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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 12, 1905)
j $0 ) ii a 'V -r t -'-Mi 1 . 4 jS,. s ; ft.''-; : ' A f A ,i - 5 V-V.:V- 0 .4' If V SO VS; EURL ' 4f" : jy X. 7 V si Si" V 1 S3 i (MMMTAr.E folks In grneral have loagr been acknowl edtrod to be the champlonn of thp world, no class, race, or color barred, In the mntlrr of ! I procuring Iesal divorces. The Insouciance with ! PfS!?? which a femala star of the theatrical world takes to herself a husband one day, grows tired of him the next, and In a few months i sheds him as lightly and with as little effoft as !f casting aside a hat that does not ptense her, la stock I " stuff " with the funny paragrapher. The presa agent also finds It useful In his business. The public la Interested In j fair divorcers, and a divorce cuse, even If It be only a hum i ble little chorus girl who seeks release from a cru-el hus band, Is always gwod for a paragraph news story. All the country knows that Lillian Russell has married and discarded more husbands than there are children In the average American family, and that her daughter lw,thv till In her teens and In the hands of an efficient publicity agent. Is beginning to evidence this prominent trait of the Russell family. But in this as In all too many recent stage divorce cases, the press agent 'overshot his mark. There were threats to kill, heroic rescues by deyoted friends, tears shed by poor Dorothy, whose faith' In human nature was rudely shattered and Dorothy hastened to St. Louis, where a vaudeville engagement awaited her. So the public has grown a little suspicious. Cut It Is really all true. Theatrical people do marry and divorce each other with a frequency that Is shocking to people who are so puritanical and old fashioned as to still regard a divorce aa something of more consequent than the changing of a hat. Strange as It may seem, the further up the theatrical ladder one goes the more often does It be come necessary to change hands in the matrimonial proposi tion. A Chicago man. C. E. Harvey, has taken the pains to compile a library of facts concerning stage folks, and a ft w minutes' delving In this library reveals the fact that actors and actresses have become smitten with the divorce fever in Its most virulent form. Foundation for Divorce Joke. Most people manage to go through this life without mar Jrylng more than once, but three times is about the average (0f theatrical people. A divorre to most people la still quite an event, even a catastrophe. Stage folks lay off a few 'weeks to get the decree that frees them from some one who has grown tiresome, marry some one else, and go on their way hi merrily and little concerned as if nothing unusual had happened. If their last male happens to disagree with them they may divorce him or her and go back to the old love. AH these things are brought to view and made quite clear In the statistics formed by Mr. Harvey. Thirteen years ago this gentleman with a penchant for figures began work on his compendium of theatrical information. He has kept at It ever since, devoting his spare time to reading papers and clipping Itvms containing Information relative to the peo ple of the stage. Out of the mass of facts that he lias col lected In this time the most striking ones are those that show so clearly the leaning of all actor folk toward the divorce court. One of the facts that will surprise many is that Lillian Russell, who Is still Miss Russell, despite the fact that she has changed her name and affections four separate and dis tinct times, does not head the list of women of the stage who have married. The late Bettlna Orrard led Lillian by two tallies. Miss Gerard made six effort to And her affinity 'and failed each time. Miss Russell, up to the present writing at least, has managed to tread the way that leads to the divorce court but four times. Bettina Gerard's Many Changes. Miss Gerard's matrimonial episodes covered even fewer years than have Miss Russell's. There was Arthur Pnddle ford, for whom she changed her madden name. Rhe married Arthur In Washington before she went on. the stage and adopted her stage name. Then came the stage career for Hettina and the divorce court for her husband. John Raffael, Harrison J. Wolfe, W. Beach, William Schuyler, and a Mr. Witter followed In quick succession, and one after ttw other they went where went all of Miss Gerard's husltands. But Miss Gerard is dead and Lillian Russell easily heads the list of recent day stage divorcees. Four times has Lillian taken to herself husbands, four times has she grown tired of them and dlvoroed them. Mr. Henry Braham enjoys the unique distinction of being the first man to marry IJIllan Russell. Mr. Braham did not last king in the beauty's affections. Frederick Solomon followed him. Mr. Solomon Is the father of the precocious Dorothy. Evidently bent upon searching the different nationalities for a satisfactory mate, Miss Russell next married Slg. Peruglnl of the land of macaroni and vendetta. The signor had even less luck than his predecessors, and soon was banished from the smiles of his temporary spouse. Mr. Whitney, whom she recently divorced, was the fourth and last. How long the string will be before Miss Russell Is gathered to her fathers no one may even guess, for the divorce habit, when once acquired, Is not one to be easily cast off. ''.. Many Are Wed Three Times. Three weddings and the subsequent divorces seem to be the favored number among playfolk. The list of stage women who have been wedded this number of times Is nearly aa long as a complete roll call of famous stage beauties. The 1 1 1 1 ; - "2 JT. Si vim sy m mm ' V 's ;; K: ' y hi - ' ! l b 4 411: