The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1905-04-21
SEVEN HEARTS WERE HERS
NEBRASKA WoMAN's EYES WORK
DAMAGE TO ADMIRERS.
THEY COULD NOT RESIST HER
Mrs. Scott SmedIey Married Three
Times-She Was Engaged to Four
other Men - Story Of the Lincoln
Sensation Of This Week.

Lincoln, Neb., April 1.-THE case
of Mrs. Scott Smedley, of Denver, who
was charged here with swindling Jo-
seph Wells, a retired farmer, out of
$4,000, is in some respects like that
of Mrs. Cassie l.. Chadwick, Mrs.
Smedley borrowed human hearts.
Mrs. Smedley is tall, slender and
is not pretty. Her voice is rather
masculine in tone, but well modulated.
Her chief weapon has been her eyes,
which are seductive and convincing.
She was born in the small country
town of Perry, Kansas, and grew up
there. Ten years ago she was mar
red to Emory Willitts, well-to-do
farmer of Granville, Kansas. Her
maiden name was Edith Simmons.
A child was born, and when it was
husband that she wanted to attend
college at Lindsborg and study music.
Willitts good-naturedly consented to
the project.
A few months afterward ]. w. Bun
dy, a station agent at Ellis, attempted
suicide. He left note stating that
unrequited love for Miss Edith Sim
mons had led him to kill himself.
Mrs. Willitts had concealed from Bun
dy the fact that she was married. In
fact, she had promised to marry him,
but had slipped away just before the
wedding.
At the same time at Salina she had
enchained the affections of j. H.
James, son of New Mexican mine
owner. She accepted his proposal of
marriage, and a date for their mar
riage was set. He spent money Law
ishly upon her.
Some one limited that she was
married woman. He demanded to
know the truth. She sweetly told him
that it was true that she was married,
but that the tie was not binding, as
her husband had a legal wife living
when she married him.
She also told James that she had a
fine home in Topeka, and that for
tune would come to her upon the set
tlement of her deceased fathers es-
tate. This was the first appearance
of her stories of great wealth coming
to her, which she retailed, with varia-
tions, to subsequent suitors.
While her love affair with James
was still on she met and married a
travelling man named Elliott at Man
haitian. She told him that she was
single, and that her father was Major
Sims, wealthy Topeka banker.
Elliott threw caution to the winds,
resigned his job, sent back his sam
pie cases, and took her before a
tried to interview him as he boarded
a train on his bridal trip, and was re-
buffed. In return the reporter told
him he had married woman with a
husband. Elliott investigated, found
that the statement was true, and left
her two days later.
Mrs Willitts then returned to her
husband, who took her back. She re-
mained at home a little while, and
then went to Waco, Texas, where she
torney of Center. She soon had him
in her tolls and he proposed marriage.
She professed love for him, but said
that marriage must be deferred till
later. She hinted vaguely at large
inheritance over which there were
some complications of a distressing
character.
She left Waco and came to Lincoln.
Here she met at the hotel table, a
handsome young clerk named Scott
Smedley. He was head of the cap
department of clothing store. With
in a week she landed Smedley, and
they were married.
She told Smedley that her husband
was dead, but that he had left her a
large amount of property at Portland,
Oregon, in trust for their daughter,
the income only being hers. Smedley
believed her, but was later undeceived
when he took a trip to Portland to
find out why the income had stopped,
Joseph Wells, pink-cheeked, ell
derly farmer who had by hard work
and economy accumulated a fortune
of about $4,000 in farm lands in But,
Ter county, Nebraska, had come to
Lincoln a short time before and in.
vested part of his money in city prop
erty. One of his houses was occupied
! by the Smedleys.
The woman soon found him to be
soft hearted, widower of two years
standing, and the owner of money
She told him that she was very un'
happy in her marital relations. Her
husband did not treat her properly
and she was going to secure a di
vorce.
Wells made haste to offer himself
as a substitute when the separation
occurred. She admitted that he had
touched her heart, She told him also
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