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Fashionable Society Awaits the Details of the Separation Suit of Mrs. Theodosius
Stevens to Clear Up die
Secrets of That August
Afternoon When the
Wife Was Found Among Such
Tragic Surroundings
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THE recent published announcement
that proceedings for diTorce bad
been begun by Mrs. Frances Watts
Stevens against, her bus band, Theodoslus
IU Bterens, member of the Jashlonable
Stevens family of New
York and New Jersey
and brother of the mas
ter of the famous Castle
Stevens at Castle Point,
Hoboken, hae revived
most Intensely the In
terest of fashionable
society in the attempt
at suicide of this young
and charming wife last
August.
The Stevenses have
been married less than
three years. Their
match was considered,
at the first, an Ideal
one. and when the lit
tle more than bride
was carried from the
Sea Spray Hotel at
Easthampton, Long Isl
and, unconscious from
a drug she had taken
and with the veins of
her left wrist severed,
great Indeed was the
consternation In the
high social circles in
which she had moved.
Many, too, were the
conjectures.
It was known that
despite the fair augu
Ties which had attend
ed the launching of
thoir marital craft it
had sailed a year ago
into troublesome wa
ters. There were hints
of estrangement. It was
known that the wife
was living alone in the
Long Island hotel. Mrs.
Stevens was tempera
mental and Mr. Stevens
was Inclined to be mat
ter of fact.
Yet, whatever Incom
patibility existed be
tween them, everyone
was certain mai iu
huBband could not pos
sibly have given the
wife any real cause to
kill herself. Mr. Stevens
is a gentleman of edu
cation, cultivated and
kindly. It is true he Is seventeen
older than Mrs. Stevens.
There was an explanation offered that
grief over'the death of her father, the late
Ethelbert Watts, diplomat and statesman,
once Vice-Consul of Russia and during the
earlr vears of the war American Consul-
General at Brussels, had caused the
tempt.
It was whispered, too, that she had .
never really forgotten a certain young
officer of King Albert's staff who had been
violently in love with her, with whom, It
was said, she had been as much in love,
and who had been killed in the first year
Of strife.
But the majority wondered whether the
strain of keeping up appearances, of enter
taining the smart people who were their
own kind upon an entirely inadequate in
come had not accentuated the differences
of temperament and widened the rift be
tween the two, until to the wife's over
wrought nerves and high-strung tempera
ment death seemed preferable to the life
she had been leading.
The mystery of Mrs. Stevens's attempt
at suicide has never lost Its Interest, and
sow fashionable society Is wondering
whether In the papers which will be filed
there will be revealed the true cause
hints that Balzac might have used for an- '
other book of bis Comedle Humane, or
which would have provided Thackeray an
other chapter for Vanity Fair.
Mrs. Stevens herself -says, "I have not
Jet decided whether the legal action will
e for separation or for absolute divorce."
Still another curious factor Is added
by the apparent friendliness of the pair
upon all matters except as to living to
gether as husband and wife. They met
several weeks ago in their apartment at
No. 10 East Fiftieth street, and divided
their furniture between them, each mov
ing to a separate domicile.
Mrs. Stevens said, "I met Mr. Stevens
a week ago and we both laughed together
heartily over some of the rumors which
bad been flying around regarding our dis
agreement Among other things I had
beard that Mr. Stevens is going to divorce
me, which, of course, is absolutely un
true." Mrs. Stevens waa Frances Watts, of the
old Philadelphia family of that name. She
conies from a long line of aristocrats who
won honors in diplomatic affairs. Her
grandfather was the American Minister to
Austria, She herself is a beauty.
' During the most formative years of her
life, from fifteen to twenty-one or two, the
girl lived, in Brussels, where she saw and
later became part of the brilliant cosmo
politan society of that very gay city. She
was thrown constantly Into the company
of men of true continental training and
tradition; her ideas of what a man should
1
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The Unconscious Form of Mrs. Stevens Wat Found, He?
' Left Wrist Slashed by the Blade of a Safety
Razor and a "Medicine" Bottle at Hand.
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The Rotunda of
the Interesting
Old Stevens
Mansion at
Castle Point,
Hoboken, and
Portrait of
Mrs. Theodosius
Stevens.
stan. it was no
secret that this man
bad, been a constant
caller at the Watts
home in Brussels,
and waa with her
more than any other.
When war came he
followed bis King,
and was reported to
be in the greatest
danger.
Later, when Miss
Watts withdrew
from all social life
for several weeks, it
was reported that
this suitor, a noble
man of fortune, had
been killed. As no
formal announce
ment of an engage
ment had been
made, no formal rec
ognition of his death
was giTen by tne
Watts family, and gradually Miss Frances
slipped back into her former social niche.
She became the leader in the relief work
for the Belgians, and New York saw her
frequently in the war tableaux and other
benefits given for Belgian babies. Her
dashing beauty and wonderful hair made
her a spectacular figure in entertainments
that netted large sums for the stricken
country.
Finally her activities led to a friendship
with Mrs. Richard Stevens, of Castle Point,
the historic home of the distinguished Ste
vens family on the Hoboken side of the
Hudson River. Mrs. Stevens, who was
older than Miss Watts, was a striking bru
nette, as beautiful in. her way as the Phila
delphia belle. The two became great
friends; they were splendid foils for each
other, and were well nigh inseparable.' '
Mrs. Dick, as society called her, had been
born a Stevens and had married her cousin.
She had a younger brother, Theodosius-
"Teddy" who, though very serious minded,
was popular in his sister's crowd.
Logically enough, he met Miss Watts,
and eventually fell madly In love with her-
Society did not take his love affair very
seriously for the two were"o dissimilar
In taste and outlook on life. The girl was
used to the superficial but very delightful
manners of the Continental men.
