The Washington herald., 1922-12-04
FORMER DC. BEAUTY
|. WINS 11-YElR SUIT
Hectic Marital Romance of Ida
Wynne Has New Chapter
Added in Court.
GETS CHILD AND MILLIONS
0escribed as One of Most
Beautiful Women in Eng
land or America.
GETS CHILD AND MILLIONS

With thrills Of love and hate. the
romantic matrimonial trials and VI
cissitudes of one OF Americas most
beautiful women. one-time belle Of
Washington. took q new turn yes
terday. with the report from Lon
don Of its latest denouem.nt that
may yet be accentuated with an
other hidden romance in the hectic
life of its heroine.
II is the story Of Mrs. Ida Mar
celle French. nearly divorced wife
Of Capt. Hugh Ronald French. hand
some Irish officer in the Seventh
Dragon Guards. and dauehter =
the late Robert J.-wynne. Post
master General in the Cabinet OF
Theodore Roosevelt.
VICTORY AFTER III YEARS.
The denouement is her victory.
after an eleven-year fight a. gain
custody of her daughter. vaie.., nd
al $4,000 900 estate of her husband.
from whom she obtained a divorce
December 1. 1913. on the grounds
Of cruelty. only to have 1t set aside
April i. 1916. when she was sued
by the Kings proctor.
Shortly after the court annulied
The decree Capt. French was wound
ed seriously In action. She nursed
him back TO health. a dramatic
reconciliation being effected.
NOTED FOR BEAUTY.
In 1916. at the time her divorce
was set aside. the former Washing
ton girl. who was said to possess the
most beautiful eyes and most perfect
face of any woman in England. was
reported engaged to marry Frank NJ
Andrews. New York architect and
designer Of the Arlington Hotel in
this city.
Hailed before the kings proctor,
she upset the dignity of the British
court by admitting she had addressed
Andrews as my darling" my
dear" my dearest man" and my
darling fellow"
Il frequently kissed him, too, but
! didn't love him." she added in her
testimony, with the result that sew
eral women in the courtroom were
overcome with laughter and were
compelled TO leave. She also ad-
mitted that she had gone to France
on the same boat with Andrews. but
asserted she did not consider these
| actions constituted any impropriety.
WARD IN CHANCERY.
In the reconcn iation agreement
with Captain French the child be-
came d ward in chancery. the father
agreeing to deed to her half Of the
income on the India properties
which he inherited from his grand
! father. Hugh Mair. of Loeb Lomond
Castle. The trustees disputed the
agreement. the will having specified
that French should receive no part
OF the estate until he reached thirty
/ five years OF age.
] Finally the agreement was rsti-
fled. and after lawyers for the for
mer Washington belle managed TO
overcome a series of legal techni-
calities she was awarded half of the
vast estate. the main part Of which
is derived from the BTahmapoosi
Tea Company.
MAY VISIT CAPITAL.
Mrs. French is preparing to s1u
from London for New York en-
"Wednesday, with the anticipation of
coming to Washington TO renew q q
! acquaintances in the city whs :"
she spent the younger years Of htr
romantic career. During one of
her numerous trips to her natiTe
land c. w. de Lion Nichols. New
York author, proclaimed the forDI
Ida wynne .'one OF Americas most
beautiful women" He saw her for
the first time at the Southern Re
lief Ball at the Willard in the win
ter of 1918 and was dazxled Ivy her
pulchritude. il was reported in The
Washington Herald at the time.
BOUGHT FRENCH RESORT.
Mrs. French is well known in
international business as well as
social circles. She has promoted
an oil company and other ventures
successfully.
Her latest success was the launch
ing of a fashionable French resort
at Pourville. near Dieppe. She pur
chased practically the entire vi
lage. with its rustic hotel and d.
lapidated casino. and though the
repairs were barely completed whs p
the season opened last summer U
resort was thronged with the mos.
exclusive society.
The Trenches have a house in
Sloan square. London, and she
has an apartment in West Fifty
seventh street, New York City.
Capt. French spends much time