The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-02-17
WOMAN FINANCES
PRINCES SUIT and
LOSES her MONEY
Noblewoman Declared by Wit
nesses to Be a Former Paris
Beauty Doctor.

Paris. Feb. l6.-Mlle. Wunelnnitid
Kemper's suit against the Countess OF
clare and Count Ladislaus Zoltynski is
ga stly interesting to those gossips who
ore rude enough to say that Ameri-
cans are ever ready to exchange their
daughters and dollars for a title and
position"
For Mile. Wilhelmina frankly says
that the bait held before her was the
marriage of Prince Victor, Of Turin.
and Taxis. nephew Of the Austrian IN
neror, to an immensely wealthy Amer
ican girl. Mile. Wilhelmina adds h a
che snapped at the bait. agreed to
arance the princes wooing and adj
vanced s120, 900. Immediately after the
marriage Mile. Wilhelmina was to be
repaid with tremendous interest.
she is suing the English countess
and the Polish court for obtaining
500, 900 by false ~pretenses. 1t Is not
even limited that Prince Victor knew
of the financial transaction.
Ths most contradictory testimony Is
being given at the trial Of the suit.
which Is the more interesting because
II is strongly suspected The Countess
of Clare Is not a countess at all, but
blanche Leigh, who used to nave a
beauty shop on the Rue de la Paix.
The countess, II she be one, admits that
she looks very much like Blanche
Leigh.
Count Has Elegant Manners.
Mile. wilhelmina describes Count
Ladislaus Zoltynski as a dapper gentle
man. who wears a monocle and has
most elegant manners. She says he
,told her in 1905 that his friend. Prince
Victor, was hard up" and had to mar
ry an immensely wealthy girl.
He has picked out an American, be-
cause they are willing to pay h high
est price for titles" she quotes Zoltyn-
ski as saying. "The marriage Is as
good as arranged, but the prince needs
money to conclude the affair success
Mile. wilhelmina was not averse to
being of service to royalty, but being
cautious, she demanded some security
before loaning her money. Then, she
swears, Count Zoltynski took her to the
Countess of Glare, an English woman
who resides in a fine house on the fash
ionable Avenue du Bots de Boulogne
Wilhelmina, AYERS. too, that n Geiger
secretary Of the countess, told her the
countess arranged the marriage be-
tween Anna Gould n Count Bon
de Castellane.
The countess reeled off a list Of hei
lltIcu lOIlh uitii AhitOs w =
ears buzzed. But still cautious she de-
handed something more than titles fol
her money. Count Zoltynski old hei
he owned a fabulously rich magnesium
mine at Ivanowski, Russia. and gave
her as collateral for the loan stock ir
the mine worth 1920, 900, as he said.
Prince Married Chorus Girl.
Mile. Kemper handed over the money
which was her entire fortune. She
IA g. a. 49, 4x,a
wedding. Prince Victor went to Amer
lea and returned, not with a million.
saire bride. but with a fascinating but
e~xtravagant chorus girl. Mile. VIII.
helmina, distracted, made inquiries. Sht
was dismayed, h says. to find thai
the Countess of Clare was Blanche
Leigh, the beauty doctor Of the Ru,
de la Paix, who failed for a million
francs In 1901. She was stounde Il
learn that Count Zoltynski did not owl
a magnesium mine.
A half dozen witnesses Identified thu
Countess Of Glare as Blanche Leigh.
IT am the Countess Of Clare" sale
the English woman, land 1 can prov,
my identity easily when the tim'
comes"
"Oh. don't say that, Madam" ex
she was a masseuse in Blanche Leigh
beauty parlor." IT know you. I shall
never forget how kind you were to al
Of u.s."
II repeat that I am the Countess o
Clare said the witness.
rs that you last word?" asked TIL
Judge warningly. Remember you ar
under oath and in a court Of Justice"
Persists She IL Countess.
II have spoken said the woman Z"
am the Countess of Clare"
Later she said with great assurance
II never kept a beauty shop. Blanch
Leigh married my husbands cousin
She annoyed me greatly sometimes b,
personating incorporating herself a
the Countess of Clare"
Several persons testified that the,
knew both the Countess of Clare an
Blanche Leigh, and that the two WON
en- look very much alike.
The court seemed to be lost In tn
maze OF conflicting testimony.
Other witnesses swore that Coun
zoltynski Is incapable Of entering int
any shady transaction, and that he ha
an option for the purchase Of the mi
whose shares he pledged with Mile
Kemper. Count de Bearn declare
Count Zoltynski to be of unblemishe
reputation.
Burke's Peerage records that Richar
Hobart Fitzgibbon, third Earl O
Clare, died In 1864. when the It'll
became extinct, and that the earl
only son. a bachelor, was killed at tn
battla NJ R~alaplaya I'm 1874