Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-09-02

sion Of the watch, especially as she had
a reliable timepiece Of her own. Her
possession of other trinkets formerly
used by her husband gave additional
color to the theory that Bailey was
dead
Then this fact was learned: The
aunt with whom she was visiting had
a daugn,er about Mrs Bailey's age,
and one day the two had gone fish
ing. When Mrs. Bailey left the house
she took package from the bosom OF
her dress and gave it to her aunt with
strict instructions to take good care
Of it. Curiosity on the part of the
aunt prompted her to examined the
packet, which contained several thou
sand dollars in bills Of large denomina-
ton. In Elgin Mrs Bailey said her
husband was in California, and | could
find no trace Of his having been in Ell
gin, as his wife claimed in her letter
to her friend in De Smet.
In the course of Mrs. Bailey's visit
to Elgin there were many minor
events, all pointing in the same direc-
ton, but with which shall not encum-
her this narrative. Ever restless, the
woman went from Elgin to Waukesha,
Wis, where she at once became &C
quainted with Robert REESE, the 28-
year-old son of the proprietor of the
leading hotel of that place. The youns
man apparently fell prey to the wom-
ans wiles without even a pretense of
resistance, and in a few days was Sc
curely chained to the wheel of her
chariot The sudden and ardent at
tachment between the two became
matter of general knowledge and COM
ment, and the parents of the young
man evinced the bitterest opposition to
IL, but without avail.
Young Reise announced that he was
going to stage play in which the
fair Nellie was to assume the star role
After leaving Dakota Mrs. Bailey had
Travelled under her right name de-
claring in both Elgin and Waukesha
that her husband was alive. Her in
fa&uation for young Reise, however
was in her nature to harbor, enough
so, at least, to prompt her to take the
initiative and entice hel lover into
marriage. REESE, who was much the
weaker character of the two, feebly
protested against being made the in
strument through which the crime of
bigamy, as he supposed, was to be
committed by his inamorata, but his
protests were silenced by her vehe-
ment and oft-repeated assurances that
Shannon would never appear to both
er tnem." On this point she was very
positive.
1t is not likely that Reise had any
conception of the full significance of
these words. Mrs. Bailey insisted Oh
the marriage being kept secret until
legal separation" from Baney could
be brought about. REESE finally agreed
and the marriage took place without
further delay. At Waukesha, as at
Eigin, Mrs. Bailey exhibited the watch
formerly worn by her husband, Keise,
among others, having seen it.
The marriage at Waukesha had
placed the woman in this position If
Bailey were alive she was bigamist,
and if he were dead she was undoubt-
eddy his murderes3. Her vigorous
assurances to REESE that there was no
danger of bsiley ever bothering them
had for me, of course, a grewsome
meaning. Strange as it may seem to
those uninitiated in the ways of sucn
as Nellie Bailey, finally believed her
to be woman who would commit
The greater crime of murder rather
than place herself in her husband S
power by committing the lesser crime
of bigamy At any rate, her positive
statements to Reise that Bailey would
never bother them was in my opinion
an important link IN long chain of
circumstantial evidence.
Almost Immediately after her mar
riage-real or mGck-to REESE, Mrs.
Bailey said she had to make trip to
Kansas to sell farm she owned there
and would then come back to REESE
with $4,000; and, in connection win
this pretense, | succeeded in estab-
fishing a fact of the utmost impor-
tance-that she had been receiving let
ters from Clement l.. Bothamley dur
ing her stay in Wisconsin. 1t was not
my good fortune to secure any of these
letters, but the fact that such CORE
spondence had been carried on was
we'll established. Her statement to
Reise that she was going to Kansas
to sell larm was clearly subter-
fuge to escape unsupported from the
man whom she professed to love so
deeply to go to another admirer
She left Waut sha still protesting
the liveliest affection for REESE and
went to Newton, Kan, sending to her
Wisconsin lover from several points
en- route messages of undying love.
Bothamley had evidently been advised
as to the exact time of her arrival,
for he met her at the train and later
took her to his ranch under the name
OF Bertha Bothamley, his sister.
From her journeyings of thousands
of miles subsequent to her marriage