MAN WITH MANY WIVES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19239, 1 August 1924, Page 11

MAN WITH MANY WIVES.

PASSION FOR WEDDINGS. MARRIED FIVE TIMES. THREE YEARS IN GAOL. The first question a spectator generally asks when a bigamist comes up for trial is: “What do the women see in him?” There was no need to ask this question, however, says a London paper, when a man, known to have married at least five women, made his appearance before tho Common Sergeant at the Old Bailey. Tall and soldierly in appearance, with a countenance radiating good-humour, this breaker of hearts had used the gifts Nature had given him to bring sorrow to others. Known to the police as Reginald Chas. Symonds, a bookbinder, tho accused was charged with bigamously marrying Miss Kate Miller and Miss Lizzie Potts. In addition, it transpired that ho had also “married’’ a Miss Evelyn Ida Green in 1914, whilo his -wife was still Here were tho elements of one of the strangest matrimonial tangles ever revealed at the Old Bailey. Symonds, who seemed to have no regrets for the ruin he had brought into so many lives, is one of those peculiarly-constituted individuals who seem to take a. fiendish delight in deceiving trusting women. He seems to have been remarkably adept in the art of making love, for it is known that he has “married” at least five times, and probably more if the truth could be got out of him. STORY OF TWO MARRIAGES. So far as the police definitely know, Symonds was first married in October, 1908, when he courted Ellen Jane Wintle, a native of Gloucestershire. He married her in tho name of Henry Wood, and they lived together for some years. ihe union, however, was a very unhappy one, because of his habit of playing the gallant to every attractive girl he met. Ultimately ho deserted his wife altogether in the early part of 1914, when he went to London to look for work. Symonds next turned up at Carshalton, Surrey, where ho made the acquaintance of Miss Evelyn Ida Green. Believing him to be a bachelor, she ‘‘married” him in October, 1914. They lived together for some months. Symonds next enlisted in the Royal Engineers in July, 1915, and after serving at home for some months, went into a military hospital at Croydon, suffering from some minor ailment. Confinement in a hospital, however, soon proved ;rtcsomo to this modern Don Juan, and without asking permission ho came up to wie West End of London and hired a smart horse from a job-master on the understanding that ho was going to ride it in Hyde Park. Symonds was then in otticer’s uniform, and an incurable propensity for “swank” led him to ride the horse all the way to Carshalton, where he enjoyed quite a riotous time until the police arrested him for stealing the animal. FIRST SENTENCE FOR BIGAMY. The detective in charge of the case knew something about symonds’s past life, and was also aware that he already had a wifo living. So when he discovered another “wife” in Carshalton, inquiries ■were made, with the result that Symonds appeared at the Old Bailey in January 1916, charged with bigamy. He received four months’ imprisonment for this, and at the termination of tho sentence was discharged from the Royal Engineers because of his conviction. A short spell in prison, however, did not worry a man who had a perfect mania for marriage. The following September Symonds reenlisted in the R.F.A., and it was while he was in the uniform of that regiment that ho met Miss Kate Millar, of Poplar, and “married” her a month later. Miss Millar had not the slightest idea of tho trouble that was coming her way, and though her life with Symonds was rather unsatisfactory, she made the best of a bad job and consoled herself with the thought that her husband would settle down after the war. After serving in the Artillery for nearly two years Symonds was transferred to the R.G.A., and after the Armistice was put into tho R.A.S.C. But befoie this lie had already contracted yet another marriage. This was with Miss Lizzie Potts, whom be “wedded” at the Paddington Registry Office in July, 1918. Miss Millar lost trace of him altogether. In addition to those whom he actually married, ho is known to have courted fully a dozen other girls. To some of them he proposed marriage and borrowed money from them on the strength of it, while he is kn£>wrt' to have pawned jewellery belonging to other girls to keep himself while absent from bis unit. TTHITHER LOYE ADVENTURES. Symonds was next heard of as a farmer in the employ of the Paddington Borough Council, but his old habit of absenting himself from work without permission resulted in his dismissal. Toward the end of last year the old passion to seek further adventures in love came upon him. Ho persuaded Mias Potts, with whom i»o was living, to raise some money for him on the pretence that he wanted to set tip in business for himself, but what he actually did with it was to clear off to Norwich and begin courting another woman who had taken his roving fancy. This proved a somewhat longer job than he had anticipated. Money ran short, and so he took to theft, with the result that the Norwich police arrested him for "Hing a bicycle. For this offence Symonds was sent to prison for three months, and while he was serving his sentence a letter was received by the police, in which it was stated that he had also been guilty of bigamy. The information given in the letter enabled the London police to discover that Symonds, who had already been convicted of bigamy, had twice repeated the offence. Tho marriages with Miss Millar and Miss Potts were discovered, with the result that he again appeared at Old Bailey on a charge of bigamy. The Judge, who described Symonds as “an unmitigated scoundrel,” sentenced him to throe years’ penal servitude. Up to this time he had been laughing merrily, but on bearing tho sentence the smiles left his face.