The Oregon daily journal., March 21, 1909, Page 31, Image 31

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'-' A' xjtfUMt' - '!'NVvv ter: lV 6;" '
. brf- y , . : vV f I, .. :
...At mm(tf f
1 he I rouble one may
Make and the Difficulty
of Suppressing Her
jTpyER since the trial and acquittal of
rty X9rttton Je nkins Ilains upon charges
connecting hint tvith , the sensational
killing of William E. Annis at the Bayside
iYacht Club, Long Island, last summer, the.
country, and army circles especially, has been j
awaftlng wtihfevereaV Interest the trial of
Captain Peter C. Mains, his brother, sched
uled to come off this spring.
It has been expected that the trial of
Captain Mains mil bring to light sensation
after sensation, as the curtc'.n is lifted in court
from the inner doings of army posts.
Several times during recent years the
country has been treated to similar sensations..
Whether the "treat has proved interesting or
nauseating depends upon the point of view.
One thing, however, has stood out promi-ncntly-wtie
i a woman's hand stirs an army
scandal there's the very deuce of a time. '
Some time ago former Adjutant General
M. C. Corbin was quoted as saying: "One
fool woman can make more trouble in an
army post than all the officers and men. We
can control the men df an army post, but we
cannot control the women."
However this may be, , women have suc
ceeded, during recent years, in stirring up
some of the most malodorous scandals ever
L.M. .'a iI.mmu Ar.f ill'.
KnOWn Vt the army, ana no persons regret tntS
tU .. ft. t ...,:
more than the great majority of clean, patri
otic officers and men, and the self-respecting,
home-loving and home-making , women of
army posts. . x
WO recent army scandals were marked by the
grimmest tragedy. Captain Hains Vllled the
man .who, he declared, had violated his home.
Mrs. lwls U. Chandler, overcome by the
Ignominy which had fallen upon her, died by her owa
T
V band. ... ) ,
iBDt details. Accounts of high living, gambling, drink
lng at army pests, were given In both cases. "What
will transpire when the case of Captain Halns comes
up Is now only tinted at. The Chandler case set the
army by the- cars. m -
It was blustering night In March, I05. and a
. woman sat alone la a room in the Paxton Hotel,
Omaha. She sat by a table, in her haad a,blt of paper
on which were written two verses from the Rubalyat.
be repeated tbeiq over and over again. Jn a dull,
hard voice a voice which had In It a hopeless ring: .
Ah. lore, could yoa sn4 I with Him conspire..
: To run this sorry scheme of thins ntlr.
Would' not w shatter It to bits and thea,
Remsuld it nearer ta tbe keart's desire t
Ten rising moon that looks for as ssrala
' How oft hfftr will ho was end wane.
How oft horesftor, ruin. look tat os
Throush the Hnt gardoBj and foione la valal
The woman" sal alone." her face pais,' her "eyes
glased with a bard, despairing look. For a long urns
she sat In silence; then she ottered a scream:
"I can t stand HI My God! I can't stand It any .
longerf x
She broke down and wept. Her awful plight bnrit
upon her. she realised the unutterable disgrace at
tached to her name, ahe knew H had beeom a by
erd throughout the country, that her relatives
corned her., that the husband she bad deceived bad
ssurned her. v . .
And as she knelt there her life passed aralt before
ker. She remembered when as the famed Bessie keen
ly she was sdmlred ss a rlgning beauty ef Baltimore, -f-ht
remembered how men praised her beasty hor
peacb-and-cream complexion, her great brown eyes.
tir bronte-brown hair; how, la cities far and near,
that beauty became famed.
And ane know that " the enro eeurted a4
petted eoclety girl was a dlserared womao. a woman
whos Bame was not orly- ruined, but one who bad
brought diiwredlt upon the tnltd Ftates Army.
Id her glHhod she bed mrril a raee-trark maa.
frem whem she Tsrstd, retoml-g her ttiIi1 name.
Purine the "ft period she lived In Baltlnore e
frm ejiref'r ffy" Mjmlir, and It was with rert
ht her admirers learned of fecr etopeeneat with
THE OREGON SUNDAY
young Lieutenant Lewis B. Chandler, then stationed
at l-'ort Mcllenry. Chandler bad enlisted In the
Twenty-second New York Ke!inent for service during
the Spanish War. He had been promoted because of
bravery, had gone into the regular army and was re
garded as one of the rising young men in the service.
