The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-14

Othey members Of the CEsncsvtv ss-ziiy
we're prominent In the army. .he cfrIo-
matte service and TIE church. b1t Lord
DunIo civilian Frsderiek Ie-Poe--
Trenshl who. now szccse1s 20 the earl
dom. 10 kDozn only for the scandals with
which bis name IL connected. He vas
born On December -, 15e5. Before be had
reached bis majority he began 70 lead q
fast life ia London. ard 10 July. ISss.
Re married Belle Biiton. who. wish Ter
sister Flo, vas wei known IN the Lon
don music halls. Belle Billion, nov the
Countess Of Ciancarty, drs~ crowded
houses IN London beesuse Of her bsx1ty
snd the scandals with which her name vas
connected. and not because OF her talent
as singer or actress. Her most noted
appearance before the public was in July,
1850, when she was the defendant IN q s1ss
for divorce brought against hsr by
her husband. The case was orened
On July - before Sir James Haunen.
Sir Charles Russell appeared for yisccunt
DuDlo. Isad0re Werthsimer, q wealthy
West End dealer IN bTie-a~brzc, was the CO
respondent. Lord DznIo, who was then
described IS q weakened, ueak-facsd.
beardisss boy, with reddish hair, sought a
divorce from his ATTRACTIVE wife On the
ground Of the lattsr's adultery with Vert
bslrner. In her answer Belle Billion swore
that she was not guilty, and that
il was call DrnIo's fault be-
cause he Isft her soon after their
marriage, and went off 70 the Continent
without providing for her support. Mr..
lockwood, her counsel ,af:erward Withdrew
this portion Of her plea ard relied upon
her unqualified denial Of the charge OF
adultery. During the course Of the exam
ination Viscount Dunlo said that he
married Belle Billion in July, 1889, a.
registry Office without the knowledge Of
his father, and that as IL was arranged pre-
yious 70 the ceremony that he was TO
make tour Of the world, he did 80 soon
after the ceremony had taken place.
Letters which had passed between Wis
count Dunlo and his wife we're read in
court, 70 the great amusement Of all pres
ent. They suggested great affection on
both sides. In one letter the viscount
thanked God that they were married, and
Belle, In another, wrote: wicked,
wicked days, why don't they fy faster?''
and assured Lord Dunlo that whatever
naughty people" said about her and
Wertheiner was "utter bosh." A SER
want Of Lady Dunlo swore that
she saw Wertheiner come out Of her
mistress bedroom before her marriage.
The trial ended on July 30, Lady DunIo
securing verdict in her favor. She left
the court amid shower of cheers. Tho
court granted the costs of the action
against Viscount Dunlo. Sir James Han
mems charge was unique in the annals Of
British Jurisprudence, in that il contained
study Of Bohemi an life and the classes
associated with such an existence He
warned the jurors that "Bohemians" were
people whose life were quite foreign TO the
ordinary luryman's notions, and. there
fore, 1t must be judged from a peculiar
point OF view. The late Earl Of Clancarty
admitted on the witness stand that he sent
his son abroad a day or so after his
marriage, In order that he might leave his
wife without money or other means Of
support, in order that necessity might
drive her back 70 her former life. and tfInz
make It easy for young Dunlo TO obtain
divorce from her. This class Of testimony
made Belle Billion q sort of heroine. q,
that when she won her snit she became
immensely popular in certain circles. She
had handsome carriages and fast horses,
and her dresses and jewels were the talk
OF London. She received a salary Of
$500 week. though utterly de-
void OF real talent, and played
to packed houses nightly Every
evening Lady Dunlo would drive to the
theater, where she was playing in the lead
ing role Of an absurd burlesque called
Venus" in handsome brougham, with
coachman and footlnan on the box, at
| tended sometimes by her husband. but
more often by Werth elmer, and the gem
| eral opinion formed was that the latter
| was supplying funds for the Dunlo estab-
hshmeat, as the rich old Earl Of Clancar.y
| cut oil his sons allowance as soon as he
patched up his differences with his wife.
which was IN August. 1880.
In September, 1890, Lady Dnnlc was
| again in court, this time as witness
| against an American adventurer, Alden
| Carter Weston, who was sentenced 10
| seven years penal servitude with hard
labor for forging Wertheimer's name to
checks which were cashed by Lady Dunlo.
| The evidence given az this trial was of a
startling nature. Weston, who is the son
| of formerly well-known citizen of BaIti-
| more, met Lady Dunlo at music hall and
| eventually deserted his wife and family for
/ her and spent his entire fortune upon
her. When he came to the end of his
| pahk account Weston resorted to criminal
| means IN order TO obtain more money to
lavish upon the mUsic-hall star, and some
time IN 1855 he Was sentenced TO eighteen
| months imprisonment on q charge of con-
splracy to deiraud. Upon the expiration
oil ms sentence Weston continued his init
/ macy Win Dette Button, who, While Wes-
ton was IN prison, had married Viscount
| Dunlo, by whom she had previously
| had child. 1t was asserted at the
time OF Weston's second trial that the
| charge against him upon this occasion
/ that OF forging the checks which LADY
| punlo cashed--was trumped against him
| by Nlscount Dunlo and LADY DunIo and
| Wertheimer in order 10 get him ont of the
| way. 1t waSAalso then stated that Weston
| would surely kill Lady Dunlo. Viscount
| Dunlo and Wertheimer when his term Of
4 imprisonment expired
AAe father OF the present Countess of
| Ciahcarty was respected sergeant of ar
| uuery, formerly stationed at Woolwicb
| ana she Is said 20 have begun 4 fast life
81 very early age among the soldiers of
the W oolWich garrison. After this prepara-
| ton Belle and her sister Flo" made their
| debut on the stage of the barracks. where
tneir mother played the Goddess of Beauty.
FROM there the girls graduated TO the
London music halls and soon became
| the iavo-ites of the "bloods" of England,s
aristocracy and other high livers - Belle
bilton tlrst met Niscount Dunlo az the
Gorinthlan club, an institution freQuented
oy demi-mondaines and the fast Young
sweils of London. Al that time Iady
Dunlo already had IN her train the wealthy
young Jew. Wertheimer Wertheirner
was wiling TO marry Belle at that time
but the title of Lady Dun 10 scenes u have
destroyed his chances. Young Dunla was
then an empty-headed boy OF 10 and had
Just left college without knoyins ANYTHING
about the world.