The Washington times., 1920-06-27

have every chance and that no grandchijd.
to-be should be born under proper condt.
tions.
There had never been a divorce ia tho
French family until Elsie Freneh Wander.
bilt, aunt of Mrs. Polly French Wsgstah,
divorced the late Alfred Vanderbilt That
was quite shock to great many people,
who expected both Trenches aud Wander
bilts to set an example of fashioned
conventional domesticity. The divorce
contagion was then beginning to work
Even at that time Elsie's brother Amos
Tuck French, was living apart from his
wife, and there were rumors of trouble.
Mrs. French, who was born a LIE Roy.
would not divorce her husband it was said,
because she had been married nearly
thirty years and divorces were considered
beth vulgar and wrong by the lie Roy
family.
After the Vanderbilt expose and with
the passing of another year or two indica-
tions showed that her mental attitude was
changing. Mrs. French began to hold
more emancipated IDEAS about divorce.
and while necessarily dislilIing publicity
she realized that little more would not
damage the French family, and So in 1914.
she entered suit in the Newpct cyurt.
Shortly after getting his free 1on Amos
Tuck French married Miss Martha G.
Beeckman, sister of Livingstoo Hsealman.
Governor of Rhode Island
Then began whispers tina Ir Sam
Wagstaffs were headed for the rocks.
Outward peace, however. was preserved
until 1918. when things bega TO happen
thick and fast and fate handed the
Trenches a double heavy nl1v. Ned
French eloped with Miss HARRINGTON, the
telephone operator Julia lc her Ger
agility domicile and chauffeur sban7 ana
went home to her mother vii ..~ v1uuE
SON.
Following her mothers e1 aole Mrs
Geraghty brought suit in tlo Newport
courts, and in December 10 won her
freedom.
In the meantime her broth ~ Ned's NJ
fair had reached its climax. ,Iis ulltri-
monial career was short an tragic one,
Married in the Summer of 1913 his ro-
nance filed the newspapers aaj the Cos.
sips ears for several weeks. As we know.
his bride left him more thar once. then
he enlisted in the tank service q. the army
and went to camp After the arm stioe he
secured a job in Chicago. its mother
then reconciled him to his wi end she
was with him when he dice II. August,
1919
What young Mrs. French's future will
be is an interesting problem. Mrs French
will see that she suffers no pau.s Of pov.
erty and also that Edward, junior, re-
ceives every care and comfort lie will
be educated and trained for ,oIDe proIps.
sion and all that sort of thing The amaz.
ing part Of this mix-up is that Mrs. French
has two helpless grandchildrnu on her
hands-the son Of Jack Geraglty au' the
offspring of her own son.
Considering their birth and eli TIA! rent
before, II is hard to predi', wh,s the
future holds for these unlucky youngsters
The divorce complex may find susceptible
in them, but again, 50 di.
verse are the strains of their blood, they
may prove absolutely conventional Kind.
hearted friends OF the family are hopin,
for the best.
Last Summer Mrs. Elsie French Ngr.
derbilt, who also lives o large pait OF n,
year in Newport, added romance to E..
family history by her surprising marriage
with a poor young naval officer, EnsigT
Paul Fitz Simon, some ten years her junior.
And ther, this Summer, her niece. Mrs.
Saupel Wagstaff the author of the fatefnl
g gufcant essay on obsolete Man"
iengthened tho family divorce recerd by
riddipg herself ~ her husband.