Sitting alone in her room, the events of her Ufa
passing .before her,"the woman doubtless remembered
her trip to the Philippines, the drinking parties to
Which she, for the first time, was invited, and the
attention of the officers.
She returned to Baltimore, where she waited her
husband's coming from the, Philippines. Then came
the assignment to Fort Niobrara, in Nebraska. It was
a dreary place. There was little society. Possibly
her flirtations were innocent at first, But ahl if now
she could only take her life and "remould it neater to
the heart's desire."
It happened that Lieutenant Chandler was sent to
.Fort Riley, Kansas, to attend army maneuvers. In
his absence Captain George W. Kirkman, it was
charged, began paying attention to the wife. They
roae together, dined together, walked together. She
remembered that she knew there were whispers, and
he still tingled with shame when she recalled her
being asked to leave the fort. She went to Omaha,
Captain Kirkman following. ,
Bitter must have been the memory of those days
together, the visit of her husband, who followed, to
prove the Infidelity if his wife, and the sensation
when lie applied for divorce. Again she suffered the
New Society
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JOURNAL, PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 21, 1003 ,
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bitterness felt when Kirk
man, disgraced with charges
of passing worthless checks,
left hfr. Still more galling
was the memory of how
she returned to her hus
band and at bis feet sobbed for forgiveness, when he
turned and her, without a word.
And this after kirkman had been arrested in
Brooklyn and brought back for court-martial.
With her head buried in her arms the woman
sobbed throughout the evening, She. burned with the.
knowledge of the shame she liad, brought upon her
self. And it was. not for herself so much that sha
cared, but for iier little boy. His picture was on the
table. She covered It with kisses. And then she
determined .to follow out the suggestion that had
come to her days before.
ENDED "iN TRAGEDY
Late at night a slot was heard In her room. When
the door was broken open they found her. on the floor,
a bullet wound In her head, her child's picture clasped
to hejs heart.
When Kirkman heard of the suicide he unsuc
cessfully tried to end his life twice by opening his
wrists with scissors and by taking morphine. Then
came hie trial. The sixth army offlcer to be confined
-Aoi
"G
I AN you dance!"
If this question is addressed to
you, young sir, by a matron'of society,'
your social future will lanrelv denend
upon your reply. If you can dance, very well; if
not, you must learn or suffer social oblivion.
For this is tho mandate that has gone from
London, and which American matrons (have re
echoed. - Young men must dance.
Within tbe last decade .here has been a de
cline of dancing among men; they have gone to
receptions find balls and have stood about , the
walls. But this has come to an end. At least, so
London has decreed, and so America has agreed,
accoraing to latest reports.
-t -
dancing else at a fashionable parlor was
Iin ruu swing. On the floor were many young
girls, most of them dancing together. Lounging
. eout. watching them, were a number ot young
men. .' . . ' ' r'
"Aren't you going to dancer asked the instructor Of,
one young man. . f
"Ob, ire ah awful bore,- drawled the man.
The instructor bristled.
"Why de you ewme nere, tbent Why do you pre-:
tend to JoaraT Do yon mean to ge out ta society
end let the young ladles dance aloneT If you
don't want to loam, don't come here. Goelsewhero. Tee
find da noire a bore well, yoo'ro too lacy, you're too
SFliloto to larn; you're too thoughtless. Fart la. peo
ple outht to rut )oa off tbelr llvts If yen don't dance."
Afterward tho twetructor delivered himself:
"It's true; young- anea la sorlvty have gtvn tip daae
Irg te a groat oatent. ef them lera when they ere
t..idm. brut as sort tKey grow tt man's tae thev .
(lie It eft. rrotoMr they'll do the buck end wing, but '
ivr find valuing toe tirt." " '
' A thr,g, howeeer. has Ciw. Tr Is a movement
en esnong society sna irons te require geerte te daace. A
Edict
to prison within seven yeaVs, the unhappy man en
tered the prison at Fort Leavenworth to serve a three
year sentence three months after the woman's death.
Less than a year later the army was convulsed
with another scandal. " "
In the suit of Major Elmore F. Taggart for divorce
he rimmed a number of well-known officers as co-respondents.
