The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-26
AN AMERICAN LADY IN PARIS.

The Chicago Tribune draws attention to
the fact that the wife Of the new French
Premier. n. Ribol, is the daughter of an
American lady upon whom at one time all
eyes were eenterei. Some forty years ago
one of the finest houses in Michigan avenue
was occupied by banker named Burch.
He was a member of the Presbyterian faith
and cherished extreme views regarding the
prophecies In social life. A few wears
before he had married a niece and ward of
ErastuS Corning Of Albany, bright. merry
girl, who had been encouraged by her uncle
to take all the fun out of life she could.
She was devoted to society; her husband
deemed dancing sinful. She was fount of
bubbling laughter; he thought that smiles
were unbecoming levity. So ill-assorted
couple naturally got On badly, and no one
was surprised when it was one day an
nouDced that Banker Bureh bad Instituted
proceedings against his pretty wife for a
divorce on the ground of alleged infdelity
TO the marriage vow.
But those who knew Erastus Corning
were very much surprised that the disciple
Of Calvin bad dared to challenge him TO
warfare. For Corning, though he was
small and lame, was fighting man by in
stnci. and when be fought. he fought for a
funeral. He ad0red his niece, and to M
pugn Der character was to rouse the co.,
bative instinct in the old man, till be roared
like lion. lie filled special car with
lawyers, shipped them 10 Chicago and sup
piled them with unlimited funds TO procure
evidence. Bureh found that his record
from his youth up was being ferreted out,
and that every enemy he had ever made
and there were a good many of them-had
been taken into the Corning camp. Every
shipper who had dealings with the New
OK central, OF which Corning was presi-
dent, was enlisted in the fight.
The correspondent ia the case was David
Stuart. lawyer. who afterward led
regiment TO the war and was killed, leaving
memory of a gallant. chvalrous gentle
man. When be was asked the usual ques-
tions on the stand he swore that he had
never said word to Mrs. Burcb which he
might not have uttered ia her mothers
presence, that his acquaintance with her
WAS slight and merely formal. When he
began his answers the audience were so
astonished that they listened open-mouthed.
for the scandal had been town talk but as
he went on his drift became obvious, and
each reply from the witness led to a burst
or applause which The Judge had some
dliheulty 10 SURPRISING, aud which fur
nshed Corning's lawyers opportunities for
ad captaDdum bursts OF oratory The case
ended as every one expected. Burch was
defeated.
But the vindctive passion of old man
Corning was not appeased. He made a
little deal In money at Chicago and drove
Burch's bank into suspension. 1t went
into liquidation, and Bureh, satisfied that
his enemy would never let up on him while
he was within his reach, left the county.
lie had two children. both girls. BY pri-
vate agreement one ofthem accomplished her
mother TO Detroit; the other went with her
father to Paris. where he died. 1t Is this
girl who Is now Nine Ribot.
SO. in the bnrly-burly OF French politics.
we run acr0ss Americans at every turn.
Clemenceau, who spared Der0uledes life
the other day, when he might have shot him
10 any part Of the body he had chosen to
select. WAS for many years practicing
physician OF Connecticut, and there i'm
blbed the sound republican doctrines which
ne has put in practice la France Half
dozen of the leading men in the highest
social circles In Paris are married to Amer
leans, aud 1t Is odds that the wives may
figure In French politics as Lady Churchill