The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-06
NEW TENNEY BILL
READS LIKE NOVEL
Graphic Story Of Domestic
Infelicity Told in Wife's
Amended Petition
CHARGES THE SAME
BUT STORY DIFFERENT
Wife Who Claims to Have Been
Wronged Tells of III Treatment
and Infdelity of Her Hus-
band. Both of Social Position.

DdIu. Dtlu III E1DGldl DSIIIDLs
Deiving into detailed specification
of the fluctuations Of her marital ex-
periences, Mrs. Emma Schoonmaker
Tenney has filed. through her counsel.
a voluminous amended bill OF COM
plant asking that she be granted
limited divorce.
The new bill rehashes the story of
domestic infelicity and .:chappiness
from the very beginning. In all ii
covers 81 pages of closely written
typewriting. comprising at least 20. 600
words.
The complaint reads like some So
cfety novel of the bizarre type. 1t not
only sets forth alleged facts, but goes
into the ramifcations thereof. Like
the fictional diaries Of society wo-
men," which have recently sprung
into vogue, entire pages are consum-
ed in detailing the thoughts, the soul
chilling suspicious, the mental suffer
ing and the siiently-endared anguish
Of heart that are alleged to have been
the lot of Mrs. Tenney throughout the
months and years during which she
watched the barque of her marital
happiness drifting steadily toward the
deadly shoals OF the divorce court.
Prominent In Real Life.
A problem play might easily be
founded on the allegations of Mrs,
Tenney, and the morale and unavoid-
able final reckoning to which they
lead And certainly the two leading
characters are as prominent in real
life as could the playwright make
their dramatic prototypes.
George O. Tenney. the husband
whose conduct is made the subject of
So many and such serious charges, Is
president of the Atlantic Bitulithic
Company. and reputed to be enor-
mously wealthy After reading the al
lagAtions against him, Il II simple
Stretch Of the Imagination to picture
him as the husband OF the stage, cold
eyed. relentlessiy successful and sue
cessfully relentless lin husiness--capa-
bile of wonderful magnetism and at
Effectiveness, but evtdeuCiTg these lat
ter qualities, not at home with the
wife who had helped him To his po-
sition of power and opulence, but with
the fawning. satin -gowned, too f3H-
Tipped courtezans- such as those de-
scrined by Balzac. All that is needed
to make the character complete in de-
tail are the few stage settings, and
the sneering dialogue, which emanates
from the lips of the man at the mere
sight of the wife whom he once loved.
but who now only bores him
The wife too has her own peculiar
dramatic rich. She needs no position
putting, for she is, in uctuatlty SIS
ter Of the Dowager Countess Won
Krochow and is widely known in so
ciai circles, throughout Virginia. Geor-
gia. South Carolina, and even among
~f of
According 10 her own story, she - the
typical. faithful. patient. long suffer
ing. devoted wife, whose very soul
shuddered as she saw her husband
growing daily more cold toward ner.
the wife who sent up silent prayers
for guidance that she might bring
back the sweetheart of her youth, but
in vain
And SO the complaint: goes on,
through eyesy shuddering details.
COUGHING and playing shadow lights
on the dark places of two who have
found after years, that they are mis-
mated.
Infidelity And Cruelty.
he principal allegations contained
in this new bill have already been
made public. but here they are given
an added interest in that trey are
not set forth in duh legal verbiase.
III y
And stripped of the adjecttures and
finely turned phrases. the whole thing
at once becomes earthly, sortiid, smell
ing of the faint OF the beast Briefly.
Mr.. Tenney is accused CT infideltty
and cruel treatment. Evidence as TO
the first charge. Mrs. Tenney declares
was brought to her initial notice in
Spartanburg, y. c.. several years ago.
Then there are related the story of
aS IN
the West, concerning which all tina
previous charges are repeated and ann
plified.
Following this Is the charge that Mr..
Tenney attempted to rob his wife of
her good nanse. engaging private de-
tectives, who were instructed to lose
opportunity to shame her.
This was done. it is charged, in
order that the husband might escape
paying her alimony, or that, falling in
this, the amount would at least be
small.
Mr.. Tenney is accused OF wishing
to rid himself of the wife of his youth
in order that he might wed woman
who alleged to have been his COM
panion on WESTERN trip. He Is
charged with having admitted this to
his daughter. Now the wife of Till
man Bunch. of South Carolina. cousin
OF United States Senator Ben TILL
man.
With thrilling detail Mrs. Tenney de-
scribes her visit to her husbands hotel
apartment. during his absence. On
that occasion. she says she discov-
cred q huge pocket of letters written
him by many women. all bearing out
the infidelity charges.
The amended bin was filed before
Judge +. III. Wells. sitting for Judge
NH fa E.,t..a
interests are now being looked after by
attorney William l.. Royal.
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