LUCKY FRENCHMAN
HAS WON THE LOVE
OF GLADYS DEACON
After the Affair of a Smitten Prince
and a Duke “Turned Down,”
Comes the Triumph of Young
Baron de Charette, and An=
other International Ro=
mance Is Launched
NEW YORK.—At last Miss
Gladys Deacon, or New
York and Boston. Lon
don and Paris, has found
i he man upon whom she
can bestow her heart
and hand. Her engagement to
the young Baron Antoine de
Charette is announced. For five
years Miss Deacon has been one
of the niost-talked-of young women of
society on both sides of the Atlantic.
The gossips have had her engaged to
a dozen eligibles, from princes down
to plain misters." But all the time
she had been laughing up her sleeve—
they were all wrong, of course.
There was the young crown prince
of Germany, for example. The credu
lous had him head over heels in love
with "La belle Americaine" and will
ing to renounce his claims to the
throne of the German empire for love
1 until she had grown ii|> and been
launched In society abroad.
Fitted for Society.
The nuns had done well with Gladys
Deacon's inborn vivacity, cleverness
and tact. She was turned out thor
oughly French; in time she became
perfectly Parisienne.
The Deacons had plenty of money.
Admiral Baldwin was the richest of
ficer iu the navy, and when he died
' a splendid inheritance went to Mrs.
Deacon, or Airs. Baldwin, as she pre
ferred to be called. Married when 17
years old. she was barely li-t when the
scandal came; she was even more
beautiful as Mrs. Deaton titan she had
i been as Florence Baldwin, the bride
of Kdward Parker Deacon, the re
served. awkward man of -to.
Kttrope took up the daughter Gladys
i as it had taken up the mother a
! decade befote. Aristocratic society
I
of her. Ir look an official announce
ment from both sides to sto|> the ialk.
and even then there were those who
believed it to be true—that young
Prince Fritz was desperately smitten.
Then there was the duke of .Nor
folk. premier peer of England, and
the prince of Lichtenstein and Lord
Brooke and Lord Francis Hope and
the Hon. Claude l.owther were report
ed as about to many the vivacious
American gill, to sa> nothing of as
many more, all lights of considerable
magnitude in the social firmament.
But everybody was wrong—at least
wrong in that .Miss Deacon would mar
ry any of these most desirable men.
Would Have Taken High Rank.
As the wife of the duke of Nor
folk site would have taken precedence
of every peeress in Kngland: as Lady
Brooke or Lady Francis Hope she
would have irreproachable position at
court.
Gladys Deacon is the eldest daugh
ter of the late Kdward Parker Deacon,
of Boston and New York; her mother
was (lie lovely Florence Baldwin,
daughter of Rear-Admiral Charles H.
Baldwin. U. S. N. Society even now
•whispers of the tragedy that clouded
the lives of Gladys Deacon and her
younger sisters.
It was just It! years ago—to be pre
cise. February 17. 1S92—wlten liie wires
flashed the news from one end of the
civilized world to tlie other—Kdward
Parker Deacon, an American, had shot
and killed M. Kmile Abeiile. a well
known Parisian, whom he had sur
prised in his wife's boudoir. Abeiile
tried to hide behind a sofa, but Dea
con's unerring bullet sought hint out.
The indignant husband was arrest
ed, fined and imprisoned for a brief
period. Mrs. Deacon resumed her
maiden name and became Mrs. Bald
win. Eventually Mr. Deacon lost his
mind and died in a sanitarium at Wav
erly. Mass.
Of course there were squabbles
about the children, and finally little
Gladys was sent to a convent. There,
shielded from the outside, site grew
up in utter ignorance of the tragedy at
Cannes and the scandal that followed
upon its h^els. She did not learn of it
welcomed her in every capita! in Eu
rope. In the Hois she was saluted as
if she were a princess—hut then
Gladys Deacon was to ihe manner
horn. She was at home in Mayfair
as she was in Enter den Linden. In
winter she became the bright, partic
ular star along ihe Riviera and in
Italy thoroughly cosmopolitan grew the
beautiful American girl, who spoke
with a strong French accent and
frankly admitted that she hardly
knew anything about the l'nited
Stales, though she was American to
the core.
