Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-06-02

OldQC0FLy tue royal ClIClt> VI rus la
are all torn up, for the reason that IL
makes dance hall singer Countess.
Richard Somerset LIE Peer Trench,
fourth Earl of Ciancarty, was born jan
uary l3, 1894, aud succeeded his father
ia the earldom on April 26, 1872. He
married. November %, 1866, Lady
Adeiiza GeOrgiana, eldest daughter Of
the second Marquis of Bristol. His
heir. William Frederick lie POer Trench,
ViScOunt DunlO, was born December 20,
1865. Early in July, 1889, he married
Belle Billion, a handsome English music
hall singer, who thus becomes Countess
OF Clancarty. Lady DunlO before her
marriage, had many admirers, her huS-
band being at the heel of the hunt. He
wrote letters which caused talk OF a
suit for breach of promise, which was
put az end TO by the marriage. 1t was
next alleged that the Earl of Clancarty
would invoke the law 10 annul the mar
riage, on the ground that his son was
under age.
Viscouut DunlO before he had been
married nine days left England on
long trip, leaving his wife behind, thus
giving color 10 the report. The Earl,
however, did not bring suit because he
found that although the person who
married the young couple might be in
dicted and punished the marriage
would still hold good. ViScOunt Dunlo
himself began an action for divorce
from his wife in March, 1890. 1t was
the most sensational divorce case Lon
don had known for years. Lady Dunlo
went to reside with her sister, Miss Flo
Billion, concert hall singer at Cherwell
House, Mortimer Crescent Post, st.
Johns Wood, in the northwest quarter
of the metropolis. Much Of the teSti
mony is said 10 have been perjured.
Lady DunlO defended herself vigOr-
OuSly She admitted having had rela-
tiOnS with other men before she made
her husbands acquaintance, but de-
clared that she concealed nothing from
him and that the stain on her life was
wiped away by the marriage with Lord
DunlO. As 10 the objections against
her family she showed that her mother
was Miss Penrice, of KilyerOugh Castle,
ElamOrganshire, Wales, and that her
aunt married Sir Charles Van Molten
Pole, colonel in the guards good
enough family, she held, to entitle her
to be the daughter-in-law of the 'can-
tankerOuS" old man, Lord Clancarty,
who was drinking himself to death. "
1t was Lady Clancarty, however,
whom Lady DunlO charged with being
the cause OF her trouble. ''She knows
her husband cannot live much longer at
the rate he is going" she said, land at
his death l would become Countess
Clancarty, while she would be put upon
the shelf as DOwager Countess"
Lady DunlO, after her marriage, had
continued TO earn her living by the
stage. One complication OF the suit
was the fact that before it was begun,
from the marriage until the day Lord
Dunlo reached his twenty-frSt year,
the couple lived apart. Lady Dunlo
proved that this had been by request OF
her husband, who had declared that his
father had promised to consent to the
union If she would be patient until De-
cember Detectives were hired to
watch her to see if she would not prove
unfaithful TO her marriage vows, but
could prove nothing. She was offered
an income of several hundred pounds a
year for life if she would make no de-
tense 10 the suit, but Indignantly re-
jected the proposition.
The Jury in the case brought in a
verdict for the fair defendant on July
30, 1890, and the Court granted the
costs of the action against Lord DunlO,
A vast crowd gathered about the court
house awaiting the verdict, and when
Lady DunlO made her appearance after
it haze been announced she was greeted
with cheers. Her victory brought her
lucrative offers of all kinds, one TO visit
America on a song and dance tour at
$500 q week, but she declined it. Lord
DuulO, after the suit, begged her for
givenoSS and she finally became recon
ciled and the pair have lived happily to-
gether ever since.
Some months ago Lord DunlO was
thrown from his horses and severely in
jured. He is far from being an impe-
cuniouS Irish peer. His father was a
very large land owner and his mother
was the daughter OF one of the wealth
lest Of English MarQuiSeS-the Marquis
OF Bristol Lord Clancarty owned at
Garbally, county Galway, Ireland, about
$4,000 acres Of land, from which he de-
rived e12, 600 year rents. He also had
small estate in ROScOmmOn worth
about &, 900. Thus Lord Dunlo, by his
fathers death, falls heir to an estate Of
Sos, 600 per year.