The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-11-29
MAY WE'D A MILLIONAIRE.
Mrs. Victoria Woodruff Martin Com
ing to America.

! New York, Nov. 29.-Lrs. John Biddulph
Martin. formerly Victoria woodruff, who
/ by the death of her husband, a London
| banker, some time ago, came into pos
| session of a fortune of several millions,
is preparing, it is said, TO leave England
shortly for America. She expects to be in
New York in the early days of December.
Those who are in the secret of Mrs. Mar
I tins plans would not be surprised to see
her make another matrimonial venture
When her husband was a British COM
missioner at the Worlds fair Mrs. Mar
tin, while in Chicago, met several wealthy
men from the west, and one in particular
was said to be strongly attracted toward
her. This man is many times a million
aire, having large holdings in western sill
Yer and gold mines. Now that Mrs. Mar
tin is free, it is considered quite a mat
ter of course that she should come for
ward again.
D. w. O'Halloran, a brother-in-law of
Mrs. Martin, lives at 142 West Ninety
fourth street. When seen today he said:
Mrs Martins matrimonial plans, if
she has any, are her own. If she intend
ed to marry, and told me, I should not
speak of it until she authorized me to do
so, and this she has not done.''
Mr.. O'Halloran admitted that Mrs. Mar
tin intended to visit this country shortly,
short, he said, depended on the turn
events took after her arrival.
Mrs. aMrtin is very punctilious in pre-
serving the proprieties." he added, land
she certainly would not think of marrying
again till the proper period of mourning
had passed. Her life with her late hus-
band was an ideal one, and she felt his
loss very deeply
1t has been reported that Mr.. Martin
81 TO in a v
as to prevent her marrying again. This
Mr.. O'Halloran denied.
Mrs. Martin is free he said, and then
added POLITICALLY, free as the fetterless
wind. Anybody who knows her force of
character knows perfectly well that she
would never take a cent that had been
left as a restraint upon her. No sir -
here Mr.. O'Halloran grew poetic again.
she never let a legacy to her gilded
jailer.
Both she and her sister, Lady Cook,
have had the greatest freedom accorded
them in money matters by their husbands.
There have been rumOrs circulated re-
Gently about Lady Cook being at outs
with the family of her husband, Sir
Francis Cook, over money matters, that
his sons were against her, that they had
bitterly opposed his wedding Tennie Olaf
lin, and that he had transferred his price
less art and curio collection, so that his
wife could not get it. This is a colossal
fabrication and grew out of the fact that
Sir Francis recently gave his two sons
several millions each, but as he has many
millions left it is more of a credit to his
paternal solicitude than reflection upon
his affection for his wife.
Z have received a cabIegram from them
assuring me that the rumors are false in
every particular One of his sons was
best man at his wedding. and Lady Cook
used her utmost influence, which was an
immense factor, to secure his sons cleo
ton to parliament. Sir Francis is still
the possessor of the great art collection.
one of the finest in the world, and says
he has no intention of parting with it. He
is still living in Doughty House, his pala-
tial London home. with Lady Cook, de-
spite the report that he had broken up
his home there.