Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-06-23

The first four husbands are
dead the fifty is aiding her de
Tense against the charge Of muir
dering the fourth.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 23-"S She
swept the men Of choice off their
feet-courted them so persistently
that they could not escape
That's the way V. H. Ormsby, a
deputy sheriff Of Twin Falls, Idaho,
describes the romance Of Mrs. Lydia
Southland arrested at Honolulu
on charge of numbering Ed Myers
of Twin Falls, her fourth husband
and now there to answer to the
charge M.sr Southland VIII Be ques-
toned about the mysterious deaths Of
three other Of her five husbands, a
hrother-in-law and her own daugh-
ter.
Mrs. Soathard, now the wife of
Paul Vincent Southland, petty officer
or the u. S. S. Chicago, has promis-
ed not fight extradition. her has
band offered to pay the expenses OF
his wife and an official to Twin Falls
so that the Investigation may be
speeded.
Mrs. Southland denies the charges
and says she can satisfactorily eX-
plain the deaths of her former hus-
bands. She told officials she believ-
ed she was a typhoid carrier" and
that this may have been responsible
for some of them.
Everybody Talking.
Take poor Ed Myers for exam
ple," says Deputy Sheriff Ormsby.
'he was the Woman's fourth nus
band. In 1920 he was running
little ranch out near Twin Falls when
Lydia came home after Harlem Lew
is, husband No. 8, had died in Mon
tana and she had collected $4,000
insurance.
"She rugged herself ont fit to kill,
bought long mink coat and a closed
car. Everybody in town was talking
about the way she ran around to dan
ces.
"She courted Ed right off his feet
'She talked around town that she
wasn't in love with Ed. but she
wanted a home, and said that she
sometime might learn to love him.
well, in August she and Ed were
married after he took out a $10,000I
insurance policy. In September Ed
died.
'The townfolks weren't just salts
fled. They started lot of talk and
the insurance company held up pay
ment on the policy. The matter got
into policits and folks wanted to
know what the candidates for
sheriff would do about Lydia
She Didn't Worry.
"But Lydia didn't seem to be
worrying. After she left for Califor-
MIA the town got more dissatisfied
than ever and in January I was as
signed to the case.
'Ive had the bodies of the men
disinterrede and examined Three
chemistry each working separately re-
ported to me that they found arsenic.
interviewed the doctors who attend
ed her husbands and obtained state
ments from them that enabled me
to build a strong case against her.
After Lydia left Twin Falls late
in 1920 she met Southland at 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.
The marital experiences of the
one-time Missouri country town girl
eclipses even those of fiction. Ten
years ago while still in her teens she
gas attending Sunday school and en-
ioying the popularity that goes with
being village belle in the village
of Keytesville, Mo. At that time
she was living on the farm of her
father. William Trueblood, about 2
miles from town
Following the opening of new irri
gated. territory in Idaho, Trueblood
moved his family to a section near
Twin Fails. Robert Dooley, school
day sweetheart of Lydia and his
brother, Edward, followed soon after,
and settled near the Trueblood farm,
In 1912 Robert Dooley took Lydia,
then 20, into Twin Falls one day
and the two We're married. Edward
Dooley 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 Rob
ert Dooley accompanied the body
back to Keytesyille for burial and
folks in the home town got first
glimpse of Baby Laura Marie, daugh-
ter of Lydia.
ADuube lllIeG WcchS dltSi ~ NAitt @,AN
her husband returned to Twin Falls,
Robert Dooley died. Lydia said he
had insisted on drinking from els
tern on the farm that was close to-
the barn and that he had died OF
typhoid fever. At that time neigh
bors said she expressed the fear to-
them that their baby, too, would
die of typhoid
True TO her prophecy, three weeks
later RaEy 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 a ranch. McHaffie
took out a $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 policy had lapsed few days
and the company refused to pay 1t.
CADTN NE TLhNKC