New-York tribune., 1921-12-15
Mrs. Couraud
Is Defendant in
Alienation Suit
Mrs. Elizabeth Scl1ill Causes
Arrest of Her Lawyer ON
Charge Resulting FromAc-
ton to Obtain 100000
Forced to Sign, She Says
Statement Obtained, Plain.
tiff Alleges, Exonerated
Mrs. Couraud of Blame

John c. Oldmixon, an attorney, with
Offices at 395 Broadway, was arrested
late yesterday afternoon by Detective
Fator, of Police Headquarters, charged
by Mrs. Elizabeth Schill with extortion.
He was released last night at 10 o'clock
on bail of $4,000 furnished by the
National Surety Company
Mr.. OldmiXon was apprehended in his
own office. Mrs. Schill accompanied the
detective and Hartford r. Marshall, of 2
Rector Street, her attorney, when the
arrest was made. The accused lawyer
was taken to Police Headquarters,
where he was locked up. He declared
the charge against him constituted an
attempt at blackmail
1t was learned later that the arrest
resulted from q suit filed by Mrs.
Schill in the Supreme Court recently. in
which she charged Princess Alexandra
Miskinoff, better known in New York
as Mrs. Aimee crocker Gouraud, with
alternating the affections of her hus-
band, Bruno Schill.
Refuses to Give Details
Mr.. Oldmixon represented the in
terests of Princess Miskinoff, and Mrs.
Schill charged that a statement re-.
Gently signed by her in the attorneys
office exonerating the princess and
branding her husband as fugitive
| from justice had been extorted from
her under threats. Attorney Marshall,
representing Mrs. Schill, refused to
discuss the details Of the case last
night. He said it would be threshed
out in court
When released from the lock-up last
night Mr.. Oldmxon issued statement
in which he related that Mrs. Schill had
visited his Office and signed the state
complaint of her own volition.
81 am acting as attorney for Prin-
cess Miskinoff," said the lawyer "She
was being sued by Mrs. Schilling for
alienation of her husbands affections.
We were prepared to defend that
charge.
"On December 8 Mrs. Schill came
voluntarily to my Office with man
who she said was in her employ
She told me it had just been brought
to her knowledge that her husband
was d fugitive from justice.
"She told me that this changed her
whole attitude toward Princess Mis-
knoff, who she referred TO as Mrs
said, that her husband had not gone
away with Mrs. Gouraud, but had, in
fact, gone away for his own protec-
ton. She wished to withdraw the
charges she had made against my
client.
81 asked her what she wanted to do
about it, and she said it was her wish
to discontinue the suit she had begun.
She wanted action taken in the matter
Immediately. | asked her to bring her
attorney in or send him to me the next
day. She replied that the lawyer was
out of town and she would attend to
the matter herself.
"On that understanding she then and
there signed papers completely exon
Grating my client. She expressly stip-
ulated that the suit for $1O0 900 she
had brought against Princess Miskinoff
should be discontinued"
Member of Crocker Family
The name of Princess Miskinoff or
Mrs. Gouraud has not been so fire.
quently in print of late as it was up
to the time she divorced her fourth
husband, Prince Miskinoff, five years
ago. She is a member of the wealthy
CrOcker family OF California. Her
father was Edwyn Bryant Crocker,
who amassed millions in the early
days of the West.
Bruno Schill, whose absence from
his home in New York resulted in the
suit against Princess Miskinoff, is said
by the police to have been an official
OF steamship company, with head
quarters in lower Broadway. He IS
reported to have lett town about
thirty days ago.