The Washington herald., 1914-01-22
AMERICAN WIDOW
SUES FOR TITLE.
Wants Marriage to Duke OF
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Declared Valid.
SHE IS TWICE HIS AGE
Welded in England and Religious
Service Later Was Held in
France. She Ayers.
SHE Is TWICE HIS AGE
c,b,, M me W..hinaton Herald.

sprcial Cable 10 The Washington Herald
London. Jan. 21.-Behind the action
entered In the high courts here as
Countess de Gasquet-James VS.. Duke
of Mecklenburg-Schwer Is sensa-
tional story in-which q royal marriage
is disputed by the family of the Duks
OF Mecklenburg-S -Schwerin. and In
which a wealthy American woman. the
plaintiff. is seeking to prove the valid
ity of the marriage
The Countess de Gasquet-James for
merly was Miss Elizabeth Pratt Tib-
bits, OF New York. She is asking the
English courts to declare valid her
marriage to the Duke of Mecklenburg-
Schwerin, which the countess claims
was performed before a registrar at
Dover. England. A religious ceremony
was performed in France a few days
later.
The defendant is Duke Heinrich Bor-
win Albert Joseph Paul of Mecklen-
burg g-Schwerin, n cousin of the Crown
Prince of Prussia and of the Grand
Duke of Mecklenburg -Schwerin.
The countess states In her suit that she
married Comte de Gasquet James Q
French nobleman, who possessed con-
siderable wealth and owned large estates
in the south Of France and Italy. They
divided their time between America and
Europe until the comte died in 1908.
Inherited . Fortune.
The countess then inherited fortune.
In the early part of 1911 the countess says
she met the Duke Of Mecklenburg-
Schwerin. In the countess own words
'.the duke fell head over heels in love
with me, and many times begged me to
marry him. I refused on many oc-
casions, but he was SO persistent In his
sL.t n fad hig
posal, and the date Of our marriage was
fixed for June Is of the same year.
I'VE went to Dover on June Is, and the
civil ceremony was performed before a
registrar. We were both Catholics and
the duke expressed some doubt as to the
validity of the civil ceremony, so in order
to make doubly sure and to satisfy the
Auke I consented to a religious ceremony
in France, a few days later"
The countess claims that even were the
English civil ceremony void in the eyes
OF the German law. the French cere-
mony certainly would kold good and could
not be thrown over. by the German deci
sion She, however. maintains that the
Dover ceremony is perfectly valid and
intends to prove this contention.
Twice Husba nd's Age.
At the time the marriage occurred the
ouhe was tWenty-sS years Olu Wniie MS
bride was more than twice that age.
The duke was then concerned in bank
ruptcy proceedings which were pending
In the German courts. When the dukes
royal relatives heard of his marriage they
were furious and called family council
which was a stormy affair. The upshot
Of the p1sffAf was the beginning Of an
potion te teyS che 1snarriase declared in
valid. =
The annuilment decision by the Ger
man court was announced on December
7. and two days later II was announced
at Paris that the countess had married
Comte Jacques De Pierrefeu at her
chateau at Dinard, France.
1t was at that time that the countess
three daughters by her first marriage in
stituted suit to restrain their mother from
as executrix of their fathers
estate.
No disposition has been made of these
suits as yet, and IL is the belief that the
is anxious to prove the legality
Of her marriage to the Duke of MeckIen-
burg g-Schwerin, that she may be in a bet
ter position to contest the suit brought by
her daughters.