William E. Lambert, of Port
Dover, came up before Police Magistrate Denison last Thursday morning
charged with bigamy. According to the story told to Col. Denison,
Lambert was a laborer at Port Dover. In 1897 he married Ida May
Reynolds of Simcoe, the Rev. Walter Prescott, Methodist minister, tying
the knot. He lived with her till about two years ago, when he was
sent to the Central Prison to serve one of three terms for stealing. Just before Christmas he turned up at the Aberdeen restaurant, on Church
street, in Toronto, and became friendly with Bertha Montgomery, who was
employed there. To the restaurant people he was William E. Tilson,
heir to a fortune of $35,000, which was to come to him from the estate of
"uncle" E. S. Tilson, of Tilsonburg. The money would be
paid to him as soon as he married and settled down. He proposed that
he and Bertha should get married and enjoy the cash, and accordingly they
were married by the Rev. George Dewey.
Lambert alias Tilson went to
the Adams Furniture Company and got furniture worth $38.50, on which he
paid $3. He went to Mrs. McDonald on Louisa street and entered into
an arrangement by which she was to have the furniture in return for $10
and two weeks board for himself and wife. Mrs. McDonald thought the
furniture was the property of "Tilson," who said he was a man of
great fortune. Lambert [had] lived with Bertha Montgomery at Mrs.
McDonald's house for a week when he was arrested.
