Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-12-08
OUR NEW YORK LETTER
COnceI ming the Husbands Of po,.
Well Known Women.

hoWh POtter-LesIia
C"rter-Literary Women and Th.i.
Life Partners.
NEW YORK, Dec. 7-[Special. Tho
coming temperance in New York Of
Mrs de Battle, she that was NIrs
Langtly, renders the Consideration 90
men who have married we'll known
women timely whether the mon tbo,,
selves have made a mark in the world
or whether they are famous solely NV
reason of their wives prominence os
poor Langtry was.
And it may be well to preface such
consideration with the statement tbo+
Mr. Madge Kendall, who always nlovs
second fiddle to that matronly English
actress. Mrs. Madge, in public. is really
the head of the household in all essen.
tials. Those who know the couple we'll
aver that his apparent subserviencv ia
merely piece of good business. which.
of course, if true, places him in an ex-
cellent light
The Jersey LiIy's Husbands.
The world, at least the American
world, knows little about young De
Battle, the Jersey Lily's present bus-
band, though, on the whole. he is said
TO be a decent enough fellow.
But Langtry was pretty well known
here in n certain small circle. which
did not include his wife's friends He
used to visit New York frequently.
though his presence was not often sus-
pected, for he always registered at the
hotels as Mr.. Giles" or "AIr. Leslie"
and disclosed his identity to few per
sons, one of them being well known
hotel keeper. In person, he was a
rather tall, well set up fellow, typical
"burly Englishman," in short. He was
of fair complexion, wore a long. sweep
Ing blond mustache and short side
boards and acted quite like the gentle
man. He is never known to have al
luded to Mrs. Langtry in conversation
with his American acquaintances but
once Then he broke down complete
ly. He was the recipient of much
sympathy from all who met him and
knew his side of the story, and so is
James Brown Potter. whose wife is
now on the London stage.
1t would be hardly fair to consider
Mrs. Langtry's and Mrs. Potter's cases
parallel, though. Mrs. Langtry first
became estranged from her husband
a L Of
its arms to her, but frowned at his
entrance Mrs. Potter entered society
solely because she was James Brown
Potter's wife. not having been born
within the charmed circle, and forfeit
ed her social standing utterly by cast
ing him off.
Potter is a coffee broker and a fairly
successful one. He has always been
rated well in the commercial agency
books, though as plain j. b. Potter
many doing business with him for
years have never suspected that he is
the husband of the actress. AS all the
world knows, he is a nephew of Bish-
op Potter.
Leslie Carter, whose wife is as well
known as either Mrs. Langtry or Mrs.
Potter, is a Chicagoan, 1not New
Yorker, but he has many acquaint-
ances here and was a resident of this
town for some weeks while the famous
suit for divorce was in progress. The
bringing of that suit to Il successful is
sue placed Carter in a much different
light from that which Langtry and
Potter were content to have shine up
on them, yet there are those in plenty
who hold that Carter had less reason
to resort to the law than the others.
Husbands of Literary Women.
Most famous writing women and
their less famous husbands have dwelt
together peacefully as other folk.
This is particularly true of. Mrs. Jane
Holmes and her husband, Judge
Holmes. They reside in Brockport, a
beautiful little town in western New
York, built along the banks of the Erie
canal at the foot of the State Normal
schools granite buildings Her neigh
bors read Mrs. Holmes stories, per-
haps, but they do not esteem the Writ
ing thereof more important than the
work of the judge.
Anna Katherine Green and her nus
band, Mr.. Rohlfs, were New Workers
originally, though they have lived III
Buffalo a good deal of late years.
Rohlfs was an actor of fair ability
when he and Miss Green were married.
and his calling caused Father Green TO
object seriously to the proposed match
1t has been some years since MI
Rohlfs has been seen on the stage, now
ever, and in 1896 he devoted himself TO
politics all through the presidential
campaign, hoping thereby to win rec
eral Office of some sort. He didn't.
1t is a curious thing that the nus
bands of a number of well known III
erary women have been younger imam
their wives. This is true OF Annie
Thackeray Richie, whose Geographic
edition of her fathers works mas
pleased his admirers so much' TO 80
across the sea for an instance.
1t is true also of Elizabeth stuart
Phelps, who won her first fame by that
strange book, Coates Ajar," but there
the parallel stops, since whereas MI
Richie is not a literary character MT.
Ward. who became the husband OF
Miss Phelps, is a writer. Since Tue
marriage he has been virtually III part
nership with his wife, and the FAMOUS
Life of Christ" written to order lor
III hnrIGn