The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-25
she WON'T TALK.
Mrs. WiIIittS-Smedley in Jail at
Lincoln.
Her Reputed Husband Also
Locked Up.
ENY ANY CRIME.
Woman Says She Simply BOr-
rOWed the Money.
Duped Bachelor Refuses to Lis
ten to Compromise.


Lincoln. Neb, March 25.-Mrs- Edith
Smedley or Wulets and her supposed
husband. Scott Smedley, accused OF
Chadwicking Joseph Wells of Lincoln,
out Of $4,000 are still In the Lancaster
county jail. where they passed the
night Sheriff Ress spared his prison
ers the humiliation of placing them in a
steel cell and kept them under guard in
one of the rooms at the jail
Today Attorney T. J. Doyle, repre-
senting the Smedleys, renewed his effort
to secure the bail bond of $4,000 de-
1nanded by the court. Smedley has Of
fered to pledge his interest in the haber-
dashery business in Denver to surety
bond company but until the local rep
resentative receives definite instructions
from his superiors the manner of bail
will remain undecided
Meanwhile Wells continues obdurate
in his refusal to entertain the PROPOSE
tion of a settlement. Once madly infat-
uated his passion for the woman who
duped him has apparently turned 10 olt-
ter hate Wells intimates that he still
has enough property to make him 1nde-
pendent and he declares his Willingness
to spend all of it. if needed, to prosecute
the case to- a finish
Attorney Doyle declared this morning
that the state had no case against the
simply borrowed the money from Wells
on her personal notes, so that 1t was a
business transaction and not crime IN
any sense. and that there is nothing
criminal in the allegation. even if it is
the truth that Mrs Smedley promised
to secure a divorce and eventually be-
come Mrs. Wells.
The sheriff and his aids are somewhat
mystified by the stories pertaining to
reveal the woman's history. Advices
from Kansas are to the effect that she
was once the wife of Emory Willets OF
Perry. and that Willets and the woman
came to Nebraska with their little child
An investigation in Lincoln so far has
failed to disclose that Willets was here
with The woman, for she came accom-
panied by her child and declared her
self to be a widow. Smedley told his
friends at the time Of his marriage to
the woman that she wss a widow
The situation has become more or less
complicated by reason Of the fact that
a man giving the name of Emory VII
let's, protesting to be brother of the
wOman's deceased husband. has been
living with the Smedleys in Denver.
Wells stated today that he saw Willets
when he was in Denver last week en-
deavoring to force the return Of his
money
Both of the Smedlevs refuse point
blank TO discuss their affairs with any
person other than their attorney, and
no solution has yet offered itself to
Sheriff Ress of the mystery of the
swallowing uD of her first husband
and of the appearance of the man in
Denver bearing the same name as hus-
band No. L
The Arrest.
The Colorado Springs Gazette tells
the following story of the arrest:
The capture of Mrs. Smedley was
one of the best pieces of work ever
done by the local police department.
A telephone description of the woman
was received from Denver yesterday
forenoon and, armed with this. De-
tectives Burno and Shultz started on a
hunt for the woman. They located
her at the Antlers hotel about 1
o'clock. She had arrived on the noon
train from Denver, accompanied by
her 5-year-old daughter. and was in
the dining room when the detectives
spotted her from the description. They
waited until she had finished her meal
and as she stepped out of the dining
room, the detectives placed her under
arrest A porter was sent up to her
room Tor her suit case and she and her
belongings were quietly taken to police
headquarters where she was ushered
into Chief Reynolds private office
There she was kept under the guar
dlanShip OF Chief REYNOLDS and Clerk
Rose. until Sheriff Ress took her to
the depot to catch the belated No
train on the Rio Grande, which pulled
out at $40 o'clock
When arrested. Mrs. Smedlev denied
all knowledge of the charge against her
and persistently cOntended that she did
not know why she was held in custody.
In the Office of Chief Reynolds yes
terday afternoon. with her child run
ming about and looking curiously at the
burglars tools and other articles dis
played in the rOgues' gallery. all the
time prattling innocently, Mrs. SmedIey
Sobbed as she told a reporter that it
was all a mistake-that she was not
guilty of any crime and did not know
why sne was arrested When asked if
she had anything to say about any
trouble that she might have got into
at Lincoln, Neb.. she asked. rs my
husband arrested -
The reporter informed her that such
was the case and she sobbed. s.Oh. its
q horrible mistake; I've done nothing
At 6:O5 o'clock last night. sheriff
Nlcholas Ress, Of Lancaster county
Neb.. Of which Lincoln is the county
seat. arrived in this city with scott
Smedley, the wOman's alleged husband.
but did not go to police headquarters
until O'Clock. and then Chief REYNOLDS
turned the prisoner over to him Sher-
If Ress declined to be interviewed and
Mr.. Smedfey was not allowed to see
newspaper men. Sheriff Ress took his
prisoners to the Rio Csrande depot in =
closed carriage at $3.50 O'Clock and thew
caught the train 10 minutes later BE
fore coming to this city Sheriff Ress
who had followed the couple to Denver
had eXtradition papers. which We're
honored by Governor Mcdonald. and it
was his intention to take his prisoners
straight through to Nebraska with no
wait in Denver except for transfer from
the Rio Grande to the Union Pacific
SlnedIeys in Lincoln.
The Lincoln News says. Wells came
to Lincoln from Ulysses, Butler county
about a year ago. He had been a resi-
years. He is a widower with one child.
son about p years Of age, who is in