New-York tribune., 1908-04-10
TO WE'D MISS ELK[NS
Duke of the Abruzzi To Be Married
I'm Europe IN October.
lFrom Tn. Tribune Bureau

| ment of Miss Katherine H EIkins the daughter
of Senator and Mrs Stephen B. Ellins to the,
Duke of the Abruzzi, is one looked for in the
near future, the engagement is nevertheless an
assured fact, and the marriage will take place in
Europe early in October All details attending
the marriage of member of the royal house of
Italy to a foreigner were arranged before the
Duke formally addressed Miss Elkns in Europe
last summer and when he came incognito to
America to make short visit to his prospective
bride few weeks ago there nothing further
to adjust. The House of Savoy asks financial
settlement the bride. and whatever fortune
she possesses will be strictly her own.
The Duke of the Abruzzi has returned TO his
ship, the Regina Elena, and he will ask no
further leave until after the maneuvres In the
fall. At that time the relative of the duke who
is now a vice admiral will retire and the duke
will be promoted to the highest office in the
navy. He is d sailor, and asserts that he has
never been promoted except in the usual way
and for merit and wishes close his career
with this record. After being promoted he will
retire in September and be free TO spend his life
as he likes
Miss Elkins is not confirmed Catholic. but
two of her brothers are, and as she never pro-
fessed any other religion it is not q sacrifice
for her to adopt that faith, she will do
Miss Elkins is an American girl of the highest
type While she has always been spoken of as
a Virginia girl. presumably from her love OF
horses and her Southern accent, she was born at
No 46 West 5Sth street, New York City, In 1886.
during her parents residence OF ten years there
She was brought to Washington to live when
she was a child however. and has spent the
greater part OF her life in the capital
! She was named for her maternal grandmother.
Katherine Bantz, daughter of Judge Gideon
( Of baltimore WI
| marriage to Miss Elkns's grandfather, ex-Sen-
| ator Henry Gassaway Davis was Maryland
| belle. Ex-senator Davis and Miss Katherine
Bantz were married in 1853. Miss Elkins's
mother, who Miss Halle Davis, was the
eldest OF three daughters She was educated in
this country and in Europe, and before her mar
riage occupied a prominent position as the
/ daughter of Senator. AS the wife of a Rep
resentatve in Congress. a Cabinet members
wife-when in 1891 Mr.. Elkins Secretary Of
War-and the wife OF a United States Senator
/ she has been OF the capitals social leaders.
On her mothers side Miss Elkns has an
| aunt, Mrs. Arthur Lee, and uncle, John
! Thomas Davis. She has four brothers. David
Elkins, the eldest, is a Harvard man Of the
! class of 80, and a practising lawyer in New
York, having charge of affairs In the office which
/ Senator Elkins still maintains there. Stephen
! B. Elkins, jr., the second son, was graduated
! from Yale in 1900; Richard Davis Elkins
/ graduated from Princeton in 1901, and the
! youngest son. Blaine Elkins. graduated
/ from Princeton in 1904. He married few
months ago Miss Kenna, daughter of the late
ex-senator Kenna, of West Virginia, the prede-
/ cessor OF Senator Elkns.
! The high spirits. the perseverance and the
/ marked determination in Miss Elkins prom
| rent In her father The Senator was born in
Ohio and educated in Missouri. He practised
/
Mexico He went to New York from the South
west and there soon became prominent in pub
lie and business life. He made many millions OF
dollars in coal lands in West Virginia. and
founded the town of Elkns, where he maintains
a splendid country estate. His father-in-law, ex-
| Senator Davis. presented his two daughters.
Mrs Elkins and Mrs. Lee, with large estates
there Mrs. Elkins calling her home Hallihurst.
while Mrs Lees country place was named
/ Graceand by her father.
While Miss Elkinss education corresponds
with her station, almost the only school she at
tended was Mrs. Flint's school for girls at
time situated at 18TH and 1 streets there
abOuts. in Washington, She was taught almost
entirely by governesses and home teachers.
The year before she was to make her formal
debut she was taken abroad by Mrs Elkins for
further education A famous girls school was
selected in Paris. and Miss Elkins was taken
/
farewell and allowed the latter to accompany
her to her ship. To her surprise she found all
of Miss Elkinss trunks the vessel and her
/ passage engaged. Miss Elkins returned to
America. She takes great interest in current
domestic and foreign events, and, speaking sew
eral languages, can converse with foreign diplo
mats in their own tongue on subjects of i'm
portanCe. She speaks Italian fuently and Is
particularly friendly with the italian Ambassa-
Daro
Planches.
Miss Elkins is finished horsewoman, and her
thoroughbred horses well herself are seen
at most of the larger horse shows. She enters
her horses-never under her name-and not
/ infrequently. as Miss Brown Miss Smith,
rides them It was as Miss Brown that she took
a blue ribbon at of the New York shows.
She is member OF prominent hunt clubs in
New York Boston and Philadelphia. and goes
to the Plains Club. of Virginia. for the hunting
season. There she keeps the greater number of
her thoroughbreds.
Miss EIkins has thirty-seven blue ribbons and
many prizes. and her championship cups are
so numerous that they the only bric-a-brac
used to decorate her den" in her fathers house
in Washington. She has taken two champion
ship cups from the Philadelphia Hunt Club
alone.
In this den" Miss Elkins's love for horses
and hunting is shown by her trophies The or
naments are almost without exception silver and
gold cups she has won, while the pictures are of
her horses, hunting scenes, friends on their
favorite mounts and pictures of herself taken in
the field or on the tanbark Some of her horses
kept in Philadelphia, some In New York and
one or two near Boston. She keeps several OF
her favorite saddle horses in her fathers stables
in Washington. and is frequently driving in
oh ed h0u