San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-01


and Connecticut are a well-known
and wealthy family. And, not only
that, but Charlotte was blessed,
seemingly, by the rare combina-
ton of beauty and brains.
She set out to become a writer,
and she was well along the road
toward her goal. SO impressed
were others by her talents-as
was Zoe Atkins by Julia Bruins
that Mary Roberts Rinehart, the
novelist, dedicated a book to her.
But Charlotte Carter Father
won beauty contest-some OBJ
scure local affair of no conse-
quence to any one but her.
lnconsequential or not, it was
enough to set the curse on her.
She came to New York, abandoned
the writing career and went on the
stage. She became known as the
best dressed show girl on Broad
way. She made hosts of brilliant
friends, but always she found that
they valued her beauty more than
her brilliant mind. She reached
higher-she swore that she had
been engaged to Reginald Wander
bilt-and still it seemed that il was
. her beauty that counted, not her
brains.
So she led the pace that kills,
until it was too late. When she
tried to quit the fast and fashion
able life she found she could not.
She wrote a book-her own life,
it is said. But no one would pub
lish it, for no one knew her as a
writer, but only as prize beauty.
At last, diseased, desperate, ut
terly disillusioned with life, Char
lotte Carter Father set her poor
little affairs in order, bathed,
dressed, and, fastidious to the last,
left a note asking that no one
touch her body but her maid
then killed herself.
As Charlotte Carter Flather, a
writer, her talent would have
brought her much that she de-
sired. As prize beauty it
brought her misery and death.
The curse of the prize beauty
pursued her even further than it
did Julia Bruins and Sarah Byfield
and the rest.
As for the latest beauty prize
winner, Fay Lanphier, "Miss Los
Angeles" there has not been time
for anything to happen to her as
yet. But even now, only a few
weeks after she won the prize, the
foreboding of misfortune h a 5
Swallowed her.
One of the real prizes of win
ming the contest at Atlantic City |
is the opportunity to earn for
tunes as a movie actress. And |
that seemed to be in store for
Miss Lanphier. But just as she
was beginning to rehearse her
first picture, she was stricken with
pneumonia. Then came the sec
ond ominOus warning.
While no one disputes Miss Lam
pliers claim to the title, some of
the other and most dangerous |
contestants were ruled out, it is
said, because they could not claim
purely amateur status. But no
sooner was the decision announced
than two theatrical agents in Cal
ifornia bobbed up with rival claims
to Miss Lanphier's services. 1t
was even said that already she had
appeared in motion pictures.
And now the rival agents
threaten to keep her from appear
ing in any other motion pictures
until their claims are satisfied.
Since it is obvious that she cannot
satisfy both, it is not unlikely
that the matter will be settled
by the usual procedure of keep
ing her from working for any
body. Thus she may lose all the
fame and fortune that winning
the contest promised her.
But may it not prove that she
will have been more fortunate if
she has to retire to less public but
more happy life? Will her retire
ment lay the ghost that follows
the prize beauties--the curse that
hounds so many of them to all
kinds of misfortune and tragedy?