The Washington times., 1905-04-17
WEDS THREE MEN,
ENTHRALLS -FOUR
Woman Establishes Unique
NJ Matrimonial Record.
0lD FARMER ViCTIMIzED
Eases Him of $4,000 on Pretense of
Securing Divorce and Becom-
ing His Wife.

LINCOLN. Neb., April 1.-THE case Of
MRS Scott Smedley, of Denver who was
charged here with swindling Joseph
W els, retired farmer out of SIG 600 is
III some respects like that of Mrs Cas-
sic l.. Chadwick although, while the
la1ter dealt in large sums Of money
MRS smedley borrowed human hearts
MRS Snedley is tall, slender. and
."ehty-eight Her features are regular.
out she is not pretty. Ten years ago
she was married to Emory Wiliitts. a
Meii-to-do farmer of Granville Kan.
her maiden name was Edith Simmons.
Leaves First Husband.
A child was born. and when it was
three years OLD Mrs. Willitts told her
husband that she wanted to attend col
lege at Lindsberg and study music.
Willitts, good-naturedly, assented to the
project
"A few months afterward j. w. Bundy.
station agent at Ellis. attempted sui
eide He left note stating that unre-
Quilted love for Miss Edith Simmons had
led him to kill himself Mrs willitts
had concealed from Bundy the fact that
she was married. In fact, she had
promised te 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.
and date for their marriage was set
He spent money lavishly upon her
Some one hinted that she was a mar
rfed 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. because
her husband had a legal wife living
when she married him.
,s Marries Salesman.
While her love affair with James was
still on. she met and married d travel
ing man named Elliott, at Manhattan
She told him that she was single and
that her father was Major Sims,
wealthy Topeka banker 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. Wfllitts then returned to her
husband, who took her back She re-
manned at home little while. and then
went to. Waco, Tex, where she met
Edgar W. Hooker, young attorney of
Center She soon had him in her tolls,
and he proposed marriage.
She profeSed love for him, but said
later. She left Waco and came to Lin
coin. Here she met, at the hotel table
a handsome young clerk named Scott
Smedley.
Joseph Wells, a pink-cheeked elderly
farmer, who had by hard work and
economy accumulated a fortune of about
$4,000 in farm lands in Butler county,
Neb. had come TO Lincoln q short time
before and invested part of his money
in city property.
Old Man Captured.
The woman soon found him to be soft
hearted, and told him that her husband
did not treat her properly, and she was
going to secure divorce.
Wells made haste to offer himself as
a substitute when the. separation oc-
CURED. and was accepted
She got S150 from him in October of
last year She kert borrowing addI-
tionai sums on various pretexts until
the sum reached $4,000. She went TO
Denver and said she was going into the
clothing business.
On March II she came back to Lin
coin and asked Wells for s6,0eO saying
that she had chance to buy out her
partner at "a big bargain. Wells hur-
riedly put his town property on the
market, sold it for $4,000 less than it
had cost hind gave her cashiers check
for 5000, went down TO the bank with
her, identified her and watched her stuff
away the bids.
She did ns>. come to Lincoln, and
Wells went to Denver TO investigate. He
found her still living with Smedley in
4 handsome home, and caused their ar
rest.
When the officers went to take the
SmedIeys into custody they found Mrs.
Smedley in Colorado Springs. A few
minutes after her arrest the young
Texas lawyer, Hooker, called at the
hotel He said he had an appointment
with her TO marry her that day