The Washington times., 1920-05-03
COUNTESSINJA|L
ON ARSON CHARGE
Beautiful Dvorcee Held With
Husband, A. e r. Officer,
In Maine City.

BANGOR, Me-, May a.-countsss ..
Hermance Grstnor de Beck. who star
tied this town by her beauty and r-ch
display OF jeweiry, furs and nnery
when she came here last year as the
bride OF George L. Nelson. former
lieutenant OF engineers In the A f. r..
was arrested yesterday and, with her
husband. held in $4,000 bail for az
animation by the grand jury on
charge OF arson. The countess Is said
TO have confessed TO the crime to the
district attorney before her arraign-
ment. The maximum penalty for the
alleged offense is twenty years i'm
prisonment
The career OF the countess has
abounded in romance, with Paris,
London. Vienna and other European
cities as the back ground. A few years
ago she was the wife OF Count de
Beck. a Hungarian diplomat. with
whom she lived life of luxury In
London. She either divorced him or
he divorced Iher-at any rate, she was
living In Paris during the later days
Of the world war.
Came t. Marry Officer.
1t was while coming to the United
States to marry an officer OF the old
Sixty-ninth infantry. whom she had
met In France. that the Countess met
Nelson. Heswas returning with his,
command. Zine spring nights on the
Atlantic, plus the ardent wooing of the
young officer, soon caused the coun-
tess to change her marriage plans.
Nelson and the countess presently
appeared in Bangor, and Nelson's
courtship. together with the alluring
mystery surrounding the countess,
soon made them the cynosure of the
town. Last October the marriage
took place in the public parlors OF the
Bangor House, and shortly afterward
Nelson brought his wife to Carmel. q
small village, nine miles distant. to
make their home.
Here the life of comfort to which,
1t is reported. the countess had al
ways been accustomed ceased abrupt
ly. For the house in which her SOL
der husband installed her was indeed
short of being a mansion, in fact. 1t
lacked even the common conveniences
Yet, oddly enough. the couple semed
so deeply in love that even the harsh
ness Of life in the little Maine village
did not alter their attachment.
Thrilling Rescue Teld.
At 3 o'clock on the morning Of
March 4 last the shack went up in
flames. The couple went to a neigh
bor's home for a few days, where
escape from cremation. The countess
1T seemed, had been the heroine.
pet AnGora kitten had awakened her
by wildly clawing her face. She found
the house completely ablaze. She
aroused Nelson, and he, finding the
key mislaid, hurled her through a
second story window, where she
landed without a mishap in q snow
bank. He then followed with an arm.
full of belongings, including the An.
CORA kitten.
The scene now shifts to the agency
in Bangor where Nelson and his bride
had taken out insurance on their
home and contents-mostly on the
contents. They had tried to get
500 1000 insurance by describing the
contents as large quantity of
women's &C tly finery, furs, rich rugs
and laces g.. few valuable paintings,
and Der of diamonds and pearls.
nIunbles Were Brought.
Inv cstigation by the insurance COM
pany has disclosed that the Countess
actually did bring from London with
her, costly articles. 1t is known they
sold at least $4,000 worth OF dia-
monds in Bangor. Nelson tried to
sell an expensive wrist watch to
Mayor Woods.
Destruction Of such property in the
ramshackle little dwelling in Carmel
struck the insurance company as
incongruous. Inquiries have resulted
in the discovery, 1t Is said, of evil
dence that almost all of the valua-
bles were removed before the blaze.
Only 4 number of cheap things
bought by Nelson on the install
ment plan and never paid for, were
destroyed, the insurance company
alleges.
Sheriff Fernandez traced the couple
to Boston with warrant and
brought them back to Bangor. Resi-
dents are now looking forward with