The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-02-05
Had Money and Spent 1t
Freely; Well Known in
Sporting Circles.
AN EXPERT IN ANTIQUES
Slain Director Said to Have
Been in Alaska Before Join
ing the Movies.

William Desmond Taylor. the slain
movie director. was well known in this
city in 1905 But he was not known
:, Taylor He was William Cunning
ban Deane-Tanner, expert in antiques
in those days, and he moved in good
society, was web supplied with money
ON mysterious source in ireland
ard eventually was married to Ethel
May Harrison of one OF the Florodora
Societies.
Without a word of explanation, ac-
cording to the woman who was then
his wife, he disappeared in 1908. The
first Mrs. Deane-T Tanner now is the
wife OF e. l.. c. Robins, owner Of
Robins Restaurant and other hostel
res. Mrs. Robins gave out state
rnent yesterday explaining her mar
y riage and the desertion and her subse-
uuent discovery that her former hus-
band had popped up in the motion
picture colony at Hollywood, Cal, and
l,ecome famous the world over as Will
inn Desmond Taylor. She says his
rcurder shocked her and the daughter
Z abandoned.
II married, in December. 1901, Mr.
William Cunningham Deane-Tanner oil
Dublin, Ireland" the statement said
"r4e disappeared in October. 1908. We
could assign no reason for his disap-
pearance except possibly aphasia.
'.In 1912 l got a decree of divorce in
~. C.n4a 30 Man, Vorl. and WAS awarded
the custody of my only child. Ethel
Daisy Deane- Tanner. now 49,
I'm August, 1914. l married Edward
r.. c. Robins. Two and a half weeks
i~:er I discovered that William Des-
rocnd Taylor had been Mr.. Deane-Tan-
fsr | have no further statement which
POSSIBLY could be of interest.
THE news OF Mr.. Deane-Tanner's
ath was a great shock to my daugh-
ter and me-"
She Feels No Resentment.
Al her home in Orienta Point, NAM
aroneck, last night. Mrs. Robins said
she held no resentment for the way
peane-Tanner treated her. She pre-
sented excuses for him. saying he suf-
fered lapses of memory during The time
they lived together and that not long
before he vanished in 1873. he was
stricken with facial neuralgia end fire.
cuently was in an agony of pain. She
does not believe he knew what he was
dc.ng the morning he left their home
end she supposes that mental ailment
cxr be held to account for his failure
t. return.
lust as dramatic as were many of the
CHAPTERS in Deane-Tanner, or William
Desmond Taylor's, life was Mrs. Rob
mss discovery in 1919 that he was still
living.
With her daughter Mrs. Robins wenl
To- n motion picture theater in this city
o.c night They chose the theater with
OFT knowing what picture 1t was featur-
Ing. For several hundred feet of film
!; was just a. new picture as far as they
were concerned but suddenly the hero
2 peared. Mrs. Robins sank back in
her seat too startled to speak. Her
daughter stood up
For the laughing face on the screen
Was that of the long missing Deane-
Tanner a little changed-somewhat older
looking they decided when they finally
settled back to wait for the hero's next
entry. They sat through the picture and
then saw 1t again and learned that the
man whose face they knew was acting
and directing movies under the name OF
William Desmond Taylor.
Lnvished Money ON Child.
Mrs Robins said last night that her
daughter would rot re satisfied until
she had written 20 Taylor. Taylor an
swered her letter and the two continued
p correspondence which grew with each
month until finally TAYLOR of the movies
came back to New York to try TO make
SEINE amends for his conduct as Deane-
Tanner, the negligent father.
Taylor never explained why he had
changed his name. But Mrs Robins
said he met her and the daughter on
at least one occasion and expressed
desire TO try to make good for his
failure. He spent money lavishiy on the
girl, giving money ana other presents
to- her and encouraging her TO study.
4 The love of the beautiful in art that
appears to have impressed his Holly
wood friends cropped up in hs talks
with his daughter. and he ultimately
prevailed upon her to enter an ar
school in this city. She is now study
ing there.
Mrs. Robins emphaticaily denied that
her former husband ever married after
he deserted her. She said she met him
last August and remembers distinctly
that he said he never had remarked
and never would His daughter sha
quoted him as saying, was the only pal
he wanted.
According TO Mrs Robins Deane-
Tanner was OF a family well known in
Ireland--listed among the landed gem
try or the peers. she wasn't sure which
His father was Major In the British
army. and he came of line OF men
whose names have figured in British his
tory.
She said he WIS prepared for the
army at one OF the great British uni.
ycrsities-Oxford or ambridge-and
that he was about to start for The
military school when his health failed.
lie was sent to the United States he
told her, SO that he might recover.
Mrs. Robins said she remembers That
ba told her once he had two sisters
and one brother. and she met soon
after their marriage man she supposes
was the brother.
The stories of drugs and drinking.
Mrs. Robins thinks, are untrue. because
while Desne-Tannar was her husband
he used liquor but sparingly and always
criticised those who did not know how
to handle g.
Before her marriage to Taylor--or
Deane-Tanner. as he called himself then
---hrs. Robin was Miss Ethel May