Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-22
Heiress in London
Bombarded by Letters

Special Correspondence OF The Star.
LONDON. September I 1907.
IT. HAT beautiful mansion Carlton
House terrace, owned by Lord
= Curzon. once occupied by Joseph
| Choate and now leased by Antony Drexel
Is being hombarded by scores OF abusive
letters from the United States Many OF
THESE letters are myster.ously wo~ded. a
majority are anonymous and all are ad-
dressed to Miss Margaretta Drexel
| Miss DreXel IS the elghteen-year-olI heir-
ess of the Antony Drex.l million. Sho
| made her debut IN London soriary this ,,st
season and at Cowes was a noted h.l, a.
the most exclusive social functions Il ,he
yachting season. The letters whi-h ara
arriving daily. are mostly abusive. some
are worse. They all protest against the
beautiful young hercss' alleged Intention
OF abandoning society ana the Protestant
faith to enter a Roman Catholic convent.
| The Drexel hous hold is naturally thrown
| into a state of violent unrest by the activity
| OF these letter writer's. Despite the fact
| that they are addressed to Miss Dr,xel
| herself none reach her. The mail arriving
| at Carlton House terrace is closely ex-
amlned, peciay that from the states No
! chances are taken and where there IS any
| doubt of the sender the letters are i'm
mediately opened and later burned Miss
| DreXel sees none of them. In fact She
| ~ hot hio" 'Hdt the persecution SIN
The Drexels are all at the country houss
| they have leased in Wiltshire. Tley are
entertaining a large house party for the
shooting But in London they have left
Mrs. Antony Drexers private secretary to
| receive the letters and to guard against
MISS DreXel receiving any of them or a
| possible crank caller.
| 1 saw the secretary the other day about
| the extraordinary state of affairs. 1t is due
he declares, to story emanatIng from
| Chicago regarding Miss Drexel's retire
ment into convent. The persecution, he
thinks, Is an organized one and has It's
| headquarters also in Chicago for ma
| 1ority of the letters received are postmarked
| from that city and the surrounding west
ern country. The motive for such an or
| ganized persecution. il there is one Is quite
a mystery. There is no clue whatsoever to
| the letter writers those who sign names
| giving no addresses. The police nave as
| yet not been appealed to, but action will
| certainly be taken by Mr.. Drexel II the let
tiers continue much longer.
The convent canard Is current in Lon
don. Indeed, head II at OF the clubs
| only the other day with many embellish-
ments
| London is much int crested In Miss ,lreye,
She made her debut at one of the royal
courts in the spring and from that mo-
ment one of the spoiled darings of
| society. She was regarded the greatest
| beauty, the richest debutante and the most
| accomplished girl in the great world Of
| London. Her success really wonderful
| She fascinated everybody King Edward
| and Queen Alexandra signaled her cut for
| special attentions and openly expressed
| their admiration
Mrs. Antony Drexel herself one Of lae
| leaders of American society this year and
| the acknowledged best-dressed woman In
! town, spent a fortune her daughters
| gowns and jewels On good authority
| have 1t that the young American belle re-
| ceved three and four offers of marriage
| every day. Marquises and peers of all
ranks. diplomats. the great men of the
| day Worship ed at her shrine. Tine three
| months history of this fair American DUR
| ing the past London season would read ike
| chapter in the romance of some youthful
| queen.
Little wonder then that London was
startled at the whispered announcement
that Miss Drexel had determined to enter
! convent. AS l heard the story there
| SO much detail that 1t seemed bound to be
| true.
1t was told me that Miss Drexels grand
| aunt is Mother Katherine Drexel OF the
| Convent of the Sacred Heart at Torresdale.
| Pa, and that 1t in this convent that
| the fair Margaretta had determined TO be-
| come nun. In her own words she is al
! legged to have said: THE more l OF the
| world and it's ways the more have realized
| its hollowness and sham. / have tired of il.
My one great desire is to leave it.
| At Cowes when Queen Alexandra went
| aboard the Drexel yacht, Margharita, ac-
| cording to the story. she asked Miss Drexel
| why she was so anxious to take the veil.
| The girl is quoted as saying: THE gaieties
| of the world false. The world of So
7 ciety is insincere. l can never be Happy
of It or in it." Queen Alexandra is reported
| being touched that she wept
The story goes on to tell OF alleged hap
| pen!ngs at the great Drexel ball given In
| July. Miss Drexel during the height of the
| dancing was missed. The search revealed
her kneeIing. in all the pomp and vanity
of her glttering ball dress, at the foot OF
the crucihx in her little white bedroom.
| praying for those below who through the
! giddy waltz were enmeshed In the wiles OF
| the world, the flesh and the devil.
| The official denial of the DreXel family,
! given to me the other day, brands this cir
! cumstantial story as absurd. The Drexels
| are Protestants, the members of the branch
| to which the mother superior of the Torres
dale Convent belongs being the only Catho-
! lies Miss Drexei, TIL her debut this year,
! has been under the ceaseless care OF gov
| erness She has simply delighted in society
! and her release from restraint. she mas no
| Catholic tendencies nor marked religious
| fervor. AS to dancing, she is passionately
| fond of it, and at the ball mentioned was
| the instigator of several extra dances her
| mother has frequently had 10 warn her
about overexerton. When the convent
canard first appeared no one was more
| astonished than Miss Drexel herself She
| has never even thought of such thing.
| And still the story circulates. Perhaps 1t
' emanated from discounted sutton. In
| chatting but graceful way Miss Drexel may
| have refused him by declaring that she
| would never marry-that. in fact. she was
| going TO leave the mockery of the world
| and become a nun. A thoughtless sleech,
| perhaps forgotten the moment uttered But
then young girls do say some thought-
| less things, even American peaulies ana
| heresses.
~