South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-02-07

Army DeSerter Who Posed
as Officer Here Found
to Possess Two Wives

other spouse in South Bend. charges I
of desertion preferred by authorities F.
at Camp Custer. Mich. several thefts :
and an attempted suicide were found /
this morning to be incidents in the /
life of Arthur Crowley. or Crawley. f.
of Chicago. who for the past five
months has been posing in South 7
Bend as an army officer, sometimes /
as a captain and sometimes as
Lieutenant under many names
Crowley was arrested yesterday up
on advice from Camp Custer that
he was a. deserter.
AS nearly as can be learned. Crow
ley was drafted from a Chicago
board last June, and sent to Custer
for training He claims to have been
in the army for II years. but those
who know him say he cannot be
believed in any statement
Deserted from Custer.
He deserted from Camp Custer
last September. Crowley told the po-
+ lice, at which time he came to South
Bend. For a time he had a room a
the Jefferson hotel, where he met
/ Fairy Davis, Il years old. of Kan
kakee. IL. who was employed there.
The girl fell for the uniform" she
says. and on oct. 30 they went TO
st. Joseph Mich, where they were
married. The girl was IS years old
last month.
Under the name OF Coleman,
Crowley and his girl bride took up
their residence here, although, as it
now develops. Crowley had a wife
and child in Chicago. Tho lure Of the
bright lights and Of pretty women
was too much for the bogus officer.
it seems, for he had hardly settled
down TO married life before he was
chasing around" as his wife-the
Lone South Bend-expresses it
Led Gay Life.
"I told him he'd have to stop IT."
she explained 10 a reporter. but he
kept right on. I've been staying at
home and behaving myself since I'm
married. but from the looks of
things in this mornings paper. 7
guess I'm not married after all. am
I? Anyway. I told him that if he
didn't stop going out with other
women I'd leave him. He didn't pay
any attention TO that, so 1 did leave.
and came here TO my sisters home,
(S40 Dushane ct).
That was in November. Several
days later he came here and asked
me 10 take him back I told him
wouldn't so he went out in the back
, yard and drank a whole bottle Of
/. carbolic acid. He fell down, and we
= couldn't leave him there, so we
, brought him in the house and call
: ed a doctor. A druggist lives near
here, and he brought some alcohol.
and that's all that saved his life.
, Brought Together Again.
J Well ne was in bed here for
three days, and that had brought us
! together. so I thought we might "a
: well try TO patch things up. since
J we had been brought together that
way He was all right as long as he
was sick. but the day after ne got
: out Of bed he was at il again. going
with all kinds Of girls.
Then he told me he didn't love
me. and that I should get a divorce.
because he wanted to marry some
body elsa girl he called Ernie.
who lives over on Lafayette blvd.
I left him again, and came here.
That was just little before Christ
mas.
= HE told me several times that
: some day the South Bend papers
would have big headlines about him
- and 7 guess he was right"
Cooked Up Plenty Of Tales.
According to the girls story.
: Crowley had vivid imagination.
= and could make up stories to get
him out Of difficulties as fast rs his
adventures got him into them. In
order to explain his freedom, he told
his wife that he was on an "indef-
mite leave" and didn't have TO re-
port until ordered 10 do so. When
the months went by, and still he
wasn't called. but the papers were
full OF the need for officers he
changed his story. and said that he
was in South Bend doing secret
service work for the government.
, Apparently feeling il necessary 20
see his other wife, in Chicago. the
erstwhne soldier proceeded to ar
range trip 70 the windy city. The
basis for his trip was a telegram
from Niles Mich. signed by a Capt.
stone which ordered him to Chicago
for a few days.
on Jan. 6. several weeks after the
= separation. Mrs. Coleman. as she be-
4 Heved herself. receiver n telegram
from Hammond Ind. signed by 4
Lieut.. Williams. which said that her
husband was severely injured II
I Clearing. III. and that he probably
; would not live. The next day, the
girl encountered her husband on a
downtown street. a ''fapper." she
, says. on each arm.
? Took Certificate Along.
4 week later. the girl received a
= letter from Crowley. in which he
2 said he had been ordered 20 Camp
Fremont. Calf. camp which was
intended as a training point for