The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-21
SPURNED BY HER UNCLE
The Letters Deny All Claims Of
Relationship.
Is A CENTERVILLE GIRL
Mrs. T. Benton Letter Is Planning Her
Entrance to the Theatrical Field.
Neither Smokes Nor Drinks and
Will Not Wear Tights.

Kate Churchill the young woman
| VINO at one time was employed as din
ing room girl at Mullins boarding
| house in Centerville and later conduct
ed the boarding house at the Letter
mine in Madison county, is raising con-
| sternation among the rich and socially
eminent Letters of Chicago by the way
IN which she is advertising her connec-
tons with the family, as the wife of T.
| Benton Letter. Members of the family
have found it necessary to give some
| attention to the young woman's ener-
setic and successful press work and
have repudiated her They say they do
not know her at ALL never heard of her
before she advertised herself as MEM
Der of the family and threatened to go
upon the stage, and that she is not en-
! titled ito the relationship she claims
with the family.
| Recently the young woman occupied
a great deal of space in the Chicago
| newspapers. and then she shifted to
| New York, where her press agent is now
| getting in his work. The Telegram phi had
| this about her upon her arrival in that
| city:
MRS. T. Benton Letter who has
| been spurned by her husbands uncle.
Levi z. Letter Chicago's wealthiest citi-
zen is now ready to launch her theatre
| cal career in New York With her am
bition and few trunks she has found
| temporary quarters a the Hotel I'M
perial, in the thick of the fray. With
| all her rich relatives turned against her,
she believes she can make a living for
Nd In ~, Iosy, L.
l press agent.
(. Mrs. Letter is a large, handsome
woman, dark, and anywhere between 25
| and 30 years of age. If the press agent
tendency has not got the best of her,
her life is not without romance, what
ever her talent may be. To Morning
| Telegraph reporter she told of her ambi-
| tons last night.
You see she said I am not eX-
| actly anxious to begin just yet. In fact,
| shall soon go to Colorado to spend the
| summer. l have a great many offers
| from different managers. but none of
them is just what 1 want
| Mrs. Letter said she had refused an
offer from Roster & Bal on this ac-
| count.
1.-The truth is she said, the work
would be too hard for a beginning, and
I would rather start in the fall. l have
many offers, but will probably refuse
them all. My going on the stage is not
a matter of choice with me, but an alb
solute necessity.
In 1894. while my husband was SUI
| perntending the erection of one of Levi
Letters big Chicago buildings, he was
struck on the head during strike
among the workmen and is losing his
I mind. What little money I get must be
1 paid out for his expenses, as his uncle
| will not give him cent.
/ with my husband an invalid I have
l had to look about ITO make living for
/ us, and as l always had an ambition to
J go on the stage, 1 have made up my
mind to make a beginning.
/ "I am sure I shall be a success be-
| cause l have already engaged and dis
| charged three maids in one day, and if
| that is not sign of some sort of alb
normal talent ! don't know what is.
lone kind critic threw cold water on
| me at the start
do you drink?' said he.
| 80 II do not said /.
! "'"Do you smoker"
| NO. l replied.
Then you are fool to go on the
| stage and expect success he added.
But | am determined in spite of
such discouraging advice.
"'At present l am making some
money by posing for photographs in
#
| plates. All | have to do s 10 snip on a
new dress and have my photograph
taken. 1t is very easy.
When l go on the stage I want to
write my own sketch. I have already
written a book called Peal Life
Stories and it has been quite success
full.
"I have all sorts of sketches and
| plots sent to me, and most of them are
1IlHi in no
thors only knew that 1 have made up
my mind not to appear in tights they
would spare themselves a lot of trouble.
High comedy is what l want, and some
thing with pathos. l am Interested in
one sketch called THE Motnar-in-
Law" translated from Balzac. 1t is
what 1 call high comedy, and it may be
that I will make my debut n .tat,
though l still think 1 shall write my
own SKETCH
ct is understood Mr.. Ledarer will
offer Mrs. Letter a temporary engage
ment in his company"
The following day the following inter
esting story about the Centerville girl
and her rich relatives appeared in the
| Telegraph:
THE latest experience of Mrs. T. Ben
ton Letter. who has come to New York
to go on the stage is the most harrow
ing of all The poor young woman has
been spurned, absolutely repudiated by
her uncle and aunt, Mr.. and Mrs. Levi
z. Letter, who have more dollars than
they have bricks in their house in Chi
cago.
Young Mrs. Letter, previous to the
beginning of her dramatic career, which
is still in embryo, stated that she sup
posed her uncle and aunt-the parents
of Lady CurZon-would be horribly
shocked at such an unbecoming way of
making a living, and that she Thought
bitter family warfare would ensue,
an internecine strife that would turn
! Chicago's head dizzy. AS a prognosti-
Gator Mrs. T. Benton Letter was emf
nently successful, and the row seems to
| be on in earnest
After spending many months in
! Europe, Mrs. Levi u. Letter has return
ed to her Washington residence, and her
attention was called to the claims of re-
lationship set forth by the young ac-
i