The Omaha Sunday Bm Magazine Page
Adodrana in
ARed-Life
How a Distinguished Newport and
New York Family, Relatives of the
Vanderhilts, Have Been Real
Actors in a Strange Domestic
Tragedy Quite as Surprising as
Anything in Moving Picture Dramas,
SURELY "troth is Rtrnnrjcr than
fiction." Nothing In tho Bow-,
ry melodramas or the matri
monial mix-ups of tho motion pic
ture films Is mora surprising than
tho domestic drama In real life of
tho Amos Tuck French family,
wealthy members of tho Vandorbllt
set of New York, Newport and
Tuxedo.
Tho announcement of the 'divorce
proceedings brought 'tho other day
by Mrs. Amos Tuk French against
her husband is the newest act In this
domestic melodrama. The curtain
of publicity has feeen rung up on
several previous acts and scenes
from time te time in the last few
years, and it hi probable that the
final scene ot thl real-life play
have not yet bea enacted.
Frlende it tho Frenches Insist that
the elopement ef Julia French with
Jack Geraghty, the Newport chauf
feur, formed tho opening scene, of
Act I. in this drama, of domestic tin
happiness and reality. They art
wrong. Tho opening scene was set
rer twelvo years ago, when E11g
French, tho younger sister of Amos
Tuck, married Alfred Gwynno Van
derbllt This carefully brought
about marrlago with tho youth .des
tined to bo tho head of tho Vander
bllt family ralsod tho Frcncho' so
cial ambition to tho highest dogreo.
Deforo tho real drama opened,
however, thero was a prologue in
which appeared the older members
of the "French family and, in which
tho seeds of social ambition were
planted In their breasts by the mar
riage of .Elizabeth French, Amos
Tuck's older sister, to the present
Major-General Lord" Cheylesmore.
This arrlage had boon arranged by
Mrs. Francis Ormondo French in or
der to further her own social plans,
in England. Just at this time, too,
occurred tho marriage of Ames with
tho very rich and very protty Pau
lino Lo Hoy, daughtor of Mrs. Stny
vesant Le Roy, one of the proudest
and wealthiest mombors of New'
York and Newport society, Thpia
marriages might havo satisfied Mrs.
French's ambitions, but there was a
young daughter, a Bmall girl with
Judy, the "Silly Sinter," Who Married Out of Her
Social Station a Chauffeur,
IbHbbH 5b. '' $ j3b'm
bbbbbb ' ' "bbbbbb1bHb(bhbbbhL
bEb8bHL Iwik 1 .: v.j
bbHbHHiV i
BBBBvBHIPi - Mi BEHh Mi f bbbbbH
bPbHbT ''t!QXj&KKEBKw&?uilKBm ' BHHBBhVlBBBBBHBV
Kjb J3UBajjHHHHy(nHHB BBBBbMbBBBBBHbW
bbbHMBbOW' ' ''&n&BEmtKKn iGt&B&BK- bIBbbbBbbVHkbbIbbbbbW
SftjBBHHBEapBBlfi 'ijff-ffi jSftrPlB3lBrJMBM BHBBHBBBBBBSKiflBBBBBBBV
flBBBBBP rSSi
WbbIbbHkbHBbbI& SXBSmivfSKmlSKk
KBKsBmKL Vm!BVB0LHlS'BBVHwnBBVBKlBBHBl jft
BTaTaraHBTaBTarJlBBBwKHBKS& ;HbbKs1S J&SbI bBKbGBHbbbPatatataT BTBTBTB
V-SpJHCbBw SHJpHBBySJp' JBBBBWiCTiaMSBSJiSSSSSSSSB .frBT
Titian hair, who was still in the
nursery. As this girl, Ellen, grew
up, her mother planned to marry
her to a man of great wealth and
prominence in tho society Into
which her son had married. Of all
tho oligibles she selected Alfred
Owynne Vanderbllt, the youth who
had been mado the head of tho Van
derbllt family1,. And this brings us to
the opening 'scene of this real-lite
drama.
.This scene was set in the beauti
ful Newport mansion belonging te
Mrs. Francis French, and in The
Breakers, the magnificent homo of
the Vanderbllts. In her campaign to
win a Vanderbllt Jer her son-in-law
Mrs. French was,a4ded by her daugh
ter. Lady Cheylesmore: her sen
Amos and his wife, and, of course, J , ,, ., x
by Ellen, now called Elsie by her nd. why Bhu,d. Hot b ?!
own ran..n J5 "joro Pl wayn greai joy in
Opposed to them were Mrs. Van
derbllt, Mrs, Harry Payne Whitney
and Reginald. 'Alfred was in a way
a non-combatant. Tho senior Mrs.
