Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-09
VSCOUNT SUED BY ACTRESS
May Gore Wants $4,000 for Breach Of
Promise.
A Case That is Attracting the Atten-
tiGn of the Fashionable
London World.

May Gore, the actress, for breach of prom
Use against Viscount Sudley, a lieutenant in
the Royal Horse Guards, and eldest son
of the Earl of Arran, was begun. Miss
Gore estimates that she has sustained
damage to the amount of f15,OO0 ($15, O00l.
( The case attracted great throng of Lon
Gon's idle fashionables, of the men and
women about town class, as well as q num-
her of people of decidedly aristocratic
standing.
Viscount sudley is fair, sunburned, about
twenty-eight years old, and was accom-
panied into court by his father, a tall,
dark, austeTe gentleman, formerly at
t2che a: Vienna and Paris and a commits
sioner of customs for some time.
The plaintiff, who has been remark
ably pretty, plump and attractive girl,
though now showing evidences of much
worry, is one CT three daughters of a
| Scotch farmer, all celebrated for their
beauty Miss Gore dressed today IN
| black velvet, richly embroidered, and she
| wore large ostrich feathered hat She
was much asitated, and when she took the
! stand trenbled violently and was upon the
point of utter collapse.
Counsel for the fair plaintiff, in his OPEN
| ing address, said that ner real name was
! Mary Stewart Smith, and that she WAS the
| sister OF the Hon. Mrs. Bingham, at whose
! house she met Niscount Sudiey.
The latter, an attractive young man of
| distinguished bearing, socn obtained quite
| :
| and when he finally proposed that she
| should tive under his protection, she con-
| sentcd, after a great struggle, and lived
| with him upon terms of great affection for
| two years.
The Lovers Separated.
But there was cloud over their happi-
ress in the fact that the defendants fam
| lily, one of the Oldest in the kingdom, were
| very much opposed to this liason between
| the young couple, and in order to prevent
| their marriage, which had been decided I'D
| en-, consulted Mr.. George Leads the law
! yer, who induced the plaintiff to give up
the letters she had received from the de-
| fendant and prevailed upon her to sign a
| document by the terms of which she re-
hounced, for the paltry sum Of 1000 all
| claims upon the viscount.
! Continuing, counsel explained, IN touch
| ing terms, that the pretty, Sorrowing girl!
| after the Viscount left her. found that the
| expensive tastes she had acquired had be-
| come positive necessity to her 1t was
| impossible, after living for years in the
| greatest luxury, to suddenly renounce
everything and return to the lonely farm
! in the Scotch highlands, whore she was
/ Certain TO be at least very colby received.
| Therefore. counsel further stated ii be-
| came necessary for her to accept the pro-
| lection of another
This second protector. it developed, was
| Alfred Edward Cordially Joseph Mowbrav
| brother of Baron Mowbrdy Segrave and
| Stourton, and heir 20 that title
The relationship between the plaintiff and
| Lieut.. Stourton. who belongs to The 3d
battalion of the border regiment and who
| Is only tWenty-four years of age, was fast
| ripening into a warm and solid affection
! Whlch, according to counsel hight have led
10 their marriage If defendant nal not re-
| appeared on the scene and renewed his
| pfotestations of love for the plaintiff
EiscOunt SudIcy Rcappears.
Niscount Sudiey, the defendant It seems,
| had always regretted his separation from
| the young Scotch girl, and this regret was
| Increased by the feeling of jealousy W hitch
| ne experienced when he learned that she
| was under the protection of lie 1t. Stour-
| ten. Eventually, the viscount managed to
! pace himself in communication with his
former love. and protested that their sepa-
| ration, including the drawing up and sign
| ing OF the release. was the action of his
family, and that he had not shared in the
| transaction in any way although he ad
mitted, he had not interfere1, for which
he blamed himself greatly
For some time |iscount Suilav tried in
eHectuaily to induce the plaintiff to renew
! their relationship on the basis of marriage
out she persisted in her refusal claiming
| that he had already trea ted her so badly
that she could no longer place any conf
dence in him. Later she resolved TO sever
| her connection with both her lovers ard
| maintain herself by her own work
IN order to do so, 1t was stated in court
| tine plaintiff accepted an erggeement as
| dancer in the United States and deter
| mined not TO have anything further to do
! with either Viscount Sudley or Lieutenant
| StO IrtOn.
In spite of this, the viscount continued
| to implore her to remain in England and
show ed her document. by the terms of
which he proposed to leave everything he
| had to her, excepting 4 provision which
| he mad made for his old nurse These an
| peals were continued almost daily and the
| Vtscount wrote hundreds of letters and in
| sisted upon calling upon the plaintiff near
4 n En boz
| OF the few weeks during which the plaintiff
| was il the United States
| While she was away, coUr sci asserted
| FiscOunt Sudley continued his affcctionate
| correspondence, and in one of the letters
! he forwarded to her he threatened to COM
NIT suicide unless she would marry him.
He Signed Himself "Podge."
In these letters the viscount called the
| plaintiff PUSSY" and signed himself
| 'PodBe,' and, it was stated, the correspond
| ence between Pussy and "Podge" be-
| sides furnishing interesting reading, would
| establish beyond any reasonable doubt that
! the defendant had time and again renewed
| his promises Of marriage, and that after
| the PLAINTIFF return from the United States
II was arranged that the ceremony should
| take place during the Christmas of 1891
| Ihereupon their intimacy was resumed and
| everything seems to have run aIons.
smoothly until the time for the wedding
1
| somewhat testy and irritable, and, under
| the plea of illness in his family, the cere-
| mony was postponed, in spite of the pro-
| tests of the plaintiff, who insisted that thew
| should he married under any circurs tances
| Later however, Eiscount Sudley went to
| Cairo, 1T being stated tEat he was in Ill
| health and required the atmosphere OF
warmer and drier climate. But his letters
| were flfrequent, and eventually "Podge''
| wrote to Pussy a most touching letter
| in which he said that his father the Earl
| of Arran, had gone down upon his knees
| before him. imploring him to give up his
| intimacy with the plaintiff and, ne ex-
! planned, he was thus compelled to once
| more leave her.
| Pretty as Picture.
| Miss Gore Oils being her stage name)
made a decidedly favorable impression up
| en- the witness stand. She looked literally
| as pretty as a picture, her dark Gains
| borough hat artistically shading her paid
| countenaLce and soft dark eyes surround