The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-03-06
A GROWING SOCIAL EVIL
i1inions of SweIIdom Are No Better Than
They Should Be

They Should Be
New York, March 5.-The recent an
nounced separation of Mr.. and Mrs. Fer
nando Yznaga has caused the fashionable
folk to Turkish up their memories and
look about them to see how many men
and women there are in the smart world
who have terminated their matrimonial
lives in the divorce courts
The Yznaga separation VIII be hlsto!-
ical one in the annals of society, ana IL
recalls many similar cases in recent ana
older wears. That the divorce colony OF
swaggerdom has been given great I'M
petus and has grown to immense proper
lions within a comparatively SNORT t'hie
is glaringly obvious to those who have 70
keep track of such things. This CROWN
is subject of great difficulty to the SVEN
matron about to issue invitations to some
social function. She has to keep her WITS
about her, else divorced wife ana nus
band might sit down at the same banquet
table, thus causing restraint among the
other guests which would demohsh the
sociabiity of the affair
The matrimonial troubles OF the
Yznagas show a peculiar condition OF
affairs Two of Mr. lznagas matrlmonial
affairs have ended in separations. ms
first wife was Miss Gerry Smith, = sister
Of Mrs. Willie X. Vanderbilt who has
lust been separated from her HUSBAND.
The first Mrs. Yznaga sought speedy
consolation, after securing Il divorce IN
California, in George Tiifian, a wealthy
Baltimorean, who is as well known ID
New York as in his native city. Not to
be outdone Mr. YZnaga courted and won
tie famous beauty, Miss Mabel Wright,
from whom he has just separated.
These counter divorces and marriages OF
people who continue to move i'll the mar
row circle of swelldom produce unpleasant
collisions at times. The Iznaga compiled
tions were unusually fruitful in this re-
spect An instance of this kind occurred
some little time ago at great reception
given by the late Mrs William {. Whitney,
who received her guests in the main draw
ing room of the red brick mansion on
waiting to make their acknowledgements
to their hostess were Mr. Iznaga, the
first and second Mrs. Yznaga, and the
new. husband Mr.. Tiffany, and unkind
fate had placed one couple imme dlately be-
hind the other. What Mr.. lznaga's
thoughts were when he glanced at the
new wife on his arm and at the old wife
on the arm of another man-her husband
can merely be conjectured. 1t can only
be said that poor Mrs. Whitney confided
to her friends afterward that 1t was one
of the most embarrassing moments of her
life when she welcomed this strange quar-
tette to her house.
But there are many other subjects OF
the divorce habit. Society has not yet
settled what it is to do in the Willie *.
Vanderbilt matter. Mrs. Willie X, with
her handsome, dark-eyed daughter, Con-
suela. is taking a more active interest in
New York society affairs than for many
seasons past, while her husband, to
avoid unfortunate meetings is pleasuring
abroad. Right here it might be men
toned that quite recently Mr.. Wander
~ IoI l,a HI tbat Mics
suela would one day wed the young Duke
of Manchester. His mother, the Duchess
OF Manchester, is sister of Fernando
Yznaga, whose first wife was a sister of
Mrs Willie X. Vanderbilt. OF course,
Mrs. Willie X. sided with her sister in
the divorce proceedings against Yznaga,
and whether her family animoslty extends
ton. Anyway, such marriage would
only tend to further entangle family re-
lations of an already complicated nature.
Mrs. Vanderbilt has still another sister
who has figured in the divorce courts.
She was Miss Julie Smith and is now the
Countess de Fontilleat. When she mar
ried the titled Frenchman her family
we're delighted and thought it great
match. These illusions were soon dis
PEELED. 1t seems that the Frenchman
thought he was marrying "a great Ameri
can heiress, whereas the Smith family of
Alabama, of which his wife was daughter.
had been impoverished by the war and
had little, money. All the wealth the
family had consisted in the relationship
with the Nanderbilts. 1t has been said
that for a time Willie X. Vanderbilt made
a generous allowance to the titled couple,
but the French nobleman accumulated
debts at such a pace that it was almost
to keep up with them. Then
came the separation, and for time the
tlT1 l.,.lr t.lI-
This resolution was obnoxious to the
family, especially her wealthy
Law, and fat income was set
tied upon her.
There is one more sister in the Smith
Mimi-but she is unmar-
ried, and lives most of the time with Mrs.
Willie K. Thus out of four sisters the
three who married have been unfortunate
1t is hardly necessary to call to mind
the divorce proceedings in the Astor
family, that of the Coleman Draytons
The suit which James Coleman Dray-
ton instituted against his wife, who was
Miss Augusta Aston a sister of John ia
cob Astor, is still pending i'll the Jersey
courts. This suit caused more unasavory
talk than any OF the others, because OF
the sensational conduct of young Alsop
Borrowe, the correspondent in the case,
who was challenged to fight duel by Mr.
Drayton. The Introduction of that pic
turesque personality, Harry Nane Mil
bank, the most noted duellst of Europe.
as the second of young Borrowe, gave this
case most romantic flavor at the time
Unlike other women whose marriages
terminated in the divorce courts, Mrs.
Drayton has never been widely received
In society, Notwithstanding the position
OF leader occupied by her mother, Mrs.
William Aston But should the divorce
courts decide in her favor, she will
doubtless again be a figure in metropoli-
tan society.
The famous Robert Ray Hamilton case
was one OF the most sensational of the
century. The fact that Mr.. Hamilton
was grandson of Alexander Hamilton,
who was killed by Aaron Burr, did not
alone cause the interest. Eva Mann, the
woman in the case, is still living in New
York. She is now the wife of q young
Robert Ray Hamilton bad
lived with Mrs. Mann, and to induce him
to marry her it was alleged she palmed off
a spurious baby upon him as his own.
When the alleged fraud was discovered,
to hide his shame Robert Ray Hamilton
went west where he was drowned while
on q hunting trip.
The divorce suit which Douglas Neame
brought against his wife, daughter of
W. II. Henriques, one of the best known
men on the stock exchange, had some
curious features about it. Frank Ellison.
better known as "BiH," because of his
strange habit of punching people promis-
cuously, supplied the strange features of
the case. Mr. Ellison was a great add
mirer OF Mrs. Neame, and it was supposed
that after the divorce proceedings were
lVpr he would marry her He is now IN,