The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-11
THE mlsREPREsENTED MAD MAN
OF THE MERRY MILLS.

/
Charlottesville, Va, jar. with.
IN 2 few weeks In the little city OF
Charlottesville, Va, tho curtain will
, 90 up on another act in the strangest
legal case of the century-the plctur-
csque fight of John Armstrong Chan
lcr Tor Chaloner. as he now spells his
Eame) TO prove his sanity and win
| back his fortune of a million and A
half dollars. This handsome young
millonaire-once the pet of the New
York 400 and formerly the husband
OF the brilliant Amelie Rives-has al
ready been declared sane by the courts
OF Virginia, in which state he makes
his home, and the courts of North
| Carolina, in which commonwealth ho
has extensive property interests.
Thus two triumphs already stand 10
| the credit OF this descendent OF Char
lotto Corday-victories which assure
him his home and his personal liber-
| ty. but II is the forthcoming or third
legal duel with the bulk of his for
tune as the prize. the outcome of
which he awaits with all the tension
OF Monte Cristo ready to cry the
last one-three" For, be 1t explain
ed. the current proceeding, although
their locale Is in the one-time home
OF Virginia, have as an object the es-
tablishment of Chanoler's sanity in
New York state.
II was In New York state, It may
be remembered. and not in Virginia,
where he had long resided. that this
scion of the famous Chanler family
was declared insane. After proceed
inHs. charged to have been highland
ed and certainly sensational, he was
thrown into Bloomingdale Insane asy-
lum In the spring of 1897. and there
he remained until four years later,
when he managed TO make his escape
ana returned to Virginia, where he
was known and where he had no diff
fcu!ty in demonstrating his sanity to
the satisfaction OF the courts.
Ever since his escape Chandler has
been fighting at long range to estab-
lish his sanity in the Empire state.
For two reasons this pluclsy fight for
freedom has been carried on in his
toric Albemarle county, Virginia,
where the present hearings are to take
place before the commissioner Of the
United States federal court In the
tlrSt place. Chandler has not dared set
foot in New York state on pain of
being seized as lunatic and hurried
back TO the mad house from which
he escaped after so much effort Sec
ondly. though by right a millionaire
he is In effect penniless in so far as
his New York status Is concerned, for
with his Imprisonment In Blooming
dale his entire possessions In New
York, valued at $1,500,000, were turn
cd over TO guardian" In whose
possession they have ever since been.
Thus denied the use of his wealth
Chandler has at all times been COM
PEELED TO wage his fight with some
eye TO expense,
The tale to be unfolded by Cnal-
oner's testimony reads like a chron-
icle OF the middle ages. Moreover, il
involves a number OF names conspicu.
ous in the world of affairs. Foremost
among these famous actors In the
drama was the late Stanford White
VINO later met tragic death at the
hands OF Harry Thaw. White was an
old friend OF the man whose sanity Is
now In question and IL was the no.
torious architect who, In the spring OF
1897, came to Chaloner's Virginia es-
tate on an ostensibly friendly visit: In
duced the young millionaire TO accom-
pany him TO New York for tnste of
the metropolitan whirl and when he
got MIN there was, II is alleged, large
ly instrumental in having him COM
mitted to the insane asylum.
Startling as will be the disclosures
Of these hidden chapters In the life OF
Stanford White-with side lights on
certain other famous men, including
the late Augustus ST. Gaudens. the
sculptor. they will be. II possible, ex-
ceeded in interest by the barring Of
the details OF what Chaloners story
suggests has been a bitter family feud
OF which Chaloner has apparently been
! the victim. The man who is now
| fighting TO gain recognition OF his
sanity declares that the entire and
combined Chaloner family has. all
along been arrayed against him and IL
was because OF this attitude on the
part OF his brothers and sisters that
he says he forsook the family name
\ III IN pitStul loIul anu secured an act
OF legislature In the south. which en-
abled him to revert In the spelling OF
his name TO its ancestral form of Chal-
oncr.
IL is. indeed. distinguished array
OF relatives wac are to be held up 10
the public gaze as the alleged enemies
of this isolated member of the Chan
oler clan. In the events that led up to
the mad house episode will be heard
the names OF Lewis Stuyvesant Chan
oler. lately defeated for governor OF
New York state. and Winthrop Astor
Cnanoler. who as sheriff OF Duchess
county, New York. has been much In
tho public eye OF late as the jailer OF
hairy Thaw. slayer OF that self same
stanford White, who figures So con-
spicuously In this tragedy Of two
states. Parenthically. II may be re-
marked that at nalf dozen points
does this mysterious Chaloner case
touch that other cause celebre-the
White -Thaw tragedy. But there have
been other Chanolers who have had