The evening times., 1897-02-22
DIVORCED But NOW UNITED
The Remarkable Romance of Mr..
and Mrs. Blackstone.
They We're Parted Twenty Years.
He Is Direct Descendant of the
Author of the commentaries"

| Philadelphia, Feb. 22-Mr. and Mrs J
| de Trafford Blackstone, after being di-
vorved for twenty years, and each having
had another mate, will be reunited in the
bonds of wedlock 10y the Rev. Joseph n.
Blanchard, of the Church of st. James,
| Twenty-sccond and Chestnut street, to-
morrow. The romance In this failing in
| love with his WIFE and falling in love
| with her husband surpasscs all stage
| play and fiction
| Mr.. Blackstone is great great grandson
Of the famous Sir William Blackstone, au-
thor OF the Commentaries on Law. and his
| divorced wife was Miss Elizabeth A Whit
| taker, an actress, who, as Lille Lean in
The Mighty Dollar" was rcigning
! beauty atthc time when Wi!liamJ- Florence
| first made a hit with that play. He was
the son of Lorenzo Blackstone. a rich
| Norwich, Co mn, manufacturer, and she was
| born IN Halifax and reared in Springfield,
Mass. Her stage name was Lillian os-
| bourne. They fell in love with each other
in New York. and were married and re-
moved 10 Connecticut. They were the
leaders of society in their New England
| llOiile. ne was utSttHtlGhl ltbID nome du-
cestry. and she was the manager OF the
| private thedtricals and the queen OF every
social event
In 1877 they were divorced on the ground
OF "incompatibility OF temper accord
| ing to the law of Connecticut, which has
since been repealed. Two years later she
married Samuel S Sondbcim, of the finn
of Sondheim Brothers, brokers, New York.
He was twenty-nine and she was then
twenty-five. Rev. DR. Gottheil, OF Temple
Emmanuel, united them, and they went
to Yonkers to live in the magnificent house
of Mr.. Sondheim. But they did rot live
happily, and one day Mr.. SOndheim went
home TO the wife. for whom he sacrificed
all differences of creed, to find a note
SAYING that she had gone away for good,
taking with her her jewelry and 81 600
that he had given her for PIN money.
He procured a divorce for desertion and
she went to Paris.
Meanwhile she made desperate effort
TO get possession OF her son by her first
husband. She had tried to get her child
before she was married to Mr.. Sondheim.
Now she suddenly descended upon Norwich
while Mr.. Blackstone was away, and by
stratagem got the boy and fled with him.
There was a bitter contest in the courts,
in which the descendant of the great law
writer got the better of the weaker
vessel" and the custody Of the boy was
awarded to him.
But there has been another higher law
al work in their hearts all these years, as
the boy grew to manhood. went 10 college
and so often reminded his father of that
"old sweetheart OF mine" for the boy
had many features aud he brilliant impulses
of his clever mother, from whom notes Of
fame were heard in the world. In Paris
she became the center OF admir- alton for
her talents. She became pupil of MadraZo,
had portraits from her own brush in the
French salon of $50 and every year since.
Sometimes she would run over to America
to get glimpse of her boy. and the last
time she found him student at Yale. At
last she came whittier her fame as an artist
had preceded heT and set up studio at Al
Union Square.
Mr. Blackstone was married a second
time to Mrs. Annie Rich. Of London, who
had died. On one of Mrs. Blackstone's
trips to Norwich to see her son. who also
came frequently to New York to see her.
she and Mr.. Blackstone met The ''oId
age, and tire had been kind to Mr.. Black
stone. Their old flame scared high. and
the son was rejoiced at the prospect
That is how it comes about that Mr.. and
Mrs. Blackstone will be married tomorrow
by Dir. Blanchard. In the eye of ecclesias-
teal rule, they have never been divorced.
The rector, under the rules OF the church,
can marry them TO each other, but he could
not marry either Of them to any other per-
son without violating the canon OF the
church Every effort to keep the pretty
story quiet till after the couple had been
united was in vain.
After short honeymoon they will set
tie again in the home they selected after
their first honeymoon so long ago. The
friends of the couple wonder that wo-
mans heart could have stood the strain
so long without breaking her down into q
wreck of her former self, but at the altar
tomorrow Mr.. Blackstone will stand by Il
woman still in her prime. She viii stiIl
devote herself to art, establishing a studio |
in Norwich, giving up the ono in New York. |