The testimony in tjiis case was sensa
tional .In the extreme. The scandal left Its trail from
the Philippines to Kansas. ,
Mrs. Taggart before her marriage had been Grace
Violet Culver, prominent socially In Chicago, and
heiress to a considerable 'estate. In the divorce suit
the woman's name was connected with those of a
number of army officers.
lb his petition for divorce tne major asserted that
his wife was guilty of misconduct at Fort Leavenworth.-
that she figured in episodes with a captain
who later married a celebrated authoress. At Fort
Thomas. Kentucky, he alleged, she was guilty of mis
conduct with another officer, and that at Fort Leaven
worth she figured with at least two others.
The stories of drinking parties told by the Irate'
Anst Dance
young man unable to dance will therefore not find much
popular favor. , -f , - .
London Jiostesses began this social crusade. For
many years the bad dancing of young men has been a
thorn in the aide, of society. Several months ago a cer
tain royal personage attended a function. He observed
several young men ambling about the room.
"That Is atrocious," he declared. "If they can't
dance they should not be asked around"
Such things spread rapidly, one leader whispering It
'to another. Parties and balls foUowed, and young men
who had always received Invitations were uninvited.
.'They took the hint and began dancing lessons.
Previously the young men did not care. The possi
bility of social ostracism, however, brought them te
their senses and the dancing ma iters. Jjanclng baa
lmprovt-d woinJ.-rfuliy In Loudon of late,
In,ths country society leaders have taken a decided
stand. They have not yet begun social ostracism, but
they ere making it plain that they expect all guest te
be able to daiw-e. and dance well.
"Nearly alk tbe children of society folk learn to dance
when tbey are children." declared aa Instructor recently.
"But when tbe young tnu grow up they simply give it
up. Conditions are most deplorable. Sometimes they Jose
lnteret because of tbelr Inability to snake acquaintances.
"To facilitate exchange of partners and add seat te
dancing a tapping' danco has been devteed for dancing
choola It has been ejuite ruccesoful In arousing Inter
et Take a floor where a number of couples are danc
ing. One man goes up to another, taps him on the
shoulder and takes Ms partner. It Is a fair exchange.
There Is a great deal ef fan In this dance, and It has -proven
an incentive to young folk.
"American bostesoee are In despair because ef tbe
decline of lntert In dancing. "What Is to be doner-they
hare anked. Tbey simply gave tbe matter ap. And tbe
young men lounged nowut ebon tbey should have been -out
on the floor."
Now that London has glree the eoe. however, beat
eeoes are hopeful of compelling every young man te
danre. Already Ibeir attitude hae bn fruitful ef re
sult, and ImpwuirM n iotlceabi et pertiee and belie.
of couree. t erunade l a tacit en no er-eir war
faro has ben dfrlered But rf men asking for a
tip as te s-s la society will likely hear whisper
"Dnet well." - j
f
THAT
husband In many, respects resemble those narrated by,
Captain Hains. Taggart declared that his wife wa
addicted to both drink and cigarettes. He told of a.
drinking contest at one of the forts in which his
wife engaged with several women to see who could
drink the most. During the cross-examinatioa , oC
Mrs. Taggart at the trial it was brought out that at
one cotillon at Fort Leavenworth there' was con
sumed claret punch which cost 300.
In reviewing the case before giving his decision
the judge granting the divorce declared that one
.0i?c.5F-M4 ?ejdjst reprehengibly .and .denounced
another for cowardice. ' Following the reveatlons, the
Prohibition party, which was holding a county con
vention in Chicago, adopted a plank denouncing "the
shameful condition of drunkenness and immorality
declared to exist In tbe army by witnesses under oath
in the Taggart divorce trial." Major Taggart secured
his divorce afld was given the custody of uls ciiU
uren. Few army scandals are so replete, however, with
accounts of -excessive drinking as the Hains case.
The publication of the letters of Claudia Llbbey Hains
to her husband, telling of "sprees," are among tne
most sensational documents figuring In recent court
proceedings. . .
THE DAWN OF SUSPICION
In telling how suspicion first dawned upon him,
regarding the fidelity of his wife. Captain Halns told
ot a trip to the Philippines, when he left Mrs. Hains
at Fort Hamilton. "W hen I left her sha was as loving
a wife as a man could want,' he said. 'lp to. lhac
time we had sever had a harsh word. I kissed her
good-bye and ' told her to take good care of herself
and the children. She promised sne would.
