.
The county attorney expects that the
publication of Norris arrest and eX-
posure will result in the discovery of
still more evidence of his rascality.