The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-01-19

VALERlEPADELF0RD'SLUCK
Given Half Her Fathers Estate by
the Courts.
Widow, and Her Mother VIII
Join Them.

Philadelphia, Jan. BIB order o
| the orphans court Bettina Girard'!
| daughter, Valerie PadeIford, was mad,
| fairly rich woman yesterday. 1t i.
a coincidence worth noting that at thi:
| time the fortunate child's mother i:
poorer in pocket and in health than evel
she was in her life before. She is liv.
ing in Flatbush. Brooklyn, recovering
slowly from a long Illness that began
in Bellevue Hospital
Since Gen. Ordway's death his daugh-
ter BettiGa has been in charge of q
physician in private practice. She
went to Flatbush from motives OF
economy and to get quiet quarters. Ii
will be a long time before she can hope
10 return TO the profession that has al
ways yielded her a good income-the
stage.
Though Valerie has lived with her
grandparents since Bettina separated
from Arthur Padelford, she has always
had a deep affection for her mother.
Her grandparents have encouraged IL.
Now that Mrs. OrdWay is a widow her
love for Bettina is stronger than ever.
The probability is that when the eS-
tate is settled under the order of the
orphans court yesterday Bettina will
go to live with her mother and child
in Washington. Thus the fortune of
the man who divorced her will be of
immeasurable service to her in her hour
of trouble.
Ii was not Arthur Padelford's in
tention that his child Valerie should
get one penny of his money. At first
he decided to cut both her and her
mother off in his will. Gen. Ordway
stood by his daughter, and in 1882 he be-
gan proceedings in equity in this city.
This action resulted in compromise
whereby Valerie was made an annual
allowance more than sufficient for her
education. She is eleven years old now.
and already gives promise of inheriting
her mothers beauty and musical abil-
ity.
Bettina Girard was a willful and ca
PRECIOUS girl in Washington society
when she met Arthur PadelfOrd in 1855.
4 hasty marriage with Padelford, who
was just going abroad as Secretary of
Legation at Vienna, was made. The
Padelfords were fond of society, and
made the most of the splendid oppor-
tunities afforded them at the Austrian
capital. Mrs. Padelford was an eX-
ceptionally brilliant woman, and there
is no telling what her future might
have been. Her child was born at Paris
in 1887 She was christened Valerie
Battyhany Padelford. with the consent
of her father. although later he brought
proceedings for divorce.
When Mrs PadelfoTd returned to this
country she left the child in care of her
parents, and resolved to make her liv
ing on the stage independent of Padel-
ford. who declined to make her any al
lowance. She neither appeared nor Of
fered any defense to the suit for divorce
brought by her husband. Pending these
proceedings Padelford made the will
that has just been set aside. He de-
creed that no part whatever of his es-
tate should be paid to his divorced wife
or her daughter. He left all his prop
erty to his executors in trust for his
brother, Edward NJ. PadelfOrd.
When Arthur Padelford married
again, in March. 1895, he added a codiCil
to his will He died about a year later.
His widow. Edythe Grant Padelford. by
whom he had no children, survives him. |
She will get her share of the estate.
The decision of the orphans court is !
that the estate shall be distributed un- I
der the interstate laws precisely as /
though Mr. Padelford had made no will /
and codicii. By this order Valerie viii /
receive one-half of $223.95S.