The Detroit times., 1908-12-14
HAMMERSTE|N WAS
AFFLICTED WITH
SWELLED HEAD
MISS FRANCES LEE.
SHE is SUING FAMOUS impress
sARlo FOR 100000 FOR VIOLA
TON OF coNTRAcT-THouGHT
HE WAS "TiN GOD"
MISS FRANCES LEE.

NEW YORK, Dec. 14.-"Ah. yes. "
said Miss Frances Lee TO reporter.
More love letters for the greedy pub
lie, eh? Why do my affairs cause such
Juror? But as long as SO many have
been printed, | might as well do lit
tie talking now" Miss Lee Is plain
tin In suit for 100000 against In-
rressario Oscar Hammerstein. She
alleges that he broke contract In
which he agreed to make her an
operate star
oscar Hammerstein was really a
dear old fellow" she went on, remi-
nscently, but oh, how he used TO foo.
me-" She sighed and laughed at the
memory yes; fooled me all round
the place. You see | am so soft, and
was always so unsuspcting, | never
dreamed but what he would fulfill all
his fine promises made to me. Time
and time again he has promised 10
make me great singer, to place me
above every one, where MY beautiful
voice entitled me To be, and poor, soft
little Frances took II all in and acted
accordingly.
Time and time again | have sert
him away from me and told him not
TO bother me II he couldn't help me,
and newell, Oscar just couldn't 90 It,.
He'd always come back, sometimes In
tears and on his knees, TO be taken
back-and ever with fresh promises.
What could ! do? | thought a great
deal OF him and was always SO good
10 him, II seems terrible that he should
turn round and treat me the way he
has.
why, | couldn't have been treated
more shamefully. He told me, the last
time | saw him, that without him
was nothing; that ne would put me III
the gutter IL he so pleased. and this
from the man 10 whom | had been de
voted II Is the way Of the world and
men, | suppose. for | know that Mr.
Hammerstein loved me and respected
me, and admired me more than any
other woman he had ever met.
1.-THE Real Reason"
IL fascinated him. | held him
through all the 10 years. In fact tn"
real reason for his not wishing TO
place me In the public eye, as star
was his intense jealousy. He hated TO
think OF my becoming famous. OF be
ing admired by all, and becoming
public favorte; which. ! can say
modestly might have become N had
had my chance; only my little chance
the thing that every one with
talent wants. and alas too often lacks.
Up to now this has been denied me,
and have lost 10 years OF my life.
THE great trouble with Mr.. II. Is
that he has a bad case OF swelled
head, due no doubt TO his remarkable
success Some men cannot stand sue
cess. They need an antidote. or cab
bage leaf, for their heads. remem-
Der once, when | was taking him to
task for something that had displeased
me. | said to him: Why. any one
would think you were tin god. We'll.
he said, they would be quite right.
am little tin god Now, just think
or that" and Miss Lee gasped.
III dear Oscar never thought | had
any voice. as he declares. II he thought
my voice so horrible. why, oh, why did
he rave about me as he did? Why did
he talk about me TO all the connoiseurs
of voices. all the men OF musical note,
as though were coming wonder?
Would il not have been much simpler
to tell me IL was so rotten and in this
way save himself any unnecessary
worry and the $1,000 he spent on MY
vocal lessons?
"After Enthusiastic RAWLINGS"
at is strange that a man should be
willing 20 pay that much In cultivating
anything that does not exist-namely
q voice. Or, better still. why did he
l. Lot
10 him that | had no voice, and that
he, poor dear. was wasting my time
and his money? Is II not absurd his
coming out with any fish tale such as
he has at the last minute after his en-
thusiastic rawlings OF 10 years?
"All can say is that | hope most
fervently TO win this suit. Even 800,
900 will never pay me for my blighted
hopes. my lost time. the countless vic
tories that might have been mine, he'd
| been treated with openness and fair
ness.
"All I have wanted was a square
deal. Think of the many thousands OF
dollars | have lost through not being
properly placed and recognized, and
then think Of the length OF time, and
you will easily see | am still a heavy
loser! He would never have lost by
giving me fair play. | am big-hearted
honest woman myself and had he been
likewise should have kept him for a
friend ali my life.
II am not a woman to drop my alder
end abettor. No. no; not at all. AL!
can say is, It's all too bad. And
women? Well. I'm simply another
victim"