Euroite found everything to admire
in the beautiful girl fresh front the
convent.
Gladys Deacon is the ideal Anglo
Saxon type in face and coloring. Her
mass of hair is the palest flaxen, and
it waves naturally. Her eyes are large,
rather long than round, and a deep vio
I let blue. Her eyebrows are almost
black, very narrow and exquisitely
i arched. Her eyelashes are black as
: 'veil and long and sweeping.
I Miss Deacon's face is almost classic
' in its oval, the brow slightly broader
and higher than the standard of the
Greeks, denote.g to some extent the
intellect ttali' of this foreign-born
Americ. ,rl. Her wit and vivacity
would bj e made her a woman of note
even without the charming loveliness
with which nature has so lavishly en
dowed her.
Her skin is fair, very white and al
most transparent. There is almost no
coloring in her cheeks, yet she blushes
beautifully when she is interested. Hut
her lips are of that brilliant, red which
no cosmetic save perfect health can
give. Her nose is pure Greek: her
mouth a Cupid's bow. The chin is
strong and firm. Her teeth are
dazzling.
She speaks French, German and
Italian with equal fluency, and her
Parisian accent when she speaks Eng
lish is altogether charming. Her
taste in dress is undeniable; she al
ways appears in the masterpieces of
the French modistes. She is a perfect
dancer, a rattling good hand at bridge
and she can play billiards with the
best of the men.
As soon as she was well launched
in society. Miss Deacon began making
strong friendships in the great world.
Some of the most important people in
i the Faubourg St. Germain set of Paris
j became her intimates; in London she
; chummed with the duchess of Marl
: borough, the duchess of Devonshire.
' the dowager duchess of Manchester
and Mrs. Arthur Paget, all of them of
j tremendous social advantage to Miss
Deacon.
Suitors in Plenty.
Mrs. ltaldwin had Lady Somerset's
house in Mayfair. London; a beautiful
little maison opposite the Chapel of
Our Lady of Consolation, in Paris,
and a villa at Versailles.
. With all these charms, it could not
be doubted hut thar Gladys Deacon
would soon have suitors enough to
j satisfy even the most exacting deb
utante. Tile first soon appeared—
to be precise, in 1900. He was Claude
Low!her. called the handsomest man
iu England. Together they made a
striking pair, and the matchmakers
had them engaged—by rumor. Hut
it was nol to tie. Gladys Deaeon went |
her way and Mr. Lowther went his. ,
For a brief period tile prince of Lich
tenstein was favored; then lie was
dismissed.
Next in Hue came Lord Francis
Hope, who was even then getting his
divorce from May Yohe. the one-time
souhrette. who had run away with
! ('apt. Putnam Hradlee Strong, son of
tlie late Mayor Strong of New York.
Hut Gladys Deacon gave the nobie
lord, who some day may lie the duke
| of Newcastle, his conge, and he mar
I t ied some one else.
Then came the affair which nearly
| brought about international complica
i lions. Only Miss Deacon's natural
good sense saved the day. The tier
man emperor, who wished his eldest
son. heir to the throne, to see some
thing in Knglish life, graciously con
sented that Prince Fritz should pay a
visit to Blenheim palace, the regal
home of the duke of Marlborough and
his American bride, once (.’onsnelo
Vanderbilt. The duchess, who wanted
to make his stay as pleasant as pos
sible, invited Miss Deacon to meet
him. The prince, always susceptible
to feminine charms, had already seen
anti admired her on the continent.
Amid the congenial surroundings of
the Knglish country life their former
acquaintance ripened rapidly. The
ancient lineage she would take pre
cedence of every other peeress. Rut. ■
Miss Deacon refused the duke and!
that was the end of it.
