Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-06-11
Too Many Spouses
BY Frederic J. Haskin


number OF bigamy cases that have
recently filled the courts. AS far MS
psychologists can dope II out, there
are two distinct types of bigamists----
the kind that deliberately goes in for
plural marriage as money-making
proposition, and the kind that marries
over and over again for lack OF the
heart to refuse.
There is Florence, for instance.
| Florence is mere flapper of l5, and
she has already had two husbands in
the space of a few months. Her first
marriage took place last November
when she was welded to a nineteen
year-old youth who worked in a
cheese factory. Florence deserted this
youth after a few days. on April
she married again, this time a twen-
| ty-three-year- iron riveter. who
promised her n honeymoon to Phila-
| delphia. But Florence left him. too.
after which he found out about her
| first marriage
When arrested on the charge of
bigamy. the girl simply shrugged her
shoulders. why worry3" she
soothed her mother. who had burst
into tears. They can't do anything
to me. I'm a minor"
This careless attitude toward the
holy state of matrimony was also
Haunted in court by n young stock
actor, who was recently arrested in n
novel manner for having more than
his legal quota of wives.
He was playing Juvenile i'm a New
England stock company when he re-
ceived telegram from a wife ask
ing him to hurry to New York at
once. She would meet him in the
Pennsylvania station.
Jack hastily packed his suitcase
and did as he was told As he came
Through the Boston train gate. small,
blond woman rushed forward and
threw her arms about his neck.
Hello. Kid" said Jack tenderly.
The next moment a detective placed
a heavy hand on Jacks shoulder and
told him he was under arrest. The
small blond woman quickly withdrew
her embrace and beckoned to two
other women who had been watching
the scene with intense interest.
The Deceiver Deceived
Come on" she called triuphantly
here he is. l told you he'd come.
Now we can all go TO court and have
the matter settled"
$50 it's a conspiracy of wives. "
suggested the victim, as the two other
women joined the group. And you're
in il too, Honey" he added reproach-
fully to the youngest one, who later
turned out to be Wife No. 8. We'll
well, never expected the three of you
to be here 10 meet me-"
And thus conversing pleasantly. the
detective, his prisoner and his three
wives sauntered off to court. There
Jack was asked to explain why he had
married three different women. AS
none of the women possessed money
or life insurance. the judge could see
no .possible motive for such idiocy.
Neither could Jack. Finally, he said
he supposed it was just because he
wanted TO be agreeable. They We're
all charming girls. and he couldn't
bear to disappoint them by telling
them he was already married.
According 10 the psychologists. both
Jack. and Florence conform to a true
bigamist type. Each represents an
individual who is extremely sym
pathetic. sentimental and weak-wiIIed.
/ Florence admitted that she was not
in love with either of the men she
married. but each told her a long and
eloquent history of his troubles, she
felt sorry for him, and so she allowed
herself TO be persuaded into matri-
mony. Jack felt the same way. He
couldn't say NO" to a girl who want
ed TO marry him. At the time he was
lapprehended he was on the point of
marrying a fourth spouse, a young
actress in the same company with
him.
These are only two of a long list
of bigamy cases that have harassed
and bewildered New York judges. The
season began with a large crop Of in
voluntary bigamists, both men and
women, who had received forged di-
vorce DEGREES from a fake divorce
lawyer. People who believing them
selves 10 be respectfully divorced. had
married a second time, suddenly dis
covered that their decrees We're worth
less bits of paper and that they were
still legally tied to their first spouses
Perhaps the publicity given to this
unfortunate circumstance started the
rate. bigamy has been a spectacular
feature of our metropolitan life ever
since.
There have been only a few deliber-
ate bigamists to deal with, although
criminals Of this type are always al
large. The man who marries a large
number of women in order to get their
savings or life insurance is com
mon figure in the courts. To this
type belongs the modern French Blue
beard whose crimes crowded the wal
news off the front pages of the Paris
newspapers. and 10 this type also be-
longs the young California woman
who was recently accused of having
poisoned four husbands.
But the new bigamy wave is largely
a by-product of the war. The wal
> separated families and shuffled hus-
bands and wives about in a dangerous
way without entirely obliterating theii
trails. Men were thrown so violently
out of their routine that it seemed as
if their old life had ended-but, alas
il had not.
A Happy Double Family
, Such a victim of rapid change Is
Antoine Ruyts. a Belgian, who was