The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-25


ago
Wells had the reputation in Butler
county of being a very good business
man, and much surprise was exhlblted
there this morning when the ln1orIlla+ ma
ton was conveyed by telephone that
Wells had been victim for any such
sum as that.
He lived in Butler county for a num-
ber Of years, and was known as an ex-
cellent money maker. He operated a
farm there and as the years passed took
in other farms Unless he has recently
disposed of his property he is the owner
of three quarter sections of the best
land near Ulysses. When he left UlyS-
ses for Lincoln last year it was with the
reputation of being the wealthiest farm
er in that neighborhood. Here he pur-
chased for $4,000 cash the three big
houses owned by w. H Wilson at Six
teenth and Q streets. Some surprise
was shown then by the parties interest
ed over Wells apparent disregard of the
usual precautions taken by moneyed
men when making investments. He
bought the three houses without looking
them over and when the abstract was
given him he did not take the trouble to
look it over.
Scott s smedIey, the husband of
the accused woman, was for about
two years head salesman for Mayer
brothers. He was considered an ex-
cenent clerk and made many friends
Sometimes. it is stated. Mrs. Edith
Smedley, his wife, came into the store.
She is declared to have been a beau
tiful woman. stylishly gowned and re-
splendent with diamonds. She is de-
Scribed as a striking blonde of medium
height, with a petite figure
It was while Smedley was in the
-service of Mayer brothers that he
married his present wife 1t is de-
ciared that the two met at the Lindeu
hotel where Smedley was boarding at
the time.
She was then known as Mrs. Edith
Simmons. and a dashing widow with
one child. She soon made speedy
conquest of Smedley, and the two were
married shortly after their meeting.
Mrs. Smedley came here from To-
peka. She is said to have represented
that she was in easy financial clrcum-
stances through the death of her for
mer husband She claimed to have
considerable property out in Oregon,
but said that she was unable now to
use anything but the interest because
the principal was tied up for the BEN
eft of the little child when it should
become of legal age.
1t was last January that Smedley
left the employ of the Mayer estab-
hshment. His ability to sell goods
was not questioned, but other short
comings led the firm to release him
from their employ
1t was to Portland that the Smed-
leys went when they left this city,
and it was to look up her property
that Mrs Smedley was desirous of go
ing there.
Some time later the couple removed
to Denver. Last week the Smedleys
were in town and it was stated by
them that they had come back to ship
their household goods to that city
They were here for several days and
it was considered odd that they should
have spent so much time for that pur-
pose.
1t was on this visit that Mrs. Smed-
ley is declared to have secured the last
5000 from Wells She told him that
she had received a divorce from her
husband and was now free to marry
story was believed by the latter and
he sacrificed the price of a farm to
secure her the money she asked as
mere loan
Mrs. Smedley is a woman of about
thirty, and her husband is now en-
gagged in the haberdashery business at
Denver. Just where and how she and
Wells became acquainted has not yet
been made public One story has it
that ii was at a church social, but this
is declared to be untrue by parties
who know! Another is that it was at
a boarding house table that the init
macy first began.
According to the story Wells has
and her husband were not congenial
and that she was unhappy. Wells
ympathized with her. She told him
that she was well fixed herself. being
possessed OF a large amount OF prop
erty, but that it was so tied up by le-
gal restrictions that it did not avail
her much in her business enterprises.
Wells became infatuated with her, and
she showed symptoms of returning his
love. Their acquaintance began last
October. and the first sum of money
she secured from Wells was $3.50, but
her requests increased until she got
$4,000 in one lump Wells tells it
that she had promised to marry him
OF a her h71c
band, but that she insisted that the
money she got should be considered
as simply loans In every instance she
gave her note for the amount When
the amount secured had reached $10,-
900 Wells says she told him that she
had now secured her divorce and was
free to marry him.
1t has not yet been made known
how The was induced to make the last
payment OF $4,000, which brought the
total up to $4,000. He says that in
order to get it he had to sacrifice a
piece of property. The payment was
made in the shape of a $4,000 draft
which he says he gave to Mrs. Smed-
ley and which she took to the bank
and had cashed- Some>of the pay
ments he made to her were by tele-
graph, so urgent was the necessity set
out to be.
Just what reused his suspicious in
the matter is another of the unanswer-
eQ questions. At any rate he inVestiga-
ted ana found that the Smedleys were
liVlng together in Denver. Then he con-
suited an attorney and the matter was
lald before the county attorney. A COM
plant charging Mrs Smedley with OBJ
tanning money under false pretenses
was drawn up, and an officer was to
nave gone there Monday with the war
rant He found, however, that Wells
mad preceded him, and he thought that
would interfere with any hope of ar
rest. Wells, it appears, went out in the
nope of getting his money back, but he
dld not get it. After his return he filed
another complaint charging Smedley
with being an accessory. It was upon
these warrants that the arrests were
When Mrs. smedley was in Lincoln