The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1917-11-30
MARRIED THREE
DAYS, TAKEN ON
BlGAMY CHARGE
James Reynolds Who Mar
ried Tuesday Evening Ar
rested Yesterday.
WAS WARNED NOT TO
CONTRACT MARRIAGE
Married Girl Is Years Old-Has
Another Wife and Two Small
Children.

James Reynolds, an employe of the
Cape Cooperage Co., was arrested
yesterday morning on charge o.
bigamy, three days after he had mar
ried Miss Gussie Edna Boyd, whose
parents live near the plant of the COM
pany, by which Reynolds has been en-
ployed for several years. He is held
ir the city Jail awaiting his prelim-
mary trial before Justice of the Peace
Willer this morning.
Reynolds was arrested by Sheriff
Hutson and Chief of Police Whitener
at the home of his brides parents.
The information of the bigamous mar
siage vas given to Sheriff Hutson
by a man who had directed the Off
Ger to the Boyd home week ago,
when he served notice of the divorce
brought against Reynolds by his first
wife.
Although Reynolds had been told
that he could not wed the girl before
being divorced from his first wife,
he made every effort to have the cere-
mony performed. He finally appealed
to Justice of the Peace Kage Tues
day evening but withheld the fact that
he had a wife.
Reynolds told a reporter for The
Tribune he had been separated from
his first wife since last Christmas.
He said they quarreled on that day,
because he refused to support his STEP
daughter, Mrs. Lottie Wendels, the
oldest daughter of his first wife by
former marriage. He declared he
did not think it would be violation
Of the law to marry the girl without
getting a divorce from his first wife.
Reynolds lived in Brwonwood until
the earlier part of the year, he said,
until his wife left him and went 20
her parents home with their two
children. He came to the Cape and
was employed by the Cape Cooper
age Co. He said he had heard only
once from his first wife since their
separation and did not know where
she was living at the present time.
A week ago yesterday Sheriff Hut
son received a copy of the divorce
petition filed by Mrs. Reynolds No.
] in The circuit court of New Madrid.
county where Mrs. Reynolds No. has
been living with her two children. He
had difficulty in finding the house in
which Reynolds was living and was
taken to the place by a man living
in the neighborhood. The same man
learned of the second marriage con-
tracted by Reynolds when he read the
license in The Tribune Thursday morn
ing.
Before marrying his second wife,
Reynolds appealed to Rev. James
Wiseman, a retired Baptist minister,
living in the Cape, but the latter
would not marry the couple when he
learned that Reynolds had wife from
whom he had not been divorced. Rey-
nolds then called on Judge Willer,
who also refused to perform the we'd
ding. The Judge and Constable Sci
vally who was in the judges office
at the time, warned Reynolds not to
marry while he had not obtained di-
vorce from his first wife. They told
him he would make himself guilty of
a felony and liable to penitentiary
sentence.
Mrs. Reynolds No. is just past
Is years Of age. Before she was mar
ried to Reynolds she had to obtain
her parents consent. They were both
present when the wedding ceremony
was performed by Justice Kage. The
bride is the same girl VINO was at
tackled by negro two months ago
while returning from store in Smell
tervifle.
When Sheriff Hutson and Chief
Whitener called at the Boyd home yes
terday, they found the mother and the
young bride alone at home. They were
not informed Of the charge against
Reynolds but suggested that the pres
enee Of the officer might have been
caused by the wedding. They did not
say, however, whether they knew that
the marriage was bigamous.