Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-25
DANCERS SUIT may
CLEAR OLD MYSTERY.
IVAN Fontaln's Ex-Husband, a
\ Sailor, Was Shot to Death
5. In Texas
ne KNEW ABOUT WHITNEY

N Evan Burrows Fontnin's life OF a
former sailor in the United States Navy
~ /. time when "Sonny" Whitney,
sc,on Of millions and social prestige
was declared by her to be the nls
love- of her life. may be explained by
the Oriental dancer when she returns
here from the Pacific coast this week.
There is possibility. also. that a
move nav be made for new investl-
cation into the sudden and mysterious
death of the suitor, Sterling l.. Adair,
IN Houston. Texas. The coroner said 1t
was suicide. but others limited it was
murder. Miss Fontain is said to nave
intimated that she believed this latter
theory. go, -
Adair entered into the girls life In
1920. the year in which she says
''Sonny" wooed her ardently. and dur
inr n time when she declared "she
would not be untrue TO Whitney iur
81. 900. .OOO" Adair was her husband.
although Miss Fontain said the former
eailor was married before, and that
his first marriage still was in legal
force when she became his wife.
At all events. Miss Fontain says
''Sonny' gave her money to get her
marriage to Adair dissolved. The decree
Of annulment was issued in New York
= IN July, 1920.
Boys Parcntsge In Doubt
The girls baby, whose father, Miss
Fontain asserts, is sonny" was born
i've months after the annulment.
Adair's name appeared again in her
life's history, IN January. 1921. when
he was found dead with bullet hole
in his brain. In his pockets were papers
indicating that he was in communica-
tion with lawyers here who were In
interested in the charges made against
Whitney.
II Miss Fon.nin did question how
Adair met death. she kept it secret. and
: never offered evidence to the effect that
her former husband had been slain.
Tho case was dropped after the
coroner had reached his verdict, and
little was added at that time to the
notoriety the dancer already had won.
Nothing was plain about Fawn Evan
when she reached New York but her
name and she soon changed that. She
came from away down in Texas, in the
sagebrush country. not far from the
Mexican border. Mother came to New
. fork with her. after Fawn began to
reckon up the financial possibilities of
her nimble toes. and both mother md
daughter proved to be good business
women.
The veracious chronicler counts
1awn's years as twenty three. The
little town Of Waco, which in child
hood days figured in many tbriliInc
stories of the wilder and woolier West
n1d the honor Of being her birthplace
Inc story Of Fawn's life relates thot
sne engaged Waco dancing master
wnen the dancing craze began TO make
Ns vouthtul and less youthful votarics
run around in eccentric circles A..
parently dancing was not dif;cuIt ar,
Tor Fawn. Anyhow she soon odmtt,nd
sne was good enough to go to New Yorl
and she went. ~
Change Of Scene and Name. Too
1t was then that the beautifu, md
Ssce1uI Fawn adopted the name NJ
ivan burrows Fontaine, which eyi.
aently she thought was classier. Dane.
ing masters more expensive than those
vi waco now began to figure in her
spuhk NE and as she gained in skill
she began to seek an avenue fnr bor
talents: She found 1t through Groen.
wien Village, where nightly folks who
are credulous. and bit romantic 70.
sort IN the belief that they are visiting
Montmartre that has been transjo rod
from Its Paris setting-and not expur.
gated in the translation.
IN the village one night Fawn-or
6van-saw dancer known az ia
belle Gomez although her real name
Gidn suggest anything Spanish.
Gomez danced dance that was called
tne ran Of Eve. which had brought
her the great publicity consolation of
being arrested. Evan saw her reneat
the dance in the village in an atmos.
pheric restaurant with sawdust on the
noor and trained spiders who earned
. tnslr keep by spinning artistic cobwebs
over everything.
Evan felt 'inspired'' BY what she
saw. If Gomez" could get awav with
1t, she could. She got away With il
amazingly. A skillful press agent man
aged to create the impression that her
aahces were awfully highbrow. in a
= loWprow sort of way. Her successes
were we're not scored in the Village, however.
Sne got an engagement. at the Palals
Royal. and inspired its patrons with a
new interest in Egyptian mythology.
Had Clever Press Agent
Here, 1t Is said, Sonny" saw her
and hrst fell for her. Her press agent
was as nimble- witted as Fawn was
nimble- footed, and she "got across big
IN the newspapers.
rio Eesie'd' whose Judgment Is
rather highly thought of in matters of
Pulchritude' saw Fawn and put her in
= the follies. This was in 1919, when she
has told the world she met Sonny
Whitney.
All TINS time her mother was close
6y, meeting her daughter ut the stage
door and going all places with her.
IN the Nine O'clock Revue" Fawn
made another hit with the tired business
man, whose eyes and elbow do not share
IN his general lassitude. Fawn and
sonny, as every one who can read
> KNOWS already, got along so beautifully
that they were as good as married. ac-
cordins TO her story, but Sonny S"
folks didn't like it. None the less
:. Broadway. which doesn't usually con-
slider marriage 4 necessary arrangement
where the pretty girls nice young man
has plenty of money, felt that Fawn
was more to be envied than ptied.
-. The annulment of her marriage, the
death of her former husband and the
birth OF her baby, now eighteen months
old, followed. Fawn set up house
keeping, with her mother and baby in
the menage. She kept right on dancing
The Broadway Brevites Ball in 1921
yielded her the loving cup as the "most
popular girl awarded by a board Of
q artist judges. Fawn returned then to
dancing in the cabarets. She was away
5 In Cleveland for month in 1921,
dancing, she said when she came back,
because she 'needed the money"
~ 1t was at this time that Fawn began
her suit against sonny" which was
kept out of the newspapers until re-
/. Gently. She kept right on dancing and
appeared in Philadelphia a few weeks
40 with the "Spice of 1922" Then the