Evening star., 1923-07-31
Paris Heir to RenO's Unsau0ry
! Reputation for Easy Divorces
Sis DEGREES Giuen or applied For in
One Day by Americans Startle
Legal Circles.
By Cable TO The Star and New York Tribune.
Copyright, 1923.

By Cable 10 The Star and New York Tribune
Copyright, 1923.
PARIS, July S1-Six American df-
vorces were granted or applied for
in Paris courts in one day last week.
They helped awaken judicial circles
TO the fact that Paris is assuming
the unsavory reputation that Reno
held in American eyes SO many years
ago. Nevada, since, has changed its
laws. but Paris is wide open and a
hospitable mecca for the constant
stream of martial refugees. tripping
II" across the Atlantic to file divorce
papers and hustling back home TO
marry again.
The list of divorces for this sum-
mer is prodigious. 1t contains many
names known throughout America,
socially and theatrically. The eX-
PLANTATION of divorce In Paris is the
idea which is depriving American
courts of so much work-namely, alb
sence Of publicity. The most recent
took an apartment in quiet little
hotel near the Arc De Triomph. She
danced at several fashionable reStau-
rants and was seen often at the bois
De Boulogne. The news leaked out
sometime ago from the Paris courts
that she had applied for divorce.
She denied this vigorously. Then the
court handed down its decree.
Papers Go To Files.
Irene promptly took a liner to New
York and the facts in the case re-
main locked up with the records OF
the courts. They will be buried soon
under other similar records and pE
the time Irene marries again the
papers will be SO dusty and out of
date that they will never see the
light of day. French law prohibits
the newspapers from printing a SIN
gle hint of divorce cases.
Elsie Ferguson made a discreet
entry into Paris some months ago.
The courts last week handed down Il
decision for Mrs. Thomas 5. Clarke
and only a few alert eyes recognized
the married name of Mss Ferguson,
q movie star, known throughout
America.
An attempt to enumerIte the di-
Nrrce cases CT score" = AmericnaS
here during the past few months,
who have taken advantage of the
"silent way out" with an ocean voy-
. age thrown into the bargain. woald
be tiresome. A number of American
sttCIntyS have found the divorce
business sc profitable that they HAY
e5... .bt,.:iied a perman mt residence IN
;ili~ and have become experts m
= Hing Srl:paIriot5 how it is done
without publicity. and they put it
Ik'f
No Publicity in Paris.
At least % per cent Of the divorces
granted here would draw from FIVE
20 twenty columns Of pulli2ity in
New York or other large american
cities. The Paris system. guarantees
10 more than five tc twenty lines if
clients follow the advice Of their
lawyers and promptly deny the first
rumor and await developments.
Paris judges merely administer the
divorce laws which require the pros
Iective Divorces &c establish a res
idetI,e ir. France aai th.r begin ac-
ton. If it were possible to draw up
q list Of Intentions being enter
tanned by Americans in Paris today
intentions which Will soon he
transformed into d amards for divorce
they would include nc less than
siXty-mostly women-now awaiting (
the moment when their attorneys
will tell them to file PAPERS.
The majority of these are cases
that would stir the American COM
munities from which the hunters OF
DEGREES hail. to considerable de-
gree. and some would merit national