The San Francisco call., 1909-11-04
FAIR BILI|F'S NIECE
LOVED BY STUDENT
Leo WestcOtt Quits College to
Follow Miss Bartlett's
Theatrical Tour
Stepfather Robert j. Hancock,
and Mother on the Trail
of Smitten Youth

Overcome by sudden and over
whelming infatuation for Miss Bartlett,
a niece of Miss Billie Burke, the noted
actress, and member of her theatrlcal
troupe, Leo Westcott. a freshman at
the state university and a stepson OF
Robert j. Hancock, capitalist and club
man of San Francisco and Oakland, has
forsaken his college career and FOL
lowed in the train of the charmer, the,
latest reports from him being that he
has joined the company
The love affair adds another chapter
to the erosial Ventures of the Han
cock family. Hancock pere figured in
one of the most sensational divorce
suits of years when he was divorced
from his first wife in August OF 1901,
and his matrimonial woes were voiced
before Judge Shortall recently over d1f-
ficulties arising out of the paying OF
alimony.
DINED AT FRAT HOUSE
Leo Westcott the stepson, youth
of % summers, has gone about his
worshiping at the shrine of Eros In a
manner equally as sensational He met
Miss Billie Burke and Miss Bartlett
October 16. The day following the
actresses were guests at a dinner given
at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house
in Berkeley, of which organization
Westcott is new member Two days
later he came to the conclusion that
life without Miss Bartlett was one
hopeless, dreary, forsaken fZzle. There
fore it happened that when the theat-
rical company left for San Jose and
Sacramento Westcott resolved to fore
go the agony of parting with her.
College was a bore, his home at 3700
Sacramento street joyless abode. His
future could care for itself. Without
a word to any one he dropped the ma
terial things of life and pursued the
elusive rainbow of loves own coloring.
The first impression was that the boy
was infatuated with Miss Billie Burke.
and this was considered natural. Miss
Burke it was known had admirers
from Bethsheba to Omaha. His mother
and stepfather smiled. Youth, 1t was
recognized, would insist on falling in
love with the wrong person and it was
felt that Billie Burke had enough tact
and skill to bring the adoring young
ster to proper and thoroughly pro-
sale understanding of the situation No
danger was felt from Miss Burke, but
no thought taken of her niece. Miss
Bartlett.
MOTHER CHAPERONE
At the dinner given at the fraternity
house it was Mrs. Hancock who chap
eroned the actresses. 1t was through
her that her son was cast into the COM
pany. During the few days the COM
pany played at the McDonough theater
in Oakland the lad developed the stage
door habit to an alarming extent. He
went further. His automobile was at
the service of Miss Burke and Miss
Bartlett at any moment. Long and de-
lightful were the spins the trio took.
The crash came when his relatives and
friends awoke to learn that he had
cast aside everything to folio whis be-
loved, Miss Bartlett
Necessarily, being % years old and in
love with a real actress, it followed
that young Wescott would casually re-
fer to the object of his affections to his
fellow collegians. Through them his
parents learned that he had forsaken
the glare of the stellar to bask in the
lesser light of the satellite,
Westcott wrote to his friends from
San Jose and Sacramento saying he was
with the theatrical company and re-
Gently wrote from Portland. declaring
he had joined it. His parents on re-
! ceipt of the news hastily packed their
cases and left the city. Where they
went to is not known, but the pre-
sumption it that they are on the trail
of the sentimental son, with the direct
purpose of catching him and giving
unto him the advice and arguments
suitable to such painful emergencies.
GIRL Is A BEAUTY
| The feelings of Miss Bartlett. are not
known. She is. striking beauty and
| the common opinion is that her attitude
to the college boy is that of the aver
ihge popular actress to the ge
| college boy. a trifiing detail of this
| character, however, is not enough to
dry the wells of affection bubbling
! beneath the fancy shirt front of West
| colt. According. to his confessions to
| his friends, life to him without his
| particular goddess would be one dole
/ full. miserable howl and that never so
long as the stars shone or the rivers
ran to the sea would he cease to love
] her-no. never