Prince Charming Arrives.
Two years later Lord Brooke, son
and heir of the earl of Warwick, came
on the scene, lie was young, good- \
looking, not rich, but had influence at
court through his mother. People
really believed that Miss Deacon had
lost her heart at last, but it was a
false alarm.
And then—Baron Antoine de Char
ette:
Amiable, good looking, very rich,
possessed of important position and
scion of one of the proudest families
in Fiance, the young nobleman is one
of the most desirable partis in Eu
rope.
There is good American blood in the
young baron His mother was .Miss
Antoinette Polk of Tennessee, a niece
of President .lames K. Polk. After the
civil war Mrs. Polk took her two
daughters, Antoinette and Rebecca,
and her son. Van Leer Polk, to Italy
to live. It was in Rome that Antoi
nette Polk met Karon de Charette,
then serving at the Vatican. The im
pressionable Italians had already
hailed the fair American as the most
beautiful woman who bad ever come
to their shores, and the Karon de
(’harette agreed with them. He laid
siege to Miss Polk's heart, won her
and brought her home to Paris as his
bride.
One son was horn. Antoine. From
his mother the young man inherits
splendid plantations in Tennessee and
from ltis paternal side some of the
greatest art treasures in France.
Among them is a portrait of Queen
Marie Antoinette by Mine. Vi ego Ie
Krtin, given bv the queen to the
Duchess de Choiseni. now coming in
direct succession to the young baron,
fourth in line.
At Present in America.
Young Antoine is at present here in
the i'nited Slates attending to the
properties of his mother and the in
terests in tile estate, because of the
sudden death of his uncle. Van Leer
Polk, who dropped dead a few days
ago in Memphis. He had been I'nited
Stales consul-general at Bombay, tin- j
der President Cleveland, and lately
had been appointed by President
Roosevelt as one of live delegates to
Brazil.
.Miss
best
mor
| prince so far forgot himself as to
fall desperately in love, though well
' lie knew that he must marry royalty
to inherit the kaiser's throne.
Could Not Share Throne.
He immediately proposed.
1 Deacon knew very well that the
: the prince could offer her was a
| ganatic marriage, and she rejected his
■■ suit. Thereupon the gallant emper
I or-to-be offered to renounce Ms rights
| of succession and to leave Germany
j forever, if need be, in order to marry
Miss Deacon on terms of equality.
Of course the kaiser got wind of
' what was going on.
, The young lover wras promptly or
: dered back to Merlin. There a stormy
] interview took place. At first the
i prince bravely stuck to his guns. But
when the emperor threatened to look
j up his eldest son in a fortress the
i heir capitulated.
To-day the crown prince is happily
married to a wife of his father's
choice and is a proud papa to bool.
A year went by and the chance of
society threw Miss Deacon and the
duke of Norfolk together. The duke, j
a scholarly man well over 50, heredi
tary earl marshal of England, a wid
ower and without a son who was men
tally fit to inherit his vast fortune,
estates and the premier dukedom with
its privileges at court, became im
mensely interested in the brilliant
American girl.
His sister. Lady Mary Howard, in
vited Miss Deacon to visit Arundel
Castle. Norfolk's ancestral home, and
rumors began cropping out every
where that it would end in Miss Dea
con's wearing the strawberry leaves
of a duchess By reason of Norfolk's j
In France all the match-making
mammas have had their eyes on
young lie Charette. As his wife the
baroness would step into a premier
position in Paris, where Mine, la Ha
ronne has an undisputed position. For
all her high position in royalist so
ciety. the former Miss Polk is intense
ly American and delightfully demo
cratic. In her salons many an Ameri
can has made her llrst how to fashion
able Paris.
i ne iiii i!i t iiarumnis ue v. iiart*up
will become chatelaine of three lovely
homes—an apartment in Paris, a villa
at Cannes—where the tragedy took
place, strangely enough—and a charm
ing chateau in Britanny. which for
800 years has been the homo of the
de Charettes.
