The Washington times., 1918-02-10
PROSPERITY .
RUINED THEIR
BLISS,DNORCE.
. BILL ASSERTS.
o., rirl,. isn't It touch:

feminine heart G-nuttsr, whose mar
row escapes from = horrible death at
the hands of the VIIIain-curr-rse
ihir!-have wrunE many a gasp Of
fsar from thousands OF pretty throatS
In the movie theaters OF this country
and others, whose masculine beauty
has drawn thousands OF mash-letters
from girls all over the world
That same Francis Xavier Bush
nan is O married man!
And. not alone that but he has ave
children! .
And add to that that his wife seeks
q divorced
lsgss, IN the papers she has neld IN
the circuit court at Towson, Nd, that
lEushman has been living in an ex-
pensive New York apartment with
woman member of his company. whose
nsms, Of course. ts not mentioned.
Now, isn't that heree?
Mrs. BuGhman's divorce suit has re-
veaIsd what the actor himself has
tried to keep. sscrst-yery sueeess-
fully, too-for years. The fact that
he Is married would have hurt him
professionalIy.- In other words, II the
thousands Of admiring fans through
out the country knew their hero,
Francis X, had q wife and Ave little
Bushmans at home in Green Spring
Valley, Md.-WeIl, il might have hurt
Francis X'I $1,000 per year. But now
the cats out Of the bag. so were going
to tell you all about Mr.. Bushman's
family history.
Comes from Norfolk.
In the first place. he is q native Of
Norfolk, Va
At the age Of four years. he and his
family went to Baltimore. There he
FIRST became an actor when he played
the mob-or part OF it-in a scene in the
Lady Of LyonS- His sister, you see,
was the Lady herself. and as a social
fevor to Francis. she rang him in as one
q the mob.
That settled Franciss career.
After taking q course III Amendale
College, Maryland, he BrRnched out into
the histrionic line, inserted the Y in his
name where he had never used It before.
10 make il look nicer. and set out TO
become the nations super-matinee-idol.
He started on the legitimate stage. re-
Esrding the movies as a joke-for they
were, in thoss days
John AIbauEh gave him a Job at his
Baltimore Opera House. where he play
sd with Fawcett and Percy Haswell. a
Washington stock fayorite. for a season
o. two. Then he went on tours with
ssvsrsl companies. and gained some
fame.
Finally bs reached Camden. n. J..
where he took the step that made him
famouS There he was offered a posi-
ton with the Essanay Company in the
movie business at a salary double that
he was gettinE on the stage. Francis
jumped at Il. but only intended to stay
FOR week or two, stin regarding the
whole thing a. q Joke.
gust Couldn't yQuit.
But the joke vas on BushmAn-for he
became % famoOS that he just couldn't
quit the movies. And he's been there
ever gincG
His hrSt pleture. Lost Years." which
depicts him in ne role Of q man who
served % yOGF1 IA prison for something
he never ola. made such q hit that the
BssGnay Company promptly tackled a
few more figures on his salary euvelop
rnis hAppened several times, and finally
Bushman became probably the best
known movie star in America.
Then came 1e1&-Eolden year for
Francis 4
1t was IN Shls year that the nation
wide moViO-Idol popularity contest
was run OF, and IN II, Francis X
po1led Q majority OF 634, 900 votes over
his nearest competitor for the title of
the most popular motion picture
actor. Jast think Of t--in q total of
100000. 900 people In the United States
about 90, ,oO0, 900 signihed their desires
Hs TO who wa TO be the leading
man In = play where the hero was
the ideal young American. And out
Of this avalanche Of 6o,00o 900 votes
Francis K Bushman'B 634,O00 ma
5ority proclaimed him the king Of
photoplsyers.
Add all the time he wAs married.
In Wilmington, Del, on June 2
1902-EiKtesn years GgoI CThInk Of It,
EirlE)-he was married. At that time
Francis made more or less money at
odd Jobs, and MrS. B. helped increase
,he family income by working beTSelf
sue stated IN her suit
They lived happily for q long time,
but finally prosperity butted in, and
ruin@d domestic felicity, she declares.
IN 1913 Bushman bought Bush Manor.
az Green Spring Valley, Nd, afts1
spending many months at studios in
California where he made some Of
his most famous pictures.
says Conduct Was UnbearabIe.
Before the purchase she had noticed
"haaEes in Francis attitude toward
her, and after the home was bought.
sGe alleges. this unbearable conduct
became aggrayatinR. He even became
extremely cruel and brutal" says the
wife.
His visits to Bush Manor. she al
l"gss, became more and more In
f.equent, and finally the star showed
he greatest indifference toward his
'fe and i've children: Ralph B.. mr.
teen: Josephine F.. thirteen: Virginia
=, twelve; Leonors c. nine, and Frank
T.. seven
To top OF her charges, Mrs. Bush
nan asserts thst her husband rented
large and expensive apartment In
%ew York and has continued 70 live
there for the greater part OF his time.
occupying the apartment with a mem
her OF the company with which he
Is engaged. The name OF this mem.
her. Mrs. Bushman does not reveal
She also stated that Francis had
the nerve TO bring this Objectionable
person to Bush Manor on several oc-
cssiong. which seemed to peeve her
more than anything else, for she lays
Z. ~ stress On This point IN her pa