J ' : , uli 111 'I 1111.11 i It actress who" has not this number of strings to her matri monial bow 4s distinctly de trop. Victory Bateman, niece of Edwin Booth, is an exception to this rule. Miss Bateman has wedded four times, but she has forgotten the name of one husband, so Messrs. Clark, Mestayer, and Totten enjoy the reputation of having been her only husbands. With this one exception the list runs surprisingly even. Rose Coghlan has promised to love, honor, ami obey three men and has found it convenient to get rid of them all. Mr. Clinton Edgorly, Mr. John T. Sullivan, and a Mr. Brown. Initials forgotten In the flight of events, have all wooed and won her and been divorced. Marie Burroughs has dmlt simi larly with three men, except that the last man to wed htr Is still her husband. Mr. Lewis F. Massen was her first vic tim, Robert MacPherson came second, and Robert was di vorced that Marie might marry her present husband. Dr. Albert Stern. Suzanne Sheldon also has three to her credit. There was Mr. Robert Tabor, Mr. Herbert Sleath, and Henry Alneley, to whom she owns allegiance at present. Laura Blggar of the Bennett will contest fame was treated by two men Just as her sisters of the stage are apt to treat the men whom they wed, before she met and mar ried the aged Bennett. John W. McConnell and Bert Haverly divorced her in the order named. Bennett, the last man to fall before her glanoea, died and left his estate to 'her. His family fought the will, however, and Laura was forced to content herself with only a sllre of the Bennett fortune. Husbands Plentiful for Actresses. Agnes Booth broke even In the divorce game before she married John Schoeffel, whose wife she is now. Harry Perry was her first husband. While living with him she met Mr. Junius Brutus Booth, brother of Kdwin. In order to marry him she obtained a decree of divorce from Perry. Fate was unkind, or Just, to Miss Booth. The man fur whom flie had thrown one man aside tired of her and eventually divorced her. However, husbands are plentiful if one Is an actress, so Miss Booth soon became Mrs. Schoeffel Sadie Martinet has been the wife of three men. John Stenson and Max Flgman oame ami went in one-two order. Mr. Lola Nethersole, brother to Olga of Sapho fame, is her present helpmeet. Norma Whalley pursued a similar ouurse in selecting her husbands. Miss Whalley is English, but bhe has acquired the American habit of quick divorces thor oughly. Charles Verner. Sherrle Mathews, and Kdwin Clark is her record. Mr. Clark still being her husband. A few other stage favorites who have wedded three timis according to Mr. Harvey's records are Rose Stahl, Re Eytlnge, and Hattle Richmond. Henrietta Crnsman has been married twice, as has been Minnie Aahley. Apparently the habit of divorcing each other whs prevail nt among theatrical folk half a century ago, for the late Mrs. John Drew, mother of John Drew, married three limes before Incoming the wlfs of John Drew Sr. And we could mention many others. Among the men of the stage the custom of trying many spouses before settling upon a life mate is followed as pro mlsouiv'sly aa among the women. Lionel E. Lawrence Is the champion among the male stage beauties. Whether It Is Lionel's name or his appear ance that has done the work Is not on record but at all events six women at separate times have owned to the name of Mrs. Lionel Lawrence and one after the other have been divorced or secured decrees themselves. Reata Wlnfleld and Dorothy Drew are two who once called him husband. Billy Van, he of the happy laugh and song, has had more matrimonial woes than one would guess to see him on the stage. Four times has Billy been to the altar. Three times has he been to the divorce court. Lizzie Van, Vlvie Ne bildge, and Nelly O'Neill were his wives one after the other, and In the same order Billy secured divorces from them. Rose Beaumont Is the present Mrs. Billy Van and Billy has lived with her nearly seven months now. Nat Goodwin felt the scorn of two women before he mar ried Maxine Elliott. Elizabeth Weatheraby and Nella Baker married and Uved with Mr. Goodwin for a space and then divorced him. De Wolf Hopper had similar experiences. Ida Mosher was the first wife to grow tired of him. The dainty little Edna Wallace Hopper was the next. The present Mrs. Hopper was Nellie Bergen. She married De Wolf In 1KIM), the same year In which Edna Hopper secured her divorce. Chauncey Olcott has sung his way Into the hearts f two women. John B. Mason, leading man for Mrs. FLske, is pay ing alimony to two ex-wives; Eugene Canfleld has the unique distinction of having divorced one wife, marrlod another, end divorced her ro marry the old. Hattie Richmond Is the W'jman who twice became his wife and Miss Stembler the woman wno was his wife In the Interim. Bewildering Array of Statistics. The list might run on Indefinitely, for Mr. Harvey's library contains a bewildering array of matrimonial statistics. Enough Instances have been cited, however, to remove all doubt, If uny existed, to the preeminence of stage folk In marrying and divorcing. The little love god suroly makes many mistakes before he directs actors and actreaaea te their affinities. Mr. Harvey first began his collection of Information re garding theatrical people in a small ledger. So rapidly h-?s It grown that now a modern card index system of filing is necessary for its management. He not only keeps track of the nvarrymgs of the people In whom he Is Interested, but gather and file all other Information concerning them, covering their real and sta-:o names, date and place of their birth, parents and nationality, place, play, part, and dote of debut, length of time on the stage, and their permanent home.