The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-15


it to HOODS sARSAPARlLLA,
which relieves sorofula, eczema,
psoriasis, and all blood humors.
don court OF divorce and matrimonial
causes Is to secure from that tribunal
decree establishing the validity OF n
marriage which she contracted before
the registrar of the English seaport
Of Dover, on June Is. 1911. to Duke
Henry of Mecklenburg Schwerin. In
the event of her failing to obtain this
decree from the English courts, she
Will remain an American citizen. both
by her birth and by her first marriage
II is only valid marriage with n
foreigner that would deprive her Of
her American citizenship.
While, of course, ii Is impossible to
speak positively as to what the judg
ment of the London divorce court Will
be tomorrow, 1t is we1l-nigh certain
that 1t will reject her demand. Duke
Henry OF Mecklenburg-S chwern was
at the time Of the marriage ceremony
In Dover two tears ago, and still re-
mains, German citizen. The lady, as
I have just shown, Is not an English
woman, but an American, and II Is ac-
knowleGged that if Duke Henry had
the wedding take place as secretly as
possible. in the registry Office at Dover,
II was because the ceremony could not
be performed in Germany.
There were two insuperabie obstacles
to his being married In Germany In
the first place. as a member Of the
reigning dynasty of Mecklenburg
schwcrin. he could not contract a union
valid In the eyes OF German law with
out the sanction of the chief Of mis-
house. namely, his cousin, the sovereig n
Grand Duke of Mecklenburg- Schwerin.
Then. too. he had. In consequence of
his almost insane extravaganza, and
character. not only been forced to
quilt the German army. but had also
been placed under "curatel' That is
10 say, the German tribunals had
placed all his affairs In the hands OF
a judicial trustee. without whose Of
fetal sanction he could not and cannot
contract obligations Of any kind, fnan-
ciai or matrimonial. person under
curatei Is deprived OF most OF his civil
rights and responsibilities, and is much
In the same position as one mentally
incompetent, that Is to say, com
United lunstic. The dukes marriage,
therefore. being contracted without
the consent or knowledge Of his
trustee. is. ipso facto, invalid In tho
eyes OF the German law.
Now, II the marriage was celebrated
at Dover by the duke and Nine. DE Cas-
quet- flames. who is more than twice
his age, and quite rich. 1t was for the
express purpose Of evading the laws
of the land OF which the-duke Is a Cit
izen, and II Is doubtful, under the cir
cumstances. whether the fortnight
residence of the duke and of the wo-
man at Dover prior to the ceremony.
will be regarded as constituting n legal
domicile in the true spirit of the Eng
lish law.
Nor is II probable that the English
court OF divorce and matrimonial
causes IN London Will care to givo
the seal of its approval to a marriage
which was contracted in England sole
~ for the purpose OF evading German
law, and which constituted an ofrense
in the eyes OF the German tribunals:
that is to say. of the laws of the en-
pire OF which the duke Is a citizen A
union which. moreover, was judiciaiiy
decreed invalid by the German courts
at Rostock
IL Mrs. de Gasquet-James were an
Englishwoman. the London court might
feel disposed TO sympathize with her
cause, and she would have been in a.
better position had she since her mar
riage made her home In England with
the duke. instead of on the contrary;
If. moreover. the duke had Joined her
in her petition. But, as II is. her pros
poets OF success are very faint
There have been several cases In the
past. especially in the days when
French law still required parental
sanction to marriage. when Frenchrnen
came over to England and married
there In order TO evade the laws Of
their own country. But whene, er
these unions were afterwards decreed
to be invalid by the French courts. for
having been contracted In defiance Of
the provisions of French law, the Eng
ish court of divorce and matrimonial
causes has refused to pronounce me
marriage as valid: not even when the
wife was an English woman and had
been deserted
Viscount Mountgarret, having with
In the last three weeks at length OBJ.
tained his discharge from that bank
ruptcy court In London before which
ne was hailed several years ago, will
now be able for tho first time to take
his seat In the House OF Lords at West
minister For. although his viscounty,
which dates from 1850, Is an Irish
nonor, yet his father received, shortly
before his death. barony of the UniteI
Kingdom, on the nomination of Prime
minister Asquith, in order to enable
him to vote in behalf Of the home rule
cause in the House OF Lords.
The present and fifteenth Lord
Mountgarret was not on particularly
good terms with his father, who not
only declined to come to mis- rescue nj
the time of his bankruptcy, but be-
queathed the bulk OF his considera BILE
fortune to his second wife, more than