Vanderbllt bad other plans for her
son, but Elsie and Alfred wero in
love, and Mrs. French wanted the
match,, and the Vanderbllts were
beaten. This marriage realized Mrs.
French's greatest ambition. The
wedding was the most talked'-of af
The Geraghty Babythe Last Straw That
Wrecked trie Amos Tuck Frenches.
Fshionableociety
f Characters in the mos Tuck French Divorce
-s
AMCiK' TlW ropiuru Brother of Mrs. Elsie French Vanderbllt and- father
AMOS TUCK FRENCH. . . . . .f the rich Mrs. Wagslaff and ihe poor Mrs. Geraghty,
t who is being sued for divorce by Mrs. French.
iise AMnc Tiirv mm Tll.e. mo,.h.cr whose heart proved stronger than ficr
MRS. AMOS TUCK FRENCH, .pride, whb is suing her husband for divorce because
. - , he would not forgive their daughter.
unc qAMIlFI wArcTArr Pauline ("Polly") French, the obedient daughter, who
SAMUEL WAGSTAFF . .lived up to her training by marrying ihe son of the
wealthy Colonel Wagstaff.
i
mdc 'tapk- PFDArirrv TH "V 1dallShlcr' Jul!a' wh obeyed ihe diclales .
mrU. JAUts. Ufc-KAUril I. . . . ,pf her heart and married the honest young Working v
man, Jack Geraghty.
ro.Vtf. rDC:,ru 7110 oltlcst son of Ihe Frenches, who threatened to
fKAWrV trKCIMUl .horsewhip young Geraghty and who refuses lo forgive
. . his sister.
.,.
MRS. ELSIE VANDERB1LT. . .divorced just before her niece Julia eloped with Ger-
aghty. She had planned a wealthy marriage for Julia.
,T,niMix.JnA Brother of Mrs. French and uncle to Pauline and
STUYVESANT LE ROY Julia, who showers the obedient niece with jewels
ni 1 Knfuriii In wtAMs t tl1..tt '..1 1 r .
uiu luiuata iw ittu(juuu amy Julia uCragniy.
SCENES OF THE DRAMA Mrs. Alfred G. Vnnd
- - w wvr uiiu if inr y l rJi
deuces, the Neiv York, Tuxedo and Neivpdrt homes of Mr. Amos Tuck French,
- automobiles, yachts and clubs and tht poor little chauffeur's humble cottage.
family when a daughter makes . a
"suitable" marriage, a marriage
which Increases her wealth and
which reflects added glory on the
family Itself.
But tho suitably married Polly is
not the only girl In tho French
household.. There . Is a younger
daughter, Julia, who was twelve
years old rwhen Polly married. And
now tho family ambitions settled on
"Judy." She was trained to marry
a rich man, preferably one In the
Newport colony. Much money was
speni on ner eaucauon. one was
- spent on ner eaucauon. one wa
fair ot the year, and everything taught French, the modern dances
promised well for the future.
OBut with this scae ended, a new
devetopment arose. Amos French
became Infected mere deeply with
bib Hflinsr s social ambiuons, and he
how to be a gracious hostess and
nthnr nncAsoarv fhtneo flhn hori
her tutors and her own maid, her
valuable dogs. and her horses. In
every way she was "twine trained to
hold a high position socially. Aunt
nmuiuuiia, at) boiq a Bigu posuion sociauy. Atint
DeSan tO' bUlld G&BtlAa n th ilr "UMol nmmloiul n An mt..t. .
mw ... " luiv (oiiiuiuu ij v. vy an iumiu iui tifJt
He was aided by his mother and his as she had for Polly. Unluckily.
jHSter, Mrs, Vanderbllt. There was Aunt Elsie had been forced to dl-
a pretty girl growing up In the vorce Uncle Alfred, and thus Judy
French' household, Pauline, the old- could not have houso parties at
est child. She had attnnrimJ bap CflmD Sasramore. nor a hie hall At
search amounted te nqthtng. JncTc
and Judy were legally married when
they were next heard from and per
fectly hnppy.
But there was no happiness in tne
home Judy had run away from. The
qunrre' between the father and
mother was so bitter that even a tem
porary reconciliation wns effected
only with tho greatest difficulty. The
father's feelings were more Intensely
bitter than the mother's. His blnsted
prldo gave him suffering enough In a
way, but other Instincts suffered nlso.
The mental picture of his carefully
nurtured Judy serving Jack Geraghty.
the town chauffeur,' as a wlfo and
housekeeper brought a bitterness to
hlo soul that nothing could' temper.
