The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1909-12-03
HER LISTS OF LOVE CLOSED.
a Dark Horse Won In the Race for
Mrs. Chapman's Hand.

New York, Nov. 27.-Count ALBERT
de Sonies of France proposed Monday
evening to Mrs. William Hayes Chap
man, the wealthy and enchanting wild.
ow, whose recent tour In Europe left
a pathway strewn with the smtten
hearts OF peers. Mrs. Chapman had
had Ave other proposals during the
day-the kind which come by mail and
of which she has received an average
of fifteen daily since her return from
abroad. so Count Sonies's appeal was
unique only in its ardency.
The venerable nobleman, who came
all the way from France for the ex'
press purpose of pressing his suit for
the hand OF the charming young widow
began his final effort by inditng three
successive letters of alteration In the
fashionable Fifth Avenue hotel where
both are dwelling. He sent these to
the apartments of Mrs. Chapman and
when he received word that she would
see him he felt his sixty years drop
from him. He strobe forth to the
conquest,
III lue thuulSitSly luihiphVu ouibO
where Mrs. Chapman has sought re.
fuge from her hundreds Of annoying
suitors the count declared his heart
and besought her in an ecstacy of
words to fly with him to Washington,
to marry him in the French embassy,
to crown his age with happiness, and
Mrs. Chapman married Phillip Van
Valkenburgh.
Mr.. Van Valkenburgh was indeed
ozark horse" in the list of suitors that
included General Count Spiridivitch Of
Russia; Sir Edward Delmege and the
Earl of Kintore in England; Count
Christian de Bonneville des Boucheaux
and Count de Sonies of France, and
Prince Mohammed Ali Hassan of
Greece, not to mention the host of
minor admirers and the additional
hundreds of the unknown ready let
ter writer's"
Immediately after the ceremony,
which was performed in secluded
Connecticut town, cablegrams were
dispatched to almost every corner of
Europe directed in such a manner as
to head off General Spiridivitch and
several others who were on the point
of sailing for America to enter the
lists of love The defeat of General
Spiridivitch, the friend of kings, the
wearer of titles and the possessor Of
vast ancestral lands, by an unosten-
tatious, though immensely wealthy
American was real drama-at once
humorous and pathetic.
For the generals pursuit of Mrs.
Chapman was the talk of Europe last
summer. He went everywhere that
she did He used all his influence and
powers of persuasion to keep her away
from rival suitors. He almost fought
a duel with Count de Sonies.
At the last moment when she was
about to sail for home he induced her
to let three steamships leave without
her, because of the presence on board
of distinguished persons whom he
feared as real or possible devotees
of the charming young woman.
At last the Mauretania's sailing time
arrived The cabin lists were studied.
There was not a soul whom General
Spiridivitch could be alarmed about.
He babe her on revoir and
Mr.. Van Valkenburgh was on the
Mauretania. He had never met Mrs.
Chapman until the comraderie of the
sea brought them together on that
voyage early last month. He had
known her late husband, who had left
her his 10 million dollars. But he did
not care a rap about that 10 million
dollars, for he had about twice that
amount himself