New-York tribune., 1919-07-10

Lord Northland, an officer in the Foot
guards and son and heir Of the Earl
of Ranfurly.
Mrs. Stirling instituted counter suit
LOT divorce, naming Mabel Louise Ather-
Ton Mrs. Elliott as correspondent. Mrs.
Atherton always denied that her rela-
tlons with Captain Stirling had been i'm
proper although the captain admit
yea that he loved her and it was
Drought out i'll court that they had
visited Paris together and lived at the
same hotel in 1908.
Accused by French Maid
=, 1t was brought out at the trial that
Mrs Atherton had been guilty of i'm
proprletles with several men. though
0n4y one name was mentioned in court.
Earl De La War; was named by Mrs.
Atherton's French maid, Therese Da-
garne, as one who had visited Mrs
Atherton Although ad.nitting that his
nrst wife had divorced him for mis-
conduct, the earl insisted that the
maids story was IAN abominable lie,"
ana that his second wife had abetted
hlm in his interest in seeking for Mrs
Atherton eminent counsel to repre- sent
her IN proceedings against Yarde-
Butler.
Mrs. Atherton received a cigarette
case as present from Lord Northland
for her services as go-between be-
tween him and Mrs. Stirling, it was
said in court, but this Mrs. Atherton
denied. She further denied the testi-
mony of Mrs. Stirling that Mrs. Ather-
ton had done her utmost to drive her
and her husband apart.
Attacked by Mrs. Taylor
Captain Stirling retained sthe upper
hand in his suit, winning it and the
custody of the one child, while Mrs.
Strings petition was denied.
There were many echoes of the trial.
Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Strings mother, &C
cordlng to the story related in court,
gained entrance to Mrs. Atherton's
home while the trial was on and ac-
cused Mrs. Atherton of libelling Mrs.
Stirling. She then sprang at Mrs. Ath-
erton, seized her by the throat and at
tempted to throttle her. The police
were called in and separated the two
women In court they were bound over
to keep the peace.
At the end of the Stirling divorce
proceedings Judge Guthrie, who had
heard the case, scolded the whole set
of principals, assailing all for their
conduct. He characterized Mrs. Ath-
erton as "a lady by birth, fitted natu-
rally and by education to take con-
spicuous place in society, put ostra-
cized by her own wrongdoing from
wholesome people" Judge Guthrie said
all the principals had led selfish and
idle lives; that the mental endowments
of the two women could not be reckoned
as very high, and that the only useful
occupation they could find seemed to
consist of manicuring each others nails
in the days of their friendship.
Mrs. Stirling subsequently married
Lord George Hugo Cholmondeley,
younger son Of the Marquis of Chol-
mondeley
Sued Her Sister-in-Law
Two years elapsed before Mrs. Ather-
ton got into court again. She brought
suit for SANDER in 1911 against her
sisterin-law, Lady Aubrey Dean-Paul,
and then, on the very eve of the hear
ing, the suit was settled out of court.
Mrs. Atherton had seemed determined
to prosecute the suit, coming all the
way from Egypt to Give testimony. But
Lady DeanPaul preferred not to rake
over the ashes of the past, so she re-
tracted all the statements which MH.
Atherton had termed libellous and
agreed to pay all the costs Of the case.