Every fatherly feellug was out-
raged as he contemplated what this
marriage meant to Julia and to the
French, family as a unit.' All this
added to the bitterness of the Quar
rel with hla wife. He refused to stay
In her Newport homo. He removed
his belongings to his Tuxedo home.
He would not admit that his wife's
heart might be breaking all he
mougni or was ms injured pride and
the damage the elopement might do
farm for them so that Baby Jack
might havo country air and country
living. A few months ago, Jtlrs.
French and her mother, Mrs. Lo Ttoy,
went to Boston to see for themselves
how Judy, the disobedient daughter,
was prospering. There was a bad
accident and Mrs. French was
seriously Injured. During the weeks
that she was 111, Judy. devoted her
self to caring .for her. Mr. French
did not go aoar her, nor did her
older sons.
And now the Jast act of this do
mestlc drama begins with the filing
of the divorce papers In Newport
There Is no doubt as to tho out
come of the suit. When the case
is settled there Is every evidence
that the tie between the mother and
her stupid but happy daughter Judy
will grow stronger. For Judy, In her
humble little farm house, with her
baby, is happier thnn many child
less women in their Newport mansions.
Polly, Who Married a Social Equal to the Satisfaction
or nir. rrri-n
Aunt Elate as a brWeimald, and her Oakland Farm. But she could have the damage the olopen
head was filled with visions' of a everything elBo, .Including a London t0 social ambitions
future husband -who should ha season with Lady Cheylesmore. 1-or tho year follow
future husband -who should be as
rich and as Important as Uncle Al
fred. Her Prince Charming must bo
of high social standing, for at that
period the Frenches could not afford
to marry into any but tho best social
circles.
When Polly was eighteen Aunt
Elsie gave avwonderful coming-out
ball for her, and during that year
showered her with gifts and pleas
ureB. All this was done because
Aunt Bile Intended to marry her
satisfactorily. The husband efeoBen
for Polly must be of good family,
and have a fortune which would al
low her te have her Winter la town
and her Summer in Newport.
ThlS het ntrOB B Mil n A IT .
m n.vuuu iwre. Al-
fred Vanderbllfa superb house la.
KtwiisrL J V.V .iuv -IS when "er granddaughter married
KrLrwifhro,TS, &J!! LT Grandmother
And now wo como to the third act.
Judy Is barely eighteen when before
her dazzled eyoB are dangled all the
joys that wealth can bestow. Sho
Is told that to uphold the family po
sition and tickle her father's pride
she must marry In accordance with
her family's wishes.
And what docs Judy do? Poor,
foolish Judy followed tho dictates of
her heart and ran away with Jack
Geraghty, an honest young working
man ot Newport Oh, -how the
pride ot he parents was shattered)
Grandmother Lo Roy; a proud and
haughty matron, who felt that her
daughter had married beneath her
In marrying Amos Tuck French, al-
. . A. Jl 71 . . .
muni uieu oi sname ana cnagnn
Mess'la the tm yacht, and la
iih vBBerBMt private oar to Al
fred's, beautiful Adirondack Camp.
Paaeeo, . cruises on Aunt Elsie's
yacht, trip to Europe with Aunt
Elsie, feeuM parties at Oakland
Farm and Camp SagamorA filled
Polly's days and nights. She had
her own motor cars, her own maids,
everything that wealth could give.
And! of course she must marry as
Aunt Elsje and Father French de
creed. Amo French, socially ambitious
father, was proud of his oldest
daughter and was just as euro as
his slater was that Polly should
make a good marrlago. When,
therefore,-young Sam Wagstaff, the
son of Colonel Alfred Wagstaff, ap
peared as her suitor, he was ac
cepted. Great delight on all sides
was expressed becauso, ho was so
"suitable" and bo-
cause roily was
wise and virtuous
Freaeh. easrnr tr hnvn Tiirtv'a man.
rlage equal Aunt Elsie's and Stster
Polly's, was mortified, angry, cruelly
hurt
Mr. French was angry with Judy
and even more angry with his wife
whom he blamed for the whole af
fair. Hla pride as a father was out
raged, his pride In his social Import
ance was tumbled In the dust his
proud confidence in his family's fu
ture was shattered. He blathed his
wife for not haying more carefully
protected Judy, Mrs. French, whoso
pride "was equally lacerated, replied
that he, as a father, was equally
responsible) for the elopement which
they called a "tragedy."
Mr. French was not In Newport
when tho elopement occurred. He
was having a very gay and festive
time in his handsome Tuxedo home.
