The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-29
TALKS OF MARRIAGE.
Also Discusses His Divorce Suit
With the Girl.
Promise Made That More Will
Be Given Out.

/ charges made in her quarter million
dollar breach of promise suit against
Z Gould. The letters cover wide range
of subjects, including marriage, divorce,
criticism of actresses and the after din
ner oratory of President Taft, ex-Judge
Parker and other luminaries of the
| legal profession. the influence of a good
! woman on a young man about town,
Christmas gifts, the treatment of chill
dren, yacht club elections and social af-
| fairs in general.
They indicate that Mr.. Gould for
many months made to Miss Devote an
exhaustive daily report of his every
move and utterance when he was not
| basking in the sunlight of her "beauLi-
| full dark brown big eyes" They also
tell many interesting inside facts in
with his wife, Helen Kelly Gould, won
against him, and add to the bright light
| shed by the Astor and Vanderbilt cases
on the workings of the divorce courts
of this state.
A Promise of Marriage.
That there actually was a real prom
Use to wed is proved Miss Devoie's
lawyers say, in the following letter,
said to have been written by the young
| millionaire to the little dancer:
1884 Fifth Avenue. January 10, 1907
Mr.. Nicon this afternoon. He has
made fairly good progress, plans are
almost made, so that some one will go
to Nevada. Then the decree would be
granted by october next. Of course
nothing definite has been agreed to but
everything looks as though at last the
beginning of the end were approach
ing. I feel quite happy this evening
notwithstanding very bad cold and
the pain in my back. Does this agree
ment on some such plan please you? If
know T ITln1y 1,-l 70
that time when I am free and later on,
more so, when we are married Have
missed you more this week than ever
Used to think that it would be impos-
sfble to miss you more than I did then,
but 1t seems that was wrong. Glad
SNOWFALL has gone. The real one is
coming. 1 think, for it is fearfully cold
here Yours. my dearest, with my love.
Kisses. Your FRANK"
In the following letter Miss Devote
is asked to guess the date of the al
legged promised wedding. which she
says she knew and which was to have
been September IA, but Mr.. Gould
sailed for Europe that day.
Own Dear Bessie: AS soon as You
left I again felt so lonely and would
be glad to (3S41 Preston on the wire)
see you again. Mrs. Slayback thinks
that you are immense and so does Mr..
| (that's Wild. Am going to figure out
the. number of days that will inter-
vene between today and - can you
guess? There is something nice for a
prize If you answer correctly and close
your eyes. With all my love tony
, own dearest Bessie and lots of kisses
until tomorrow. Her FRANK
March Is, 1909"
Dodged the Divorce Trial.
"3S41 Preston" was Miss Deyoie's
telephone number at that time She
had been sent to Philadelphia, she
says. to preclude her being called as
witness in divorce suit Mrs Gould
was bringing against Frank Gould.
While in Philadelphia Miss Devote
heard that Mr.. Gould was paying at
tention to Miss Kelly, a dancer in the
Havana" company, then playing at
the casino She wrote to him and says
she received the following reply:
No. 1874 Fifth Avenue (Wednesday)-
My Own Dear Bessie: Oh why do you
want to make me unhappy by talking
the way you do? Can't you understand
that, no matter if l do things that Won
think are wrong, all the time I love
you and have loved you. My one desire
has been to protect you and make YOU
| happy. I do not like the idea of your
coming to New York at this time as
1t is unwise. You remember that I told
you Dan said the man who asked him
TO go to the Salome Hall had seen YOU
in Philadelphia. I don't think he did
n.yself-ne was trying to find out if
Dan knew where you were-but / knew
he saw me for / saw him. Therefore,
thought to put him off the track. and
the best way that occurred to me was
to be seen often at some play like "Ha-
vana. Then my visits made to Phila-
delphia would be explained. Will let
you know as soon as / hear from my
friend If it has not worked this way
With all my love and kisses Chat YOU
Want-dnd L hope you want them all.}
Your FRANK.
February 8. 1907.
She Always Wanted Chaperon.
That Miss Devote. in her association
with Mr.. Gould, always was very care
full to observe the conventionalities and
proprieties is shown. her lawyers say
in the mention OF a chaperon in the fol-
lowing letter:
No. S34 Fifth Avenue Monday-Dear-
est Bessie: Have just come from DR.
Kemp's He was not very encoura e.
Tor three or four months. taking doc
tor with me, that l would get WELL
know how you feel about this, so will
not decide anything until 1 have
chance to speak to you about it-that is
If you still take any interest IN it. I had
lunch with Mr. Slayback, Mr. Northrop
and Mr.. Brokaw. Mr.. Northrop and his
wife are going west this summer and
he said they would be very glad to
chaperon us if you cared to go. Dear
Bessie, 1 am so discouraged and have
been for some time. but don't want to
worry you. I hope you are having a
lovely time. With all my love and
kisses. Your FRANK.
May "a 1909
In writing about his devorce and
plans to remarry, Mr.. Gould, it is said,
quoted the Vanderbilt case to Miss De-
vote in the following letter:
mo. S34 Fifth Avenue, October z,
190S-Dearest Bessie: Mr.. NicoIl has
been ont of town since I have return
ed, so could not see him. Mr.. Fuller 1
did see, however, for a few minutes,
and he seemed very much pleased at
the way things were going on and
seemed to think things were very
much nearer a settlement of some
Kind oxrarc tafare IL saxr- ,er,