The New York herald., 1921-07-28
PREFERRED DIVORCE
TO OKLAHOMA LIFE
Daughter of Former Cover
nor Haskell of That State
Freed in Strange Action.
NEW YORK LURED HER
Beautiful Wife of Major
Niblack Couldn't Endure
Crude Western Ways.
TRIED THE MOVIES FIRST
Failed to Win Decree Against
Soldier Husband, Then He
Tried and Won.
NEW YORK LURED HER
TRIED THE MOVIES FIRST

Mrs. Frances Haskell Niblack, beau
tiful and brilliant daughter of the first
Governor of Oklahoma, Charles ".
Haskell, is free of the husband who in
sisted that she must live in Okla
homa, the very thought of which made
her faint. Friends of the Haskells,
who live at l West Seventieth street
heard yesterday that one of the strang-
est divorce proceedings on record has
been closed. Mrs. Niblack loses a hus-
band but wins her beloved New York
That was the crux of it. Until 1917
York and traded his Oklahoma halo
for the presidency of one of Harry
F. Sinclair's oil companies, the daugh-
ter, whose beauty and spirit had made
the whole young State gasp, had never
seen Fifth avenue. She was used to
Guthrie. Guthrie, like its rival, Okla
homa City, has its good points, one is
told, but it certainly isn't New York.
Married in 1908. when only slip of
girl. to Leslie G. Niblack. an officer
Of the United States army, Mrs. Nib
lack knew only Guthrie and the joys of
Guthrie. Suddenly she was transferred
to the glories of Manhattan. For her
thereafter Guthrie-Oklahoma-
In blue jeans and smelling of crude
oil-oll derricks--fiivvers-fou story
buildings and the wild dissipation OF
progressive euchre-simply did no.
exist. 1t was a closed cycle.
I'm the Movies for a Time.
wherever she moved Mrs. Niblack
thoroughly enjoyed herself in New
York until the war work urge called
her Thereupon she went into hospital
service here for short time and then
went to France as an A. E. F. nurse
Subsequently she became canteen
worker at Tours. Her friends have said
that the record of convalescents in
cases handled by this nurse was extraor-
dinary. In the meantime. as scenarios
say. Major Niblack, devoted OSlahoman.
had been doing intelligence work in the
morale section of the army and had
finally got across to the Paris Peace
Conference.
Then the Germans caved in and both
Niblacks came back to America. To
tentative suggestions that 1t would be
Guthrie. Mrs. Niblack returned a
spirited no" She said the place made
her i'll. She said that a blind woman
couldn't stand Oklahoma after living
In New York. About that time motion
picture producer. who found her photo
graphs easy to look at offered her
Job at elevating the silent drama. but
she didn't care for the motion picture
work and quit it after three or four
months. Major Niblack continued to re-
mind her that the Guthrie latchstring
was still out for her. Then she sued for
divorce on the ground Of cruelty.
Then the Major Sued.
Coming down to cases. 1t appeared
that the Majors cruelty consisted In
demanding that she abandon New York
and return to Oklahoma. Apparently to
Mrs. Niblack it was very real cruelty
and caused her unusual suffering. But
the hard hearted court couldn't see that
at all, and Judge Charles C. Smith out
In Guthrie denied the iady's plea and
also her petition for division of prop
erty and for the custody of her child
Major Niblack, seeing nothing else to
do, sued In turn. alleging abandonment.
The court saw the facts his way and
gave him a decree. These facts have
keenly interested the numerous friends
and acquaintance of the former Okla
homans.
Mrs. Niblack's father was the big man
Of Oklahoma In his day. almost entitled
20 the credit Of State founder. He went
there thirty years ago, built few rail-
roads. went into politics. made treaties
with the Five Tribes and became first
Governor in 1908. He had a celebrated
controversy with President Roosevelt
over land deals and with William Ran
dolph Hearst. In 1912 he became the
personal counsel 70 Harry F. Sinclair
and in 1917 he organized and became
president of the Middle States Oil Com
pany. At that time be abandoned Okla
horna for New York