New-York tribune., 1920-06-24
MOdiste Seeks
To Clear y anne
Ia Reid Divorce
Nine. Ceorgette Asks Re.
opening of Suit of ''Tin
Plate King" to Defend
Her II eput tati o n
Says Servants Hated Her
Coached Actress Wife in
Social Usages, She Says
in Court Application

Nine. Georgctte de la Plante, modiste
to wealthy women, in whose honor the
silk known as georgette was named,
appeared through counsel in the Su-
preme Court yesterday in defense Of
nor good name. The French woman,
mentioned only as Nine. Georgette, was
the correspondent whose alleged mis-
conduct with Daniel G. Reid Tin Plate
A'ng" enabled Mrs. Mabel Carrere
keid, formcl chorus girl, to obtain
divorce recently.
Nine. Georgctte applied to the Su-
nreme Court yesterday to have the
Reid case reopcncd, so that she can
testify in contradiction of the evidence
given by the servant witnesses for Mrs
held' ana on which the court decided
the wife was entitled to decree.
Nine. Gcorgette complains that she
was unaware that she was to figure in
the divorce case, as she was never
served with any papers, being in
France at the time.
Was Social Preceptress
Nine. Gcorgette says she was the
Vlctlm OF the resentment felt toward
her by servants in the Reid home. She
says she acted as social preceptress
tore Mrs Reid married the "Tin Plate
King her society experience was some
Wnat limited, while Nine. Georgette
had a much wider knowledge of social
amenities.
The story is that Mrs. Reid request
ed the modste to act as her adviser
One Of the first things that the French
woman did was to suggest that the
women servants of the Reid menage
discard the evening dresses they we're
accustomed to wear. She suggested for
them tatfeta silk dresses without frlls
and buttoned to the neck, sort of
servant uniform. This idea was
adopted by Mrs. Reid and Nine. Georg-
cite says the servants never forgave
her. Thereafter she was just Chat
Frenchwomen to them, her petition
declares.
Nine. Georgcttc said Mr.. Reid was
brought to her shop in West Fifty
sixth Street in September, 1918, by a
prominent society woman. Within the
next two months Mrs. Reid bought
lingerie valued at $4,000 from the
modiste. Subsequently, it is alleged,
Mrs. Reid brought her husband to the
shop and spoke in praise Of Nine
Gcorgctte.
The story told by witnesses at the
trial Of the Reid divorce, which Mr.
Reid did not defend. was that, in De
cembcr, 1913, Mrs. Reid departed for
Atlantic City. Nine Georgette accom-
panied her to the train, after which, it
was testified, the modiste returned to
the Reid apartment and remained there
throughout Mrs. Rcid's absence, which
continued about q week. During this
time, it was alleged, Mr.. Reid was
much in the company Of Nine. Georg-
ettc.
BIamcs Servants Anger
Nine. Georgettc's version is that
Mrs Reid requested her to postpone a
contemplated trip to France until she,
Mrs. Reid, returned from Atlantic
city. Mrs. Reid is quoted as saying
that unless Nine. Gcorgette agreed to
take over the management of the Reid
bone in her absence she would be de
prived of her first vacation in three
years. 1t was only upon the earnes,
solicitation of her patron, said Nine
Georgette, that she was induced to un-
dcrtake this mission, which, Mrs. Reid
said, would place the Reid family un-
der an everlasting debt of grattudr,' -
and for which service she would be
we'll compensated
Nine. Georgctte did postpone her
trip, She says, and did manage things
=, the Reid homo, but declares that
while she was there Mrs. Henry J. Top
ping, of Greenwich, Conn, a sister of
Mr.. Reid, and Mrs. Carrere, mother Of
Mrs. Reid, also lived in the apartment.
Inc testimony at the divorce trial,
Nine: Georgette says, was due to the
inimical attitude of the servants was
untrue and reflection upon her good
namo and reputation, which she insists
should be corrected on the coui.
records