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TOL. XLI
PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 3, 1922
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ie Drexel
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Deserted With Her Baby Abroad After Her Elopement
This Darling of Millions Is Again to Shine on Fifth Ave
nue on Condition That She Drop Her Husband's Name.
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BT BETTY VAN EENTHUYSEN.
j. LICE DREXEL. BARRETT, heir
j rB to the John H. Drexel mil-
lions, has come home after &
two-year experience In the leading;
role of the prodigal daughter In real
not reel life, and so far as Papa
and Mamma Drexel are concerned,
she may have the whole veal output
of the Chicago stockyards. If It will
help any to blot out the memory of
a debutante's broken heart.
With the return is to come a di
vorce from "Diamond Bill" Barrett,
formerly of Portiana and Ilillsboro.
Or., who played the other side of
the sketch In society's most astonish
ing heart tragedy. Following the
divorce, as -Mrs. Alice C. Drexel." the
young woman is to resume her place
In the society of New York. Newport
and Europe.
Such Is the latest chapter in the
peculiarly sad. and at the same time,
remarkable story of the young heir
ess, who has crowded the joys and
the sorrows of life into two years
that left little alone the route of
experience to be shaded into the pic
ture. Alice Drexel was one of tiiosc girls
who. from childhood, might not. tilie
might not do any of the UiiiiKs she
pictured in advance, and under the
watchful eye of a mother who was
accustomed to rule in her own way.
he came to the estate of young
womanhood under the tight rein of
authority. Marriage especially seemed
to be the one thing that the mother
sought to delay, and it was through
the upsetting of the mother's plans
by fate that all the tragedy of the
girl's life came.
Carefully planning against fate.
Mrs. Irexel consigned her daughter
to tlie schoolroom for a couple of years
more titan the other girls of her set.
and then delayed her debut by send
ing her abroad, and she was well
over 20 when a ball of great fame
Introduced her to New Tork society,
and formed the prelude to numerous
entertainments in neighboring cities
at which the formal presentation was
continued In lesser form.
But nobody on earth can keep a
young girt pretty, heiress to millions,
and holding the privileges of the
most exclusive circles, from attract
ing beaux.
Attract them she did.
appeared on the horixon of whom
society thought well, but none
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the couple might have been found
Four swains at times wandering together in the
shady spots of Bronx park, where
of they met and cooed as the days
them seemed to find favor with the went by.
mother. In fact, when Mrs. Drexel But. although the girl was far from
found that the young men were mak- suspecting it. this was not the gat
ing progress toward, the family din- lant captain's first experience with
oer table, she formed the notion that love's young dream. "Diamond Bill"
another trip to Europe might serve Barrett, the son of the late W. N..
as a deterrent, and gave orders for Barrett of Hillsboro. Or., former state
the Journey. senator of Oregon, had graduated
It happened that among the young from the naval academy at Annapolis
men she had met was a young army in 1S10. received his discharge from
captain, little known to society, but the service shortly afterward and
coming at a time that the war sof- gone to San Krancisco. where he was
tened the social situation for shoulder welcomed Into society. Here he nar
straps. and presented by the Princess rowly escaped prosecution in "connec
RoapigliosL He was a sturdy youth, tlon with pawning two diamond rings
with an open, frank countenance, a which h'e had purchased on credit,
pleasing smile and what politicians Thus came the name "Diamond Bill."
call mixing ability." From San Francisco Barrett went to
William Barrett, the young captain. Hillsboro. Or., where for a brief time
came directly from Washington. D. C. he attempted to study law in
" '1 "Ift Wi'Mflheii & ' "4
where she had taken quarters, and her child first see day in a charity only knew that tlie arrest was made
that while the. voice was that of ward. But right there the saving at the request of Scotland Yard and
Alice, the registry at the hotel was chapter that always comes in good that the charge was the taking of a
that : of "Captain and Mrs. William plays and books, opened itself with string of pearls, worth $100,000, from
Barrett." , Father Drexel, in far America, hear- Mrs. John D. Spreckels Jr.
A very much surprised, and a very ing of the distress of his daughter. Mrs. Spreckels was once ' a stage
much shocked, mother heard the story True, the family had been on very dancer in San Francisco. She mar
of the elopement over the wire. bad terms with the Barretts after the ried young Spreckels against the
The couple were ordered -to the elopement; true, the breach had un- wishes of his family, and went to
family home for a talk Just what dergone no healing, but Father London. It seems that Barrett was
the talk brought nobody ever knew. Drexel is human and good-natured, aiso i London in the days before his
But the next chapter in their story and he Save certain orders, and then marriage to Miss Drexel and that he
shows them on board an ocean liner, took tne first boat- ' was much in the society of Mrs.
