The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-01-26
Loves Lucre May Be Lost
By HAZEL HARTZOG


 Francis Van Vie, the five foot roly- poly street car conductor with too many wives, was in the pokey today and whether he remained was up to the green-eyed monster jealousy which put him there.
 Van Vie wasn't mad at anybody, the police, the war plant guard who recognized him and turned him in the first day he reported for work, or his wives, the number of which he couldn't remember. He thought probably there were eight of them. Police thought there were II.
 Van Vie said he would recognize all of them, but not their children. He couldn't be father, he said.
 I'm guilty" he said, I'll take what's coming to me. l always wanted home. I was looking for Contentment.'
 He was held for authorities in San Francisco where he climaXed his marital marathon with three we'd dings in the last year. Capt. Bernard Mcdonald of the San Francisco police said he didn't want him un- less one of his jealous wives wished to sidetrack the marrying trolley man by putting up the money to re- turn him for trial as bigamist.
 If Van Vie is convicted, they'll get their money back, Mcdonald said, but if they don't, it'll be loves lucre lost.
 Mrs. Juliana Voloshin Van Vie, who filed suit for divorce against the ex-lion tanner at 1ngleWood, Calif., and tipped of several of his ether wives that he was not their mate, indicated that she wasn't in- terested
 There was something about him that made you do things you didn't want to do but I never want to see him again" Mrs. Voloshin Van Vie said.
 Van Vie said he would recognize funny about money.
 "She gave 10 per cent of my money to the church. She hid the rest and told me I didn't have any. Life with her was unbearable."
 Van Vie, interviewed in his jail cell, tried hard to remember just whom he had married and whom he hadn't. To the best of his memory he promised to love, honor and cher ish, in this order:
 l. Elizabeth Kexel in Milwaukee in 1904. She ran off with another man. She was just small town girl about 2O," said Van Vie.
 2. Clara Heise in Milwaukee in 1911. Mrs. Heise Van Vie said in Chicago yesterday he never did much to support their son, Francis, Jr., now 31. Van Vie said Francis, Jr., was stepson.
 5. Mable Joyce in Minneapolis in 1922. Mabel was 12 years younger than me We did a mind reading act with a circus before I became a lion tanner. We drifted apart and I thought she was dead but I got letter from her last April"
 4. Sadie Levin near Reno in 1941 "She had brown hair. I sent her back to San Francisco from Los An- gcles when I found out she was pregnant"
 5. Juliana Voloshin, 1942. If I hadn't left her I think she would have done me bodily harm
 6, Myrtle Martha Wheeler, Reno, 1943. She was golddigger. I spent $500 on her before we were married"
 T. Josephine Bergman in San Francisco, 1944. q liked shows, she didn't. She liked to dance, I didn't. The only thing we both liked, was, uh--card parties. I thought she was poor, but she had a lot of stocks and bonds. I didn't want her money but I thought she was wrong in leading me to believe she was poor
 8. Evelyn Brown, San Francisco, l944. That was true love. She's little and blond and real home lov- ing" said Van Vie. I'm still in love with her. She was the love of my life"
 Wife number ' said she didn'L doubt that. Last Christmas they opened their presents, then Van Vie took off the tags and took them over to wife number 8.
 "He told me people on his street. car gave them to him. said Mrs. Brown Van Vie.
 Police said there was a Louise. a Ruth and another name that Van Vie had reminlsced about to the discomfort of his wives, but he couldn't remember whether he had married them or not