Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-09
BRIDE WOULDK|LLH|M
Mrs. Bronson HoWard's Chum
Also in Trouble.
SAYS HUSBAND Is BIGAMIST
Row as an Ocean Liner Comes Into
Port.
DROVE FOR ALFRED VANDERBILT
Beautiful But Headstrong Virginia
Girl an Accomplished Whip-Cast
Off by Parents.
,ROvE FOR ALFRED VANDERBILT

NEW YORK. July 9.-In a gust of tears
and surrounded by throng of sympathz-
ing women on the deck Of the steamer Min
nehaha yesterday, beautiful Florence
Schenck. the Virginia girl who went
abroad to drive Alfred G.. Vanderbilt s
horses. accused Charles H. Wilson. man
ager of the millionaire's stable. of bigamy
and threatened to kill him.
Wilson married me in Richmond Va,
October 10 last" said Miss Schenck. but
know now that he has a wife and chill
dren.
Il hate him. This will probably end in
my killing him. He has ruined my life.
l am an outcast, without a friend In the
world-not even my father and mother
Wilson. who was also a passenger the
vessel sulienly denied he had gone through
any marriage ceremony with Miss Schenck.
We were! We were!" vehemently In
| sisted Miss Schenck. Il have my marriage
certificate
| The recriminations of the pair caused a
| furore among the passengers Miss Schenck
! declared she was pennlless, and that unless
| Wilson provided her with funds she would
| be obliged to stay on the ship.
| Afraid of the Papers.
| Don't put any of this stuff in the pa
| pers" pleaded Wilson to the newspaper
men I've had trouble about it already.
| and I'm afraid Mr. Vanderbilt will ask for
| my resigna ton
| Miss Schenck is the daughter of Dr. and
Mrs. Powhatan Schenck of Norfolk. Va.
She is only nineteen years old, but Is re-
nowned in the south as a whip During the
| Norfolk horse show last fall she drove some
of Mr.. Vanderbilt's horses. and accepted an
engagement to show some of them In the
ring in London at the international horse
show.
Miss Schencks father and mother pro-
tested in vain, and when she persisted in
going in spite of them they cast her Off
Miss Schenck Is the closest friend of Mrs.
George Bronson Howard, the Baltimore
bride of the novelist. whom he quit sensa-
tionaIly in London during their honeymoon
and came home.
I'm going to tell all about this. as much
for Mrs. Wilson'S sake my own, de-
clared Miss Schenck when she greeted the
reporters. She Is extremely beautiful.
perfect blonde. and was dressed In blue.
with a white leghorn hat carrying an i'm
mense blue plume.
Knocked Down His Bride.
I'VE were married in the Richmond Hotel,
Richmond, Va, October 49, she went on.
Never mind my crytng-I am game and
willing to take anything that comes to me
for my mistake-but I'm sorry for Mrs.
Wilson. 1 did love this man when l mar
ried him. but don't love him any more.
lie look me out 10 East orange anu
presented me to his wife. The audacity
of 1t, We had a terrible time. When 1t
came time to go to London did not know
what to do. My parents had cast me OF
and l simply had to go.
1T was sorry day when I met him,
but l suppose I'll have to take my med1-
cine l was a foolish girl to believe him.
He sent a cablegram from Spring street,
London. to my father. telling him we were
married, and that everything would be all
right. When 1t came time for US to sail
back he tried to induce me to stay on the
other side, but 1 insisted on coming
He treated me brutally all the way over.
Last night he knocked me senseless-lOok
here. where he struck me-
Barring her left arm. Miss Schenck dis
played huge purple discoloration.
He beat me- she said, because / was
talking to another man. The surgeon had
to attend to me. He threa tened dozen
times to kill me II l said anything about
what he had done to me.
IL don't know what L am going to do. 1
haven't 80 cents to my name. On the way
up the bay l was offered 500 to sign a
paper repudiating my marriage, but 1 re-
fused
Miss Schenck occupied stateroom 20 on
the Minnehaha and Wilson occupied state
room No. 81. Miss Wilson went to the Vic
toria Hotel as soon she landed. and last
night according to DR. Smith, the hotel
surgeon. she was suffering from nervous
prostraton and declined to allow any one
to see her.