bound for Paris, with no financial In pursuance to his orders, a nursing Spreckels while her husband was
resources other than an army cap- home 1d Normandie took the place of away on a business trip to Norway,
tain's pay and what little change she the dreaded public hospital, and when During that time Mrs. Spreckels
had from her allowance. The Drexel Father Drexel. arrived he was just a charged that she entrusted the pearls
checkbook was not financing the trip. laP behind the stork bearing a grand- to Barrett and that he disappeared
That much was certain ' son- There was precious little time with them. The Los Angeles police
Over on the south side of the Seine lost ln bringing father and daughter heard all of the facts and then re
are several quarters in which persons together. . ported that they did not justify hold
who . have small means may find ac- No such easy route was before those ing Barrett. He was released and
commodations in keeping wtfh the who wished to appease Mrs. Drexel. dropped out of sight. '
purse. Small hotels of ancient type, Her P"ide had been sorely wounded, in the meantime, Tiffany came
and pensions that have no acquain- and U took many weeks to bring her along with a suit against Mrs. Spreck
tance with the. smart world shelter to a Position where she was willing els for $80,000 alleged to be due on
many a traveler who would see the to forgive the prodigal daughter. But the missing .pearls. The suit is now
world on a shoestring. Into these ln course of time the news came that pending. Spreckels, who bought the
.,rn.,nriir,r went the E-irl of mil- Mrs' Drexel was sailing to join her gras in London from the Tiffany
. 1. . . v. i 1,' ...... , i .. , t. . : ,. . . . . . . . A.
uuauauu i ii i-1 .hvjc, txiiu. iHcii nine Drancn, aiea last August as ine re
arrived when il became known that suit of a motor accident,
a truce had been patched up between But that much of the story no long
the mother- and daughter. er-Interests the Drexels. They have
Two ironclad conditions were placed washed the family hands of him, and
on her forgiveness: it remains to be seen what the prod-
Willlam Barrett's name must never jg-aj daughter, who crowded a whole
be mentioned to her. uf& story into two chapters of one
Alice would immediately . divorce year each, will do once she is fairly
him and take; the name of "'Alice C. launched upon the social ocean which
Drexel." . , si,e once left for love.
The Prodigal Returns.
So. fulfilling the pact, Mr. and Mrs. Policeman's Evidence Exact.
lions and the lover who had told his
love in the shady nooks of Bronx
park.
Once in a while they ventured out.
Once, during the time when the Paris
police still had the war lid on gayety,
they gave a dancing party at the
Ritz to which all of the "Who's Who
of the American and English set were
bidden. Little Alice and her soldier
husband received the congratulations
as hosts and, as an especial conces
sion, the hotel got the police to relax
was to follow, and in 1915 the girl listened to plans for an elopement
secured a divorce. that wo
From then until the world war abroad. Miss Drexel went home and
"Diamond Bill" dropped from sight, -packed her belongings or so much
only to bob up again in New York's of them as time -and secrecy would
social world with the epaulets of a permit into suitcases and a steamer
captain of aviation upon his shoulders, . trunk. . She bundled the baggage into
the closing order so that dancing xrexel are " bringing the prodigal 4 . . ,,... .
to mans for an eionemeni ... . ,-mnn,.iM. . . " y .
uld supersede the lone voyage ZZr oTlolTi no " d,augllter bac to New York and the being tried at the police court.
.- , . . j hour Ot 1 o CIOCK in lue moi-iima. wit entertainment will find her Th wltncu fnr lha nrnf
Plaaalng the Elopemeal.
When Alice told the captain that
the plans of the family called for "a
his trip to Europe, he urged marriage.
-an automobile and went whirling, one
June day. up the Bronx park, where
the courting had been done, and there
met her waiting lover. -
. main ertma infill' WlUtCi cu.ci uuuuicum will liuu UEl 1UO W1L11C9S 1V1 IUD lUSCu.luil,
"ence at court the influence of wnat " " ' .. ----- --
"one is supposed to possess.
But time went along and the bill ter of a strange land will be her lot.
ofrai, wn, irnnaiH. Thj Ttar- InRteari. she will have her old nla.ee
.t ,r not receiving quests at in the New York mansion, and in the member that you are on oath.
More reraoteiy ne nauea irom san lathers oitice. nut the uttle town "But." said the girl. "I have no
Francisco. Tacoma. Wash., and Hills- proved too tame and Barrett went to means of my own. All that I have is
boro. Or. Also he knew the ropes at Tacoma. where ln the summer of 1914 a little personal allowance."
Iiondon and was no stranger in Paris, he eloped with a prominent Tacoma "It is not your money, it Is you, 'I
Before anybody dreamed that he had society girL. This first romance fol- want." pleaded the' captain. '
aspirations In the Drexel direction, lowed much the course the later one The idea appealed to the girl. She
that a cheap hotel in a strange quar- amined by the counsel for the de
fense.
"Now, officer, be careful and re-
Was
whatever home they affected. Money great Newport estate. - . tn& Pony ' tne cart or was it not.
went, love went, and then one day. And what, you ask, became of Bar- "N. " was not!" emphatically re
Alice found that Barrett had deserted rett? ' Dl'ed Flanagan.
They drove to a" little church near her. He left her with never a sou, . Nobody seems to know. lou near t.nat, your nonor. in
New Rochelle and were married. and with the prospect of a new mem- . He came back from Paris and was umphantly proclaimed the counsel for
That afternoon the telephone bell in ber of the family to add to -the ter- lost to the set that had known; him the defense. "Then, pray, officer,
the Drexel home rang. When Mrs. rors of the situation. - in the - east. All of a sudden one where was the pony?"
Drexel' answered she found that Alice ' It seemed that the young1 mother "night'the wires from' Lbs Angeles' told " "In the shafts," answered the exact
was calling from a Fifth-avenue hotel must go ta a public hospital and have that he bad been arrested. The police policeman.