His virtuous daughter, the wise and
provident Polly, and husband, wero
with him. They had been entertain
ing a house party for several days.
nr. V. . 1 1 . i . a i i
enough tp follow Tato ulann for Judv. Rh w tn fc
the- teachings of
. . B B.U .B lllh IU AAlB uin III' A i n H f B
spend a few months with Lady
Cheylesmore, and perhaps to be pre
sented at court. AH arrangements
were finished, and Mr. French sat
down to dinner at the Tuxedo Club
with the; Wagstaffs, extremely well
satisfied with himself and hla plans
for his family. ,
While explaining to his guests his
delight at being able to send Judy to
England, a servant whispered In Mrs.
Wagstaffs ear that she was wanted
at the telephone. She left the table,
all smiles and composure. She re
turned shaking like a leaf and hardly
able to speak. "Judy has run away
with that Geraghty," she gasped.
With these words al Mr. French's
rosy castles In air collapsed, and the
curtain fell on another act of this
real life drama, just in time to pre
vent our seeing the lengths to which
a proud society father's despair and
rage could carry him.
Then came days of frantic anxiety.
Mrs. Vanderbllt herself led the pur
suing party which started hard or.
the heels of (ha floolntr nlnnprn Thnv
were In a high power motor car, and
so was Mrs. Vauderbllt But the
her
time
her worldy wise
Grandmother
French, ot Aunt
Elsie, and of
father.
Up to the
ot this, marriage.
which ' took place
years ago, no
domestlo d i s cord
had -been notice
able in the French
household. Mrs.
French teemed
perfectly satisfied
with her husband's
plans for Polly,
and, In fact, en
couraged the good
looking young Wag
staff In his courting.
he marriage
Wbk .-AlaKi-atnit I
Newport Aunt Elsie showered her
obedient and complaisant niece with
jewels and added a large check to
her other contributions. In this
scene virtue was rewarded, and the
curtain rang down on a most har
monious and delighted famtly group.
Copyright. ISIS, by the Star Coraoany. Qrat Britain Sights ReirvcL
fftllntuthD' -n nlnn
- ...f, otwjr
mum tilings were ai a rrlghtful ten
sion. Whenever he saw his wlfo his
reproaches grew more cutting.
Mrs. French, on her part waa just
as unhappy. She feared tho worst
for Judy. Sho saw her washing
dishes, cooking the meals, washing
Jack's clothes. She saw her going
without the luxuries to which sho
was used. She saw her friends smile
pityingly whenever they met her.
She overheard gossip about her
daughter and the plain uneducated
Geraghtys. It was all very hard to
bear, and to relieve her overwrought
feelings she threw the blame tor the
tragedy on her husband, just as he
was trying to throw It on her.
Then news came that a baby was
expected. And suddenly tho mother
wcakoned In the attitude she had
assumed toward Judy and Jack. She
becan to study ways to approach her
girl. But the logical result of the
runaway match did not weaken the
father, nor young Frank French,
the brother. They were made even
more bitter. The baby would mean
a final and complete link between
Julia and the Geraghtys. It meant
the start of a new branch of a family
tree in which tho blood ot the poor
Geraghtys blended with that ot the
aristocratic Le Roys and Frenches.
Mr. French by this time refused to
meet his wife, even outside her home.
He had forbidden her approaching
Julia or giving her any money, but
the mother Ignored his orders and
helped prepare for the baby.
Then the baby came Mrs.
French swept the baby and Judy In
ner arms and defied her husband.
inis was the
end.
Amos French
raged. He kept
on his side his
sister, Elsie
V anderbllt,
and his sons,
who threatened
to horsewhip
Geraghty. And
the- breach in
his "domestic
affairs widened
so that he com
municated with
his wife only
through his
lawyers. H e
would not go
to "Newport for
fear of meet
ing his grand
child running
about, the
streets.
But he bask
ed In the hap
piness ot his
o b e d 1 ont
daughtor, Mrs.
WaestufT Rha
alas; has no children, hut aha
leader socially, and what more could
a father ask?
The Ger&i-htvB- attar tha
came, moved to Woburn, near Bos-
urn. io uve. Airs. fTencn nought
SBSB'ffjSSjtm- bILLbIILib
UKfa&&. "t9td!.jt'iCJJfytt' ItMlMBBafllMfi' i!fLlmPm njSBTlTBBBlPiPiPiPiPJwi
-KSSKBBtSBiklsit ibbSlbbIILbIILbIILbIILbIILmbi
BBdj jHHBB BSGMwMm nt bsIbbbbbBbbbbI
flU BB LbuS(3b9BbbSbKbFJbSb- i IbbbHbsLILbbbbH
SMBW BBBBMBtBMBE&MEBBUABlBlBeBeBBBVBVBYlVBKC
a "G&3nsa .
i
1
X
