The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-18
Mems Hearts Were Toys for Famous
English Beauty and Social Vampire
When Mrs. 'Nancy" Atherton Killed Herself London Last
Week Britsins Nobility Breathed Easer-a Life of Sordd
Love Affairs Ended in Tragedy-Army Officers
Wooed, Won and Despised Her-Wives


cur e
When "Mrs. Arthur Eliot shot
herself Tuesday night in London, few
recognized under that name Mrs.
Nancy, Anterior. a famous beauty
in English society and notorious for
her reckless flirtations with young
English officers at Cape Town dur
ing the Boer war.
1t was she, DR.. Treves meant when
he complained of "a plague of
women" in South Africa. 1t was she
who toyed with the heart Of the
young Duke Of Westminster and
perhaps did as much to spoil his life
as IL he had married her. 1t was she
who was suing another young officer,
Capt. Reginald Yarde-Buller, after
ward Lord Churston, for breach or
promise, when Westminster stepped
into the breach, and to escape
being called as a witness to her
character, is suspected of paying a
sum almost as large as he had paid
to prevent a similar suit in his own
case, with the. same lady for plain
tiff.
1t was she who was named as re-
sponsible for the suit for divorce
brought by the American actress,
wife of a young Scotch laird, John
Alexander Stirling, and 1t has been
she on such a variety of occasions
when wives have asked for redress
that she became known as 1.-THE per-
petual respondent"
Husband Held in Scorn.
The British army, with its own
wings pretty generally singed,
laughed in derision whenever new
victim came within range OF Mrs.
Atherton's magnetism. 1t pointed the
finger of scorn finally at her husband,
declaring he must be benefitting n
nancially by the suits he permitted
his wife to settle out of court for
consideration.
Col. Atherton talked OF divorce
suit at the time Of the Westminster
scandal. but nothing came of it. and
II was not until several minor cpl
sodes had interviewed and the Yarde-
Butler affair came to light that he
brought suit.
Meanwhile Mrs. Atherton, who, In
spite OF her extraordinary beauty and
high birth (she is a sister OF Sir
Aubrey Dean auD is described as
belonging to a type made familiar to
scientists in Lombrosos book, "Fe-
male Offenders" had followed Yarde-
Butler home from South Africa just
as she did the Duke OF, Westminster
shortly before. The captain ms the
meantime had secretly married the
charming actress, Miss Denise Orme.
They lived in a fiat in West Kensing-
ton. All unaware that her erstwhile
swain was enjoying a honeymoon,
Mrs. Anterior, sure of herself and OF
the weakness Of man, secured the
CAPTAINS address and sent him an in
vitation to call upon her.
He did not come. The next day
another invitation was sent. Still, no
captain. So that evening Mrs. Ather--
ton made her way to the fiat In South
Kensington, fully intending to sur
prise her lover into the welcome he
had not yet given her.
A maid admitted her. Captain and
Mrs. Yarde- Butler have gon to the
theatre" she said.
Mrs. Yarde- Buller!" exclaimed
the caller. "You make mistake.
Capt. Yard Butler is not married"
"Oh. no, indeed, lady, he has been
married three weeks" the maid said.
The woman paled and stiffened.
Lombroso would have known pre-
cisely what she was likely to do. She
refused to leave the house and when
the captain and his bride returned
two hours later they were confronted
by such a spectacle of "a woman
scorned" as they have not seen since.
It was a veritable mad scene, and
| the police were very nearly called
| in to quiet the utter ferocity Of the
woman who had failed again to get
| her way.
In Love for the Moment.
There can be no doubt from the In
| cidents recounted OF her and the confl-
| dences she is reported to have made
| to acquaintance, that she did believe
! herself in love with her victims for the
! moment, although she did not hesitate
| to take their money sfterward But
! her breach of promise suits were I'M
! douhtedly largely the result of a venge-
/ full spirit and hurt vanity.
When the wife OF John Alexander
| stirling tried to show that she was en-
| titled to a divorce from her husband
! because of his relations with Mrs. Ath-
/ erton. she related how he had intro
| duced Mrs Atherton to her at Cla-
! ridges. He had asked her, she said,
J 10 be friend TO Mrs. Atherton because
/ she was lonely and deserted since her
/ divorce from Col. Anterior and the
| failure of her breach OF promise suit
| against Yarde- Butler
II would have been suspicious" tes-
/ tilted Mrs. Stirling. ''had she not de-
/ clared that Yarde- Butler was the only
man she could ever love"
! So the Strings and Mrs Atherton
and Lord Northland, with whom Mrs.
| Stirling seems 10 he more than half in
| love, went to Paris for a pleasure trip,
| leaving the Stirling baby behind in
England. When the Scotch Judge
summed up the case afterward. he
waxed philosophical over the pathetic
plight of the two women, between
whom a singularly close friendship
seems TO have suddenly arisen-one of
them high born and hiGh bred hut of
demnnincal character. the niher living