"I made two trips to the Philippines, the first one
ending in January. When I returned to San Fran
cisco f ' was ordered back. I was there two weeks,
when I returned to tSan Francisco, 1 had received, no
letters from my wife, as she did not know where ta
address them to. '
-On my getting oft the steamer at San Francisco
a bundle of letters was handed to me. impatiently
I tore them open. What I read in the first one amazed
me. My wife spoke of drinking and smoking at Fort
'Hamilton. She told of disgraceful times. I could not
believe what I read. I read the letter over and over
again. Then I opened the others. What X read nearly,
stunned me. For in these letters ahe described drink
ing orgies that we terrible."
Upon his return Captain Halna learned of the gos
sip about his wife and of the association of her aame
with that of Annls. It was afterward, he declared,
she made her confession. -. ;
Some of Mrs. Hains letters were-'Vead during the
trial of Captain Halns' brother, Thornton Jenkins
Hains. Tbe following is typical of a number; ,
My Dearest Husband: I went for Mrs. ' to so
to the band concert, and they were juat finishing din
ner: so wo beard the last piece; thea wo wont over
to 'o and stayed till . This la roally a Friday ,
letter. I didn't drink any boose, so I in simply tlied.
Captain bad boon up to see Major eft and
bad a fine edae- In fact, he was P' i.... k.v-
i wu tno oniy ono in 100 v' 1 r woo u.un '"""".
and thy all made fun ef mo: but it didn't worry m
and thrfy all mads fun ef rue; but It didn't worry
Well. It's moat I o'clock and I am coins to turn i
the day. Mrs. was drinking nothing but
Good moraine. lta of kiea. CLAUD
in.
Good morning. Lota of kiaa
:lauoia.
"i -" Naturally, when these, letters were published, there
followed a great furore. Mrs, Halns' parties during
the absence of her husband. It Is alleged, did not
lack in merriment It is asserted that prisoners at the
army post, paroled for good behavior, were mar
shaled Into service as waiters at her parties and
that members ef the post orchestra were employ i
at the house to furnish Instrumental music. Com
nlaints it Is said, were made at times because ot the
noise at tbe post' which was continued when peopla
In adjoining officers' houses wished to sleep. Thae
-llecatlons have been vehemently denied by Mrs.
Halna, and their truth or falsity will be brought out
at the trial. "
w PUBLICITY PROMOTES PURITY
A great stir was created by their revelations;
.... i, I. Mid there la now much uneaalneas in
bow-
many
Quarters concernlaej the. probable dlacioaures during
.... trial of Caotaln Hains. Officers at the
posts maintain that the doings reported by Sir..
Halns are not representative ef the dlveralone of the
great majority ef officer end th4r wives. Concerning
lira. Halns' letters. Captain W. Johnson said;
bo roblwaeo. tor m toe eww. -
whole army aheold not bo hlame4 tor the atloftS ef a
lew auaeoiute Let the oeaoure (ail aavt it r .fa
tally bolonsa - 4
Typical of the dialurhances which women . rt
rreate withtn the disciplinary circles ef the army
- feed' ef ki ra. Cttartoe ti Ayrea. wife ef rei'red 1-!. j.
tenant Colonel Ayree with tho eflg als ef wt f'o.-t
has attracted ottenilon. tome jeare IP Mn Aff
crilk-leed the War lepartmrrit Kr--a use the ot . i
aal of the army ordered wm g""e to to .f i t
oats dorlag dra- pararte at et Total ! '
vpea Mra Ayree was ordered ut ef the tMrn
Later ber buebaeS was mired frm etn -r
e the growneo that be waa oTi i r e' I '
Mrs. Ayree eooevted It was be- u t-i t S' "' " ' '
wo mew ea the reeerration. Kr .- t
aa eb-rt ef srlte and ma"e. m. ' f r
time) k-rt thlneo warm at tne rtrm-i.
Po. all thler e-nl4ere't one a w
haad ran stir m!gkty scssias i arry p-t's.
It's the very boat thing poealbhj for tho errev to fcav
ihoeo letters p'"- Its too bad tbe piiv
atrlka est tho names of the por" mentioned -Halns
aa IndyU nj ta drinHlna ita. few they .r.o
ave ro:ectloa and do sympathy. n4 tt r-uti-"r m.'
.--i a.BTthinc i ! the intereeis t hette d jf1 -e
la tho a rimy. I am eot Dpoee4 to teitlns each