Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-05
ANOTHER CLAIMS
NEWARK HUSBAND
OF ADELE R|TCH|E
Charles Nelson Bell, Wine
Agent, Is Accused of Be-
ing a Bigamist.
WOMAN SAYS HE WE'D HER
SEVEN YEARS AGO IN N. Y.
Louise McNaughton, Destitute,
Declares That She Was Sent
Abroad and Deserted.

Charles Nelson Bell, the wine agent.
OF this city, who on June 12 last mar
ried Adele Ritchie. the marriage
being advanced one day from the date
originally set to escape having the
wedding on Friday, June 10, may find
that even the change in date did not
get him away from the hard-luck
proposition that hangs around the
double hoodoo. Friday and the 18th.
For word now comes from a suburb
OF Liverpool. England, stating that
charles Nelson Bell is a bigamist the
person making the allegation being
Louise McNaughton Bell who claims
she welded Bell in the Episcopal
Church at Fort Hamilton, N. Y, on
September 81, 1906
According to cables received from
England today the first Mrs. Bell is
| living, in almost poverty, at 3s st.
Paurs road, Seacombe, Cheshire. a
suburb of Liverpool. She is described
as a rather TALL good looking woman,
2s years of age, with wonderful big
gray eyes and brown hair
Says Bell Sent Her to England.
According to her story she was sent
to England by her husband in May,
1911, and she has been there ever
since. He kept her supplied with
money until May, 1912. when he cabled
her that he was sending her PASSAGE
money for her return. The passage
money never reached her and the
cable was the last direct word she re-
ceived from Bell.
At the time of the announcement1
of Mr.. Bells marriage to Adelet'
Richie last May 1t was said that his1
parents, Colonel and Mrs. John Bell, {
of 173 Roseville avenue, this City. wereI
| opposed to the marriage, but the rea-l
son for their objections could not be
obtained.
Wedding to Miss Ritchie Quiet.
His parents. however attended hial
wedding with Miss Richie, which
was quiet affair, with only few
immediate personal friends and relp-5
tives present. Mr. Bell, the father
is with his family at Ashury Park.
and made no response to kilograms
sent him seeking information about
the alleged first marriage of his son.
Charles Nelson Bell since his mar
riage has been living at the summer
home of his wife near Stamford,
Conn, but could not be located there
either last night or this morning
Mrs. Louise McNaughton Bell. in
her cabled story, says that she would
have starved in England after she
had been left destitute by Bell but
fer the charity of almost perfect
strangers. Last August she was
served, so she alleges. with divorce
papers in a suit started by Bell in
Chicago, the papers charging her
with desertion.
This suit, she claims, was dropped
after she says she let 1t be known
that she would contest it. Before she
had made this declaration she states
that she had been offered $3.50 to PERI
nit the suit to go on undefended.
Such a proposal was degrading
insult" said Mrs. Bell, who wept as
she told Of her plight. starvation Is
agony, but / would rather starve to
death a hundred times than to sell
my good name, my reputation.
Next | heard of my husbands
marriage to Adele Ritche--to her. of
all women. 1 might have forgiven
his cruelty, but now l shall punish
him as he deserves, If there be JUS
tice left in America-if law against
bigamy exists there still.
II shall go to New York, even if
| have to work my way. I have no
money, my family cannot help me, but
I shall get to New York and put the
law in motion. A woman can tolerate
great deal from the man she loves,
but there is a limit"
Here Mrs. Bells emotion overcame
! her, she wept violently
Continuing her story, she said:
Was Married 1906.
81 married Charles Nelson Bell Sep
! tember 21, 1906 at the Episcopal
Church at Fort Hamilton, New York
city. My maiden name was Louise
McNaughton and my mother now lives
at 101 Bay Thirty-fourth street, Ben
sonhurst. My sister, Dawsey Nc
Naughton, who is the wife of Nor
man Brum, has been playing the title
role in "Bunty Pulls the Strings" in
New York and on tour. We belong
to an old Scotch family. who settled
in New York sixteen years ago.
"Ours was a runaway marriage.
My mother strongly objected to Mr..
Bell. l loved him, but was soon disil-s
lusoned. At the time he was repre-
sentative of a wine house and had
salary of $3.50 week. with an ex-
pense account of $25 daily.
ut is true that he gave me what
is called "a good time We lived at
good hotel, but l quickly realized
that so far from being the sole OBJ
| ject of my husbands affections l was
only one among many. l had nothing
to complain about his generosity at
| that time, for he sent me on trip
| to Europe every year and gave me
all material comforts but my life was
really one of great misery.
Often Forgave Bell.
"Our inner married life was one H
! long horror; l cannot describe the
indignities he forced on me. 1t makes
me shudder to think Of them
"Time after time ] forgave him
and tried to regard him as one suf-
fering from a mental ailment. He
told me I was the only woman he
really loved, and | was fool enough
to believe him. but it's pleasant 70 1
allow oneself to believe these things.
"My husband sent me to England
in May, 1911; he came to the pier, +
bid me bon voyage, loaded me with z
flowers and fruit. and sent me on
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