It is at Basse-Motte. Chateau Nef.
Ille-et-Vilaine. near St. Malo, and only
eight miles from Ilinard. one of the
most fashionable of all European wa
tering places. Here at the old chateau
Mine, de Charette entertains such im
portant persons as the king of Naples,
Queen Amelie. the widowed queen of
Portugal: Prince von Bnelow, Prince
von llohenlohe. the princess of Wales,
the Duchess d'Eu, the duchess of
Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mrs. Rob
ert Goelet.
Miss Deacon’s fiance Is only 27
years old—tall, handsome. broad
shouldered like the Americans, with
Bourbon features and patrician man
ners.
The wedding takes place at the
fashionable season in Paris and will
be one of the social events of the
year. And then the matchmakers can
no longer play fast and loose with
Gladys Deacon's heart and hand.
* * * * +-±-4 +■ *
t
-J£- V -V
PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT
A
-j- j. * * * .?• •:• •!• N -t- * 4 * * ** * i■ ••• * i- *
MINING EXPERT RETIRES
John Mayes Hammond, the noted mining en
gineer, has severed his connection with The (iiig
genheint Kxuloration company and the salary of
I2S0.000 attached to his position as consulting en
gineer. t
Hammond has been in poor health ami his
first assistant, A. Chester Beatty, lias done most
of the work since .Mr. Hammond went west sev
en*! months ago. Mr. Beatty is the likely . ue
oetsor to Ml. Hammond. The latter was operated
on for appendieitis a few days ago.
John Hayes Hammond was born in San Fran
cisco at! years ago. He is a graduate of the Shef
field Scientific school of Vale.
Mr. Hammond is one of the greatest mining
\ I experts in the world. Oiren he has taKen as .
for reporting on claims shares in new companies
and always they have turned out. valuable.
Hammond became an international figure when he went with fecit
Rhodes to the Transvaal and Rhodesia. When first engaged his salary was
$5,000 a month and in less than a yeai he was getting $100,000 a year lie be
came consulting engineer to the Consolidated Goldfieftis of South Africa, in
cluding most of the richest properties in South Africa.
Hammond was one of the leaders in rlie proposed rush on Johannesburg,
but Jameson, impatient at delay, made his raid with Hammond and others
still on the evenings camp. They were sentenced to death. Kuglaud inter
fered and on payment 01 $125,000 fines were freed. Hammond came to America
and in less than a year was making $20,000 a month.
in later days his work has been principally done in his office, acting on
tlie reports of his assistants, some of the smartest mining men in tile country.
LED TRANSVAAL RAID
Dr. Deander Starr Jameson. in resigning the
premiership of Cape Colony, revives in* tnorics id
tli*' days of old Kins Lobengula. tin- Transvaal
raid, the reform movement, which led to the im
prisonment of .John Mays Hammond, the American
engineer, and otitur reformers, and. finally, the
Boer war. the cost of which to Great Britain, as
President Kruger foretold, did "stagger humanity."
Dr. "Jim." as he was popularly known in his
hustling days, is about .">.*> years old. was bom it:
Scotland and educated for the medical profession.
I He went to South Africa in tile early days of the
discovery of the Kimberley mines, made the ac
quaintance of the late Cecil Rhodes and became
bis warm friend and confidant. The young Scotch
doctor soon developed into a South African diplo
mat. went alone on a mission 10 rung uiucnsma
of Mataheleland. in behalf of Mr. Rhode.-' Ilritish South Utica company an.I
persuaded the warrioi chief in exchange for a few firearms and oiln truck
to permit the company 10 settle his country, exploit his sold mines, and so on.
Fort Salisbury was soon established in .Mataheleland. and then > me- the
Matal.ele war. in which the native warriors were mowed down in lie - . ids
by rapid-fire guns.
