Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1921-08-06
COURTED Them
OFF THEIR feet
Remarkable Story Of Lydia
Southland, Said to Have
Had Five Husbands.
FOUR MEET SUDDEN DEATHS
Now Woman Is Charged With Murdet
of Number 4 and Will Be Tried in
Northumberland Husband Re-
mains Loyal to His Wife.

mains Loyal to His Wife.
San Francisc0.-"She swept the men
of her choice off their feet-cOurted
them so persistently that they could
not escape"
That's the way V. Fl. Ormsby, a dep
uty sheriff of Twin Falls, Idaho, de-
scribes the romance of Mrs. Lydia
Southland, under arrest at Honolulu on
charge of numbering Ed Meyers of
Twin Falls, her fourth husband.
Mrs. Southland denies the charges
and says she can satisfactorily ex-
plain the deaths of her former hus-
bands. She told officials she believed
she was typhoid carrier" and that
this may have been responsible for
some of them.
"Take poor Ed Meyers, for ex-
ample" says Deputy Sheriff Ornsby.
"He was the womans fourth husband.
In 1920 he was running little ranch
out near Twin Falls, when Lydia came
home after Harlem Lewis, husband
No. 3, had died in Montana and she
had collected 5000 in insurance.
"She rugged herself out to kill,
bought long mink coat and closed
car. Everybody iii town was talking
about the way she ran around to
dances.
"She courted Ed right off his feet.
"Well, in August she and Ed were
married after he took out $4,000 in
surance policy. In September Ed
died.
"rhe townsfolk weren't just salts
fed. They started a lot of talk and
the insurance company held up pay
ment on the policy.
She Didn't Worry.
"But Lydia didn't seem to be worry
ing. After Lydia left Twin Falls late
in 1920 she met Southland. petty Of
ficer on the U. S. S. Chicago at
dance. Later they were married, and
when Southland was transferred from
San Francisco to Honolulu he took
his bride along. He's still loyal to his
wife"
The marital experiences of the one
time Missouri country town girl
eclipse even those of fiction. Ten
years ago while still in her teens she
was living on a farm of her father,
William Trueblood, about two miles
from Keytesville, Mo.
Following the opening of new irri-
gated territory in Idaho, Trueblood
moved his family to a section near
Twin Falls. Robert Dooley, school
day sweetheart of Lydia. and his
brother, Edward, followed soon after
and settled near the Trueblo0d farm.
Married to DooIey.
In 1920 Robert Dooley took Lydia,
then twenty, into Twin Falls one day
and the two We're married. Edward
went to live with them.
One day Edward Dooley became i'll.
Within a few hours he was dead.
Lydia explained that he had eaten
salmon from can that had stood
open for some time. Lydia and Robert
Dooey accompanied the body back
to Keytesville for burial and folks in
the home town got their first glimpse
of baby Laura Marie, daughter Of
Lydia.
About three weeks after Lydia and
her husband returned to Twin Falls,
Robert Dooley died. Three weeks
later baby Laura was dead.
Mrs. Dooley collected $4,000 on in
surance that had been carried by the
brothers and short time later was
married to William McHaffie-
The two went to Montana to live
and settled on ranch. McHaffie took
out $500 insurance policy and made
one payment on it. In short time he
died, but when Lydia went to collect
the insurance she found that the pol
icy had lapsed few days and the
company refused to pay it.
In June, 1919 Lydia married Har-
lem Lewis an automobile salesman,
with whom she had become acquaint-
ed in Montana. One month later, on
July 6, Lewis died from what doctors
said was ptOmaine poisoning, and
Lydia collected $1,000 in insurance.
Following the death of Lewis, Lydia
returned to Twin Falls where she met
and married Myers, husband No. 4.