On the afternoon of May 28, 1922, marshal J.W. Boddie arrested R.L. Roy, a local district sales manager for a Cleveland, Ohio paint company, on two counts of renting rooms for immoral purposes.
Mr. Roy came to Arcadia about 30 days prior to his arrest with a woman he introduced as his wife. The couple rented rented rooms in town. During his stay in Arcadia, the woman Mr. Roy introduced as his wife left town, and another woman took up residence with him.
Suspicious officers kept watch of the comings and goings of Mr. Roy until May 28, when they gained sufficient evidence to arrest him. At first, Mr. Roy refused the marshal’s request to accompany him to the courthouse for questioning, but went willingly once he realized he had no choice.
During questioning, Mr. Roy said that he had married the first woman who accompanied him to Arcadia, formerly Miss Bernice Kyle, at Corsicana, Texas, but they had recently divorced. Officers learned that a week prior to Mr. Roy’s arrest, he had married Miss Ruth Hinton, of Vienna, LA. Mr. Roy and Miss Hinton shared a room in Arcadia immediately after Miss Kyle left town. Miss Hinton was said to be unaware of Mr. Roy’s connection with the other woman. During their investigation, officers learned that in about 1920, Mr. Roy had married a Miss McCall in Ohio. They were unable to determine if Mr. Roy and Miss McCall had been divorced.
Mr. Roy was released when relatives of his from Ruston posted a $300.00 bond on each of the two charges.
Whether or not the officers ever untangled Mr. Roy’s tangled web of possible marriages and divorces has not been determined.
To report an issue or typo with this article – CLICK HERE
