New Ulm review., 1921-06-22
C0URTED Them
| OFF THEIRFE
Remarkable Story Of Lydia
Southland, Said to Have
4 Had Five Husbands.
FOUR meet SUDDEN DEATHS
Now Woman Is Charged With Murder
of Number, 4 and Will Be Tried in
Montana-Present Husband Re-
mains Loyal to His Wife.


Of her choice off their feet-courted
them SO persistently that they could
not escape" ,s@
That's the way V: H. Ormsby, q dep
uty sheriff of Twin Falls, Idaho, de-
scribes the romance of Mrs. Lydia
Southard, under arrest at Honolulu on
a charge 1of numbering Ed Meyers Of
Twin Falls, her fourth husband.
Mrs. Southard denies the charges
and. says she can satisfactorily ex-
plain the deaths Of her former hus-
bands. She3told 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 Ormsby.
"He was the woman's fourth husband.
In 1920 he was running a little ranch
out near Twin Falls, when Lydia came
home after Harlem Lewis, husband
No. 8, had died in Montana and she
had collected $4,000; In insurance.
'She rigged herself out to kill,
bought long mink coat and closed
car. Everybody in town was talking
about the way she ran around to
dances.
"She courted Ed right off his feet.
'SWell, in August she and Ed were
married after he took out a $4,000 in
surance policy. In September Ed
died.
"The townsfolk weren't, just salts
fed. They started 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 Southard, petty Of
ficer on the u s. S. Chicago ait a
dance. Later they were married, and
when Southard was transferred from
San, Francisco to Honolulu he. took
his bride along. He's still loyal to his
wife" '.s
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 farm of her father,
William Trueblood,5 about two miles
from Keytesyille, Mo. ID s. ~ 3s z
Following the opening, Of new irri7-i
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 Trueblood farm.
~, Married to DooIey.
In 1920 Robert Dooley took Lydia,
then twenty, into Twin Falls one, day.
and thestwo were married. Edward
went to1ive with them.
One day Edward Dooley became ILL.,
Within a few hours he was dead.
Lydia explained that he had eaten
salmon from a can that had stood
open for some time. Lydia and Robert
Dooley 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.sDooley collected $4,000 on in
suranee that, had been carried by the
brothers and shortsetime later was
married. ITO William McHaftie.
The; two went$to Montana to live
and settled on a 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 hadglapsed a. few days and the
company refused to pay it. "A.
In June, 1919 Lydia married Har-
lem Lewis, an automobile salesman,
with whom she had become acquairlt-
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. ',.
800