The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-26
.ODD CAREER OF THE EARL OF YARMOUTH Alice ThaW's Titled Husband
 Had Many Ceilings IS SUED FOR DIVORCE Was at One Time an Actor and Played Before the FootIights In America.
 His Meeting With the
 ThaWs.
5 SUED FOR DIVORCE
From the washIngton Herald.

It is just another trouble added 70 the
 many of the Thaw family of Pittsburg
 that has been made public through the
 reported intention of the Countess of
 Yarmouth, who was Alice Cornelia Thaw,
 to sue to have her marriage to the Earl
 of Yarmouth annulled. To judge by the
 results, the union has been from the be-
 ginning as unhappy as Benjamin Thaw,
 the head of the Pittsburg family dread
 ed that it might be. He is the half
 brother of the countess. Mrs. Mary
 Thaw. the second wife of Benjamin Thaws father, was as bitterly opposed from the first to her daughters wedding.
 In point of fact, apparently the only
 persons eager for it were the earl, per haps because of the financial gain that it would be to him, and Miss Thaw.
 When the earl, as Eric Hope, his stage name sued the Morning Telegraph In
 this city for libel seven years ago, get ting a judgment from that paper, much of his past history came out. The an swer to his complaint set forth that he had travelled in Australia, actitg as woman ballet dancer, with face, arms. and breast painted, and made up as 10 voice and manner so as to give rather more than a colorable imitation or chorus woman. At the time of that trlal newspaper clippings were put In evidence that told of the exploits of the tltied young person appearing at charity per. formance in Australia in that gulse. IL also was put in the answer that Queen Victoria was greatly incensed when she learned that the earl had been received at the Government House in Tasmanla in spite of his operatic performance. IL was alleged further that the Government House in Melbourne had been closed against him, says the New York Sun'
 The suit which Eric Hope brought was to show that he had been damaged be- cause the newspaper had said that ne could not act and had mentioned other items along the same lines. It was polht- ed out, however, that in the public ex- animation of the Earl Of Yarmouth III the bankruptcy court in London in June 1900, he had testified that although ms contract salary paid by Charles Frohman for performances in America in 1853 had
 been at first $25O a week, 1t had been re- duced later to S100. When he retired rom the stage he engaged in the Wine traue
 for a short time as an agent TOT the firm of Roosevelt & Schuyler Of thls city.
 ft was brought out in the trial that
 the earl had borrowed on one occasion s15 from his valet, which he had not re- paid The valet also testified as to a dog
 transaction The earl had three dogs,
 and the valet arranged for hlm 10 sen
 one to a woman for $25. After the deal
 was arranged the earl said that the price
 would have to be $30 As the valet had
 alreadv promised the dog to the woman
 he paid the extra s5 from his own pock-
 et Later he told the early aoout the
 $5 which he did not get back.
 The suit was for $25.000 and the 1udg-
 ment was of $250O, which. with an al
 lowance and the little matter or the
 costs of Howe & Hummel. the earl
 lawyers, brought the sum up to S29St.6i.
 Directly the verdict was announced
 judgment was entered against the young
 man in favor of George c. Boldt, of the
 Waldorf Astoria. for s106.19 for food ana
 drink supplied to the earl between Sep
 tember 1 and October 2l, 1900. The earl
 paid no attention to that suit. =, :,
 The main fact brought out in the npel
 suit was that with his title the earl was
 worth considerably more to the manage ments of theatres than without It. Ills value without it was assessed by w.t. nesses as from cents to nothing. It may be said that from that time In 1901 until in the early part or lsoS tho Earl of Yarmouth, or Eric dope' UT whatever he chose to be called, was not much before the public. It was on fep- mary that word came from Washing ion that Alice Cornelia Thaw had depart ed from that city for Dungeness, the Thaw place at Fernandina, Fla [ It was also announced the ardent earl' had ta- ken train there too and that an engage ment might be expected soon.
 Other persons said that they peneved that Mrs Thaw. the mother of Alice Thaw. had sent her away from Wasn- ineton in hopes that she would De apie to shake off the titled young person. to whom such a marriage would mean cleaning up of debts. In view of the statements from Wash- ington that the earl had been guest on many occasions at receptions at the home of Mrs. Thaw in Washington, some per- sons wondered how he came to be there at all if Mrs Thaw did not like him
 That was cleared up when It became known that the person who made the earl a. welcome guest there was fiarry h' Thaw Harry Thaw had met the earl In Paris and there they became very sIeal intimates. On Harry Thaws invitation inc earl came over to visit the family in the latter part of 1902.
 The earl was pleased indeed. It is said that he did not at first fix his fancles upon Miss Alice Thaw, but on a younger member of the family, niece or MISS Alice It is said also that Miss Ellzapeth Burd Thaw this niece, did not accept the
  transfer of the hand and title then was planned by the earl The earl denied all of that afterward. as he did the state ment that Mrs Thaw had sent her daugh- ter Alice ta Florida to get her away from him. It was through Abe Hummel that statement to this effect was made:
 Mrs. Thaw wished us to go to Fernan- dina and become better acquainted before announcing our engagement, and it was quite settled that it would be officially announced on our return Mrs. Thaw went unexpectedly to Fernandna solely to bring Miss Thaw back here and to pro- tect her from being worried by reporters, as there was no one else to accompany her and she did not wish us to travel back together. We could afford to laugh at the violent opposition stories, but these later ones are too serious for me to ignore, giving color to the idea that I am pursuing Miss Thaw for her for tune It is an injustice to Miss Thaw.' Announcement of the engagement was made from Washington on February IT., 1903 Directly afterward Mrs. Thaw closed her Washington house and left for Florida. ending the series of festivi- ties that had been going on for some time in the capital. At that time no date was set for the wedding.
 Until that ceremony was completed In Pittsburg some time after there was a big crop of rumors Decidedly 1t was ull- fair to suggest that the earl was mar rying Miss Thaw for her money, In view of his own denial but there seemed to be great deal of money talk being done. For instance, one dispatch in March rep resented a lawyer for the earl as ap- healing to Mrs Tbaw to let her daughter