The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-04
NO DIVORCE FOR DURANT.
REFEREE LEDr4RD RArS HIS
CHARGES WERE Nor SUSTAINED.

william w, Durnni IL tho son OF thu Late
Thomas Q. Dnrnnt-storS srHis Married Life.
Tho report Of Lewis Cass Lcdyard. referee, In
tho action brought by William West Durant
against his wife, Janet l.. Durant, for absolute
divorce, has recently been nlcd. The ground
for the action, rs alleged in the com.
plant. was adultery, which tho defendant
is charged with having committed with
DIR. Frank Richmond Pratt Mt pine Knot"
Racquette Lake. Hamilton county, n. Y, and
at "Uncas," MohcRan Lake. In the same county,
land at other places in the neighborhood
Of the said Pine Knot' and 'Uncas.' be-
tween April 1. 1894. and Aug. %, 1893"
"Pine Knot" and "Uncns" are lodges owned
by the plaintiff in tho Ahirondacks. Tho case
was brought In New York county last summer
Issue was Joined, when tho defendant made q
denial OF all tho charges and set up. by way ofa
counter claim, allegations of cruelty, upon
which she insisted that she was entitled to an
affirmative decree. The case was referred by
mutual consent TO u referee to hear the tcs-
timony.
His report dismisses tho claims OF both the
plaintiff and defendant. and places the costs of
action upon the plaintiff. Evarts, Choate s.
Beaman were the attorneys for the plaintiff.
and DE Forest Brothers,, Elihu Root, and Robert
Thorne wore the attorneys for the defendant.
Bills of exception to the referees report have
been filed by both the parties in interest.
The story of the welded life Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Durant is q melancholy romance. Moro than
ordinary interest attaches to the divorce pro-
coedings on account of the wealth and
social position OF both the plaintiff and
the defendant. William West Durant 10
the only son of the late DIR. Thomas
C. Durant. who died at North Greek, N. Y. on
Oct. 8. 1885. During his life DR.. Durant was In
terested in enterprises OF great magnitude and
was much in tho public eye. He was ono
of the builders and the Vice.Presidcnt
Of the Union Pac ihc Railroad; he was
President Of the Credit Mobilicr of Amer.
lea: no was President o. the Adirondack Com.
pany and of the Adirondack Railway Company.
He died interstate; leaving q widow and two
Shils aSo;. 1 H%,oE PLAINTIFF nrfrt in r this % &c Ro.. and a
Although DIR. Durnnt was much Il involved in
litigation during the latter years of his life, he
81, 900, 900, of which the son was appointed the
administrator.
abroad, and after a year or two returned to this
country. He. was verN tall. very thin. and very
when not sS' with his hisf family in the HdironGacks' he
divided his time between NowYork and Saratoga
s snanRer m %ss en In5 g sGsiS Sc h Ip Sp pIen Pya of brni his
and he was regarded by mothers with marriage
' H5lS GG N ~. wi as a s sront, o at s,rd HE was u a
was ono of The governors of tho Toboggnn Club.
an az Of, officer Of :, the Sno ~ : Club r,nb and a member
In the spring Of 1884 Durant married Miss
Som moS S'o,t' s, a d" ~ g stot, of the TeIH1, n.
son. She was considered a more than or;
dinarily attractivs girl, with golden hair and
married she was l9, years old and he was
he had made, for her in the, heart
Zine Knott" but that was a misnomSr:
was. was fitted with every modern convenience.
1t was lighted by gas and electricity heated by
artistic tastes Could furnish 4 house. """
For a time the Durants spent only their sum.
m Iosn to IN s ths A thc %infsr. f Thpg S SSTn three lS s ehii:
dre nn all Of whom are now living.
devoted couple. living only for themselves and
their children. About six years ago they de.
home, coming out of the woods only at such in
tervals as pleased them.
on o deliv was s on Psoo@e TIP nc III Ike s SCI a to on a f The
table was furnished In .midwinter with fresh
msTehanss s ena fFSiis; ssdipbB s Mr. arom DS saTato e. o By
tain, such delicacies. no matter what the cost
Those who knew Durunt best knew why he
spent SO much money, They knew that his
young wife was in i'll health and nu that he was
with every comfort and every luxury that
he could provide for her. They knew that this
wilderness and built .Uncas." a lodge on the
shore of Mohegan Lake. intended for a summer
IOl1lo ~ up chSh huhe's thuh
In the winter of 1894, their friends here and
shocked to hear arN that Mr.. and Mrs: Durant
were not living happily together. The report
pleted a tour OF the world in Mr.. Dnrannt's steam
yacht, the, Utowana, and i did not seem possible
the story got abroad that there really was
trouble between the husband and. wife. bt that
rants mother. was going to Southern California
for an indefinite stay, in the hope of patching
The trip was taken. but the purpose of it was
not fchicved: Al! runors, were ut length set at
good and went back to her fathers house. Not
long after this Mrs. Durant's name was linked
% o1res tnas CT 'h by r Mr. nnr;a Mn0 The most int t.
mate friends OF Durant refused TO believe that
We're " other than thew should have been. They
| knew that tho Young doctor hnd been employed
tend Mrs. Durant, and TO 20 with her wherever
she went.
from his wife on statutory grounds. their friends
waited eagerly for the publication of the court
proceedings. hoping to learn tho real cause
OF the trouble. because, even after the suit was
begun. the friends were sure that the trial would
reveal some other cause which would be the
V In tho report of tho referee is to be found the
first published story of the troubles; According
to that report tho first real breach between tho
couple occurred on the lenth annivGrsnry q
father Mt Stoftsyille. on Oct. 10, 1894.
The result Of the quarrel was that Mrs. Durnnt
pushed or attempted to push her husband out OF
The room. Her subsequent. refusal TO live with
him as his wife mystiicd him. He insisted
on her seeing. u physician, and on his advice
they separated, Dnrnnt living at "Uncas and
his wife at Pine Knot"
At one Zine he thought her aversion must he
due to tho Use OF some drug. but after having
her watched he gnvO mp this theory. Then
he thought her aversion must he due to her
loving another. He did not reach this COnclu.
sion until after DIR. Prntt's association with tho
family had Terminated in 1893.
Durant,' SAYS tho referee" WINS undonbt;
eddy what the world would regard as "A kind
and inGulgcnt husband. : Confcsscdly
Il man OF high, quick temper md of
very nervous temperament, II is not
TO no wondered Mt that there were oc-
casional scenes and mntrinor'al GInrr"iS, hc,
tween them. He was uNorious ana cNnCting.
particular to II degree about tribes, de-
tcrmined in having his own way about
all matters, however trivial, Probably
he himself was unconsc Gus Of il, hut |
cannot resist tho conclusion that there was a
good deal OF what women call '%nnE.inG, At thing