Cecil Rhodes, who was premiet of Cape Colony when Jameson started
on his raid into the Transvaal, exclaimed that • Jim" had "upset the cart.”
and resigned the premiership, but never blamed his friend
Dr. Jameson, on the resignation of Sir John (Jordon Sptigg. the premier of
Cape Colony, in February. 1!*04. was tailed upon to form a new cabinet, lie
has held the premiership ever since, and. in addition, bits served as a director
of the De Deers Diamond Mining company and of the liiiish 3ou:h Africa
company.
FIGURES NATION'S DEBT
William F. MacUennan. chief of the book
keeping and warrants division of the treasury de
partment. is the man who keeps track of the pub
lic debt. This debt amounts to the enormous sum
of $2.Ht7.St59.991. including gold certificates and
United States treasury notes, which are offset by
an equal amount of cash in the treasury.
While Mr. .MacUennan does not actually have
possession of this vast sunt, every cent that the
United States treasury receives from internal
revenue customs and other sources is turned over
' to him. and the cash is sent to the United States
treasurer, who is under heavy bond to secure the
government against loss. Kvery dollar that is dis
bursed by the government is disposed of by Mr.
MacUennan. by means of warrants.
ilr. Macl.ennan lias a marvelous mind for
figures. He has been consulted, during his 30 years of service, bv Presidents
Garfield. Arthur. Harrison. Cleveland and Roosevelt, and every secretary of
tlie treasury has depended on him to a large extent. He is a native of New
York and went to Washington first to lake a position in the Freed men's bu
reau. He began his service in the treasury as a clerk. His work soon at
tracted the attention of his superiors and his promotion was rapid. He prac
tically organized his division, which is one of the best equipped bureaus of
the government. His books are exhibited to-day as models of artistic penman
ship. beauty and accuracy.
One of his chief duties is to prepare the annual estimates of expeditures
of the government which are submitted to congress by the secretary of the
treasury at the beginning of each session of congress as a basis for the ate
propriations.
Mr. Macl.ennan is the most modest man in the employ of the govern
ment. He positively refuses to talk about his duties, his accomplishments or
his home life. He lives in the fashionable northwestern district of the city,
but is in no sense a society man. He is 60 years of age. of medium height,
has deep blue eyes and wears a mustache and whiskers, which arc tinged with
gray. Serveral times a position as assistant secretary of the treasury has
been offered to him. but he has declined, preferring to remain at his present
post.
FAVORS LIMITED MARRIAGE
George Meredith, the English novelist, who
has just celebrated his eightieth birthday, is one
of the best examples of pertinacity. Early in life
he determined to become a literary man. and he
was only 23 when he published his iirst volume of
poems. They attracted practically no attention,
but the author kept on. turning out both poetry
and prose until, af'er more than 30 years hard
work, the public was forced to recognize his
genius.
It was his novel “Diana of the Crossways.”
that made him famous It was published in IKS.',
just 34 years after his first book. Then people
began to road his earlier works, of which there
were 14. Since then Meredith has been turning
out about one book a year until 1897 when h..
dropped lus work almost entirely. on his
seventieth anniversary lie was presented with a letter of appreciation signed
by 30 of the leading literary men and women of the United Kingdom. On his
sightieth birthday there were over 100 signatures to the letter sent him it
was in book form, handsomely bound, and the novelists, poets and scholars
whose names were not attached to it did not belong to the first class. It was
1 tribute from his fellow workers such as is seldom paid to an author
Meredith scandalized the world a little over three years ago by declar
ng in favor of limited marriage. In a sensational interview he predicted a
state of society permitting marriages for certain limited periods, the state en
'orcing a provision of money during that period to provide for and educate
rhildren, the government possibly taking charge of this fund.
Mr. Meredith is a widower and has a son and a daughter. He is a great
reader, especially of French literature. He used to be fond of long walks
He lives at Boxhill. Surrey. His studio is a two-roomed chalet in the higher
part of the grounds surrounding his house.
