The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-09
ASTOR-B0RROWE AFFAIR.
Review Of The Divorce Case That
Shocks the -Four Hundred.
Not Since the Vanderbilt Sensation,
Now More Than Week Old, I5as the
Smart Set Been Eore Shocked.

days wonder VIXEN the AsLOr family
comes up with the threatened washing Of
the family linen in public in the way Of a
divorce trial of Drayton VS.. DraytOn, for
unless Mrs. d. Coleman Drayton files an
answer tomorrow in the court Of chan
Gerry at Trenton TO the suit brought
against her by her husband, master viii
be appointed to take testimony in the
ease. That Mr.. j. Coleman Drayton
would sue for a divorce was predicted in
1882, when he came near fighting a duel
with Hallett Alsop Borrowe, a young
New York man of fashion, who is named
in the divorce papers as Correspondent,
the action being brought against Mrs
Drayton on scriptural grounds. Mr.
Drayton accusing his wife of undue init
macy with BorrOwe
IL has been over three years since
| DrdytOu first suspected that his wife
| was not true to her marriage vows, and
IL has been two years and a half since all
| the world knew the story. or at least all
/ oil it that the lOud-mOuthed BorrOwe and
| his disreputable friends were able to tell.
Mr., DraytOn has tried TO avoid public
scandal He was even willing TO let the
woman whom he SAYS has wrOnged him
continue to bear his name. because he
did not wish 10 brand her before the
whole world. But when she began pro-
Ceedings in court to get the children he
warned her that if she persisted a di-
yOrce would be precipitated. And when
she did persist he brought the suit 10
save the children to himself, to keep
their training and their wealth under his
own care.
1t was oct. 20, 1879, nearly fifteen years
ago that James Coleman Draytou of Phil
.I4 Ny.4. IA r.fg.#ra
/ stood up before Rev. DR.. Morgan Dix in
the great parlors of old William Astors
| mansion, No. $50 Fifth avenue Drayton
/ was then not more than p years old. The
/ bride was little more than a girl, lust
! come into society. He was exactly her
I opposite, being dark, while she was fair.
He was quiet and retiring while she was
lively and fond of society. They set up
/ their establishment at NO. 514 Fifth ave
hue, house belonging to William Astor,
and for several years they lived happily
enough together But all the time they
were gradually drifting apart. Draytol
cared nothing for society and everything
Tor books and study. His wife cared
everything for society and nothing for
books or study or quiet of domestic life,
the ideal life of Drayton, as his Philadel-
phia folks had taught him.
WENT INTO THE COUNTRY.
At last Drayton arranged the purchase
| of place down near BarnardSyiLle n. j.
In the society of life of New York city
| the husband and wife got on well enough.
each going a separate way. Down in the
country they were thrown together all
the time and their opposing notions
! clashed. Still things went on pretty well
for three years more, during which time
two more children were born to them.
With these four little ones, with hand
some wife, whom he loved with plenty of
money and a beautiful home i'm the quiet
country, Drayton had all the things to
make his lie happy and he wondered
why his wife was not happy also. The
truth was that she was wretChed and she
did not conceal the state of her mind
from him.
The father of Hallet Alsop Borrowe
and the vice president of the Equitable
Life Association Society of New York,
had a place not tar from Draytons home
Hallet became great friends with Mr.
DraYtOn, or at least he succeeded in get
ting himself tolerated for a time by that
studious and rather silent eY-Philadel-
phlan. In the early winter Mr. Drayton
came up to town, and AlsOp became a con
slant caller at No. 374 Fifth avenue He
and Mrs Drayton went about a bit to-
gether, and as Mr.. Drayton says, he has
found out they presently made the Palette
one Of their favorite stopping places.
The Palette was on Eifty-second street,
Just of Sixth avenue. 1t was the Quietest
and most luxurious of small hotels and
the police never meddled with it,
HAD GAY TINE OF 1T.
After the return to the country, Dray-
ton was away, ana Mrs. Drayton and
Borrowe had the field clear. Gossips be-
gan TO say that it was Il crying shame
that the way the ex-Philadelphiau was
having dust thrown in his eyes. Mrs.
Drayton and BOrrowe, they said, were
racing about the country making merry.
But late in the fall he found out there
was council of the Astor family. 1t
was decided that they We're to live part,
and she was to keep away from Borrowe.
This afterward became famous as the
monetary agreement but Drayton' S
friends denied that it was as bold as re-
ported. They said Drayton had never
sold his honor for the comfort with which
his wife's money enabled him to surround
himself.
At any rate, the Drayton's broke up
their establishment in the latter part of
1911 and went to England, Borrowe fol-
lowed, and in London Mr. Drayton al
leges the New York experiences Of Mrs
Drayton ana the young man about town
were repeated.
About the middle of January 1892.
Drayton broke in upon his wife and Bor-
rowe at the big Terminal hotel Of the
Midland railway at St. Paucras, London.
He decided that matters had reached a
point where the young scamp would ieer
about him publicly if he did not do
something So the famous duel CORES
pondenCe that filed the whole United
States with laughter was begun. Bor-
rowe had as his friend, Edward Fox, a
broken down Englishmau. and then as
his adviser the hre-eatinE Harry Nane
Millbank The latter decided that as
MIR. Drayton had acQuiesced in the fam
lily agreement Borrowe, according to the
code, could not fight with him. So when
BorrOwe and Milbank came to this coun-
try they aired their views until they were
silenced by the ridicule cast on them.
And as the marriage romance of the
Draytons ended, and many rumors Of a
reconciliation were in the air, events all
dritJed on to the divorce.
has NOT ANSWERED.
Up to noon to-day nothing had been
heard from Mrs. Draytou or her LAWYERS,
ana the general belief was that she would
not contest the bill. In that event the
course is for the chancellor TO appoint a
master IN chaucery TO take testimony. A
| report 90 the chancellor follows, and he
issues decree of divorce If the evidence
warrants. II the suit is defended. then
II goes before the court of Chaucery in