The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-01-27
KenOsha Navy Man Weds
Woman Who Had Army
Sergeant Husband.
ARREST KENOSHA MAN
Gust Williams Held Here While
Waukegan Police Seek Ed
ma Berendt-Williams.

An unusual matrimonial tangle in-
volving the "army and navy" and a
pretty girl-just a little inclined to
be wild-was revealed here on Monday
night in the arrest of Gust C. Will
Iams, aged % years, at his home, 22S
Racine avenue. Williams was taken
into custody by police officers Meow
ern and Breidt on Monday afternoon
and he is booked on a statutory
charge. Meantime warrant has been
issued at Waukegan, according to re-
ports to the police here, for the ar
rest of Edna Malloy- Berendt- Williams,
| charging her with bigamy. The woman
is about % years of age and was form
erly a resident of Kenosha, but it is
declared that she is now living at the
home Of an uncle at Carterville, III.
Williams was arrested at the order
of District Attorney Peter Fisher and
on the complaint of Julius Berendt,
1913 w. Thirteenth street, Chicago,
who declares that he is the legal hus-
band of the woman and that so fer as
he can discover, no effort has ever
OSSh hAaue W tAS WOAi9H ~ secure =
divorce.
Efforts to arrest Mrs. Berendt-Wil-
liams were being made today but she
had not been taken into custody.
Williams DiscIaims knowledge.
In his cell at the city lookup this
morning, Williams declared that he
had no knowledge of the claims Of
Berendt upon the woman until long
after he had married her. Mrs. Will
liams had been living in Kenosha and
had been arrested at one time when
the police made a raid on the saloon
of John Neubauer. At that time she
was known as Edna Malloy" and she
was charged with disorderly conduct.
II married Edna at Waukegan on
July LIST of last year." declared Will
liams this morning. 81 never heard
that she had been married to Berendt
and she swore at the time Of the mar
riage that there was no reason why
she should not marry me. We were
married by a justice at Waukegan. I
! do not know his name, and then we
returned to Kenosha, and later we
were married by Father Nickel. We
did not get out new license in Ke-
nosha lived with her until Decem-
Der 23rd of last year, when she left
Kenosha and went to the home of her
uncle at Carterville. have tried since
to get her to come home, but she has
refused"
Was in the Navy.
Williams served in the navy during
the war overseas, and Berendt, who
makes first claims on the woman in
/ the case, was a sergeant in the army.
In a letter which Berendt sent to Will
liams, he declared that his wife dis
appeared from their home while he
was serving in the army and that on
his return from the army he had con
/ siderable trouble locating her. He
finally found that she had married the
! Kenosha man and then he wrote Will
liams letter. Berendt came to Keno
| sha to take the matter up with the
Kenosha police department, believing
that the woman was with Williams in
Kenosha, and the search started on
| Monday was for the woman. Berendt
is declared to be in business In Chi
cago and well known in the district
where his business is located.
Woman Said to Be Clever.
Mrs Berendt- Williams, according to
the stories told in Kenosha, is de-
cidedly clever little woman and good
to look at Williams said that the
claim Of the police that he knew Of
the former marriage was false. ~
never knew her as anything but Edna
Malloy and she never mentioned this
former marriage to me-" declared Will
liams. II am willing to do anything
the police want done to right this
matter"
Williams indicated that he had
high regard for the young woman and
that he would not be adverse to having
her returned to him. Berendt was ex-
pected to reach Kenosha this afternoon
to take his part in the tangle.