New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-14
Little Word on Register
Betrays Trips with
Agile Blonde
OFTEN DEFENDED
AFFINITY BROTHER
Courtship Letters Used by Ex-
pert to Identify Hand
writing at Hotel.

Affinity Earle's brother, William
Pitt STRIKER Earle, was divorced yes
terday. Il was not Of his seeking but Of
his wife, Mrs. Valerie Damon De Blois
Earle, who objected 20 and named as
correspondent "a beautiful. agile blonde
but who the gazelle-like creature "a
will remain a secret as long as court
seals endure.
Earle is d wealthy clubman. an artist,
poet. amateur playwright, photographer
Of beautiful women and possessed Of
an individual way Of writing the little
word "and." l. was this peculiarly
that made the case against him stick.
David y. Carvaho, handwriting eX-
pert. testified that no one else in the
world but William Pitt Stryker Earle
could have written the entry John
Best and wife" on a certain hotel reg
lister. He disguised bis writing IN
John Best" and in "wife," but the 1t
tie twist in "and" betrayed him.
Frank Hayes, a bell boy, testified
that he remembered the visit Of Earle
and the beautiful, agile blonde because
the tip he received was "a wopper."
Affinity Trait Discovered.
The Earles were married November
Is, 1905, in the Church Of the Divine
Paternity. Il was in 1914 when Mrs.
Earle began TO suspect that her kus-
band was developing an affinity trait.
4 detective, c. J. Shelvey, followed
Earle one night from the Camera Club
10 his rendezvous with the agile one.
The testimony in the case was taken
before Charles Russell. referee, and on
his findings Justice Newburger granted
the decision. Some of Earle's letters
were submitted to the handwriting ex-
pert 10 give him a chance TO become
thoroughly acquainted with Earle's way
Of writing and" One Of them 20
his wife, was as follows:
"You were a dear, sweet little thing
70 me while ! was up there, and ] ap-
preciate II more than you can realize.
Why aren't you always as nice, "a at
tentive, as loving? Won't you try 70 be
after this? For 10 made me the happiest
mortal imaginable. ] love 90 nave a
fuss made over me, and as you say I'm
only baby after all So won't you
baby me and f0ndle me lots when you
come 90 visit Newport?
Forget / am your husband, for the
very word sounds old and austere. Just
think Of me as your adoring Billy,
@cause do, really. Sorry left you so
soon. Tell them I'm in love with them
all-the whole D. family d stands
for dc Blois, of course, and as for
Uncle Bill. he's a peach. The talking
he did 20 me was the turning point,
Just the practical raking over l needed.
With heaps of love and kisses-oh, It's
so hard 20 put love in words Just
feel Woody all over. Your own Billy
Boy"
Earle a Busy Writer.
In 1914 Earle wrote "The Merry
Lunatics," the annual show Of the
students Of Columbia, which he at
tended when he was student. A
more generally read product or his pen
was his defence Of his brother, Ferdi-
nand Pinney Earle, when he was IN the
public eye on account Of his last matri-
monial performance. William PITT
Striker made public the following
screed:
MANY men have been married as
many times as my brother and great
many men have been married more
times than he, and nobody has said
ANYTHING about IT, That is as 1t should
be- Who is fitted 20 step forward and
decide how many times a man may wed
with propriety and just what number
of re-marriages makes a fair game for
the newspapers p
Earle resisted his wife's suit vigor-
ouslv. In the introductory decree
signed yesterday Mrs. Earle is given
the custody Of the two children, Will
lam Pitt Strykor, jr., aged six, and
Valerie dc Blois. five, and 81 500 a year
alimony for life.