Stevens, on the other hand, was a down
right, rather stolid American, who looked
upon women as more or less his equals.
He had graduated from Columbia in 1900,
studied law and was already well known In
his profession. He was also deeply Inter-
to a Belgian officer ested in politics, and had been appointed
on King Albert's counsel to the Bronx Parkway Commission.
larly in the brilliant
young married set
In New York, and
naturally ' was be
sieged by suitors.
The war threw
her into a fit of mel
ancholy. It was
. openly stated that
she was In love, per
haps even engaged,
I
be were formed therefore on a basis for
eign to American ideals.
She was past her twenty-first birthday
when war broke out, and being in PhiladeR
phla at the time could not return to Bel
glum. At that time Miss Watts was a
radiant, young beauty, with what Henner
had called "glorious hair of red and fire."
and her dash of foreign piquancy added to
her charm. She was a favorite, partlcu-
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The Famous Stevens's Residence.
ff 1919, Inters Henri Ttor Sarrlc Zs ' Cnt Brltala Sffkts
His family tradition was one of serious ef
fort and splendid accomplishment. He was
the grand-nephew of the Edwin A. Stevens
who founded the Stevens Institute of Tech
nology in Hoboken and whose engineering
prowess had given him an international
reputation
Into his life, at forty-two, floated the .de
lightfully brilliant yotfng butterfly from
Philadelphia, a girl who knew little of and
cared less for law and politics: Mrs. Dick
saw her chance to make a match, and.
woman-like, did her best to bring it about.
Irrespective of what might happen after.
With the passing of time and the press
ing tragedies of the three years of fighting,
Miss Watts had outgrown or controlled the
sorrow brought to her by the death of her
reported lover. She first became mildly
interested in her new admirer, and later
apparently fell in love with him. In
January, 1917, their engagement was an
nounced, and in March they were married.
Following a short wedding trip the happy
couple settled down in New York, and
society having given them the once-over
left them alone as objects of gossip. All
looked most happy on the surface. And
In the beginning they were happy.
Several months went by before any un
easiness was roused. Then it became evi
dent that all was not well in the new house
hold. Rumors of friction, of quarrels even,
over money matters and over temperamen
tal differences, went up and down Fifth
Avenue. Finally these rumors reached the
castle over on the Jersey side of the river,
and great was the consternation in the
family stronghold. The Richard Stevenses
flew to the rescue, but the objects of their
solicitude would not talk. They were
patently unhappy, but would admit noth
ing. Neither would they accept money
from their richer folk.
And in this regard it was recalled that
young Mrs, Stevens had always been de
terminedly Independent in money matters.
Indeed, not long before her marriage she
v found it difficult to get along on her own
small Income and decided to go npon the
stage. But so shrunken were her resources
that although a position was open to ber,
he did not have money enough to buy
her costumes for It She went into motion
pictures hiding her real identity and in
a few weeks earned enough to buy the
dresses and hats for the more ambitious
part After that the play went upon the
road, bu failed. Although her relaUves
In Philadelphia are numerous and wealthy,
she would accept no help from them.
So it was not long after the, wedding that
the clash of ideals and temperaments be
gan. As a member of the, Stevens family
Theodosius had a goodly income and this
he added to with bis law work.' But there
Is an appalling difference between what is
necessary for a single man to be comfort
able upon in fashionable society and what
is necessary for at - young couple. They
-were entertained and had to entertain in
turn. Mrs. Stevens had known, of course,
before she married that her husband was
not in the multi-millionaire class. But she
had not realized the difference between a
"good income" and a really big fortune.
Brought up as she had been by. Indulgent
' American ; parents, she bad been given
everything in reason and assumed that her
husband could, of course, give ber a great
deal more She bad no dot, because Ethel
bert Watts was in so position to settle a
fortune on his daughter, but after her mar
rlage he did continue her allowance. This,
however, did not place her financially, on .
a par with the young married women who
formed her social setting.
In plain English, even so early In her
married life, Mrs. Stevens found that she
could sot compete with the gay Long
Island colony, led by Mrs. Harry Payne
Whitney. Mrs. Willie- K. Vanderbllt, Mrs.
George F. Baker, Jr, Mrs. Ooadby Loew
and others whose Incomes ran into many
millions. Being high spirited and fond of,
giving as good as she received, Mrs. Stev
ens became unhappy.
One of her greatest complaints was that
her husband's Interest in politics Interfered
with his money making, and she tried hard
to make him give up his ambitions and
settle down to grubbing for wealth.
Now, Mr. Stevens takes his public duty
very seriously; he had Ideals and ha
wished to preserve them; also he really
longed to give bis beautiful .wife every
thing her heart was set on. As a lawyer
with a social background, Mr. Stevens real
ized that while Greenwich Village may be
a state of mind, Fifth avenue is undoubt
edly a state of the pocketbook, but even
this realisation could not make him change
. his method of living and working.
The seventeen years difference between
the husband and wife suddenly became
very apparent; he saw himself ten years
from now a settled man of fifty-six, with
a brilliant society-loving wife of thirty
three or four, eager to be a real leader
In her set and more than eager to have
millions at her command. This depressed
him. but served to make him work harden
day and night.
His wife, naturally, saw the same picture.
She also saw her husband wearing himself
out in, bis effort to live up to his ideals.
She developed even greater unhappiness
and depression.
Last Summer she wanted to take a
Southampton house and assume a promi
nent position in that very smart and ex
pensive colony. Mr. Stevens refused and
suggested . that they spend the Summer
quietly at Easthampton, just a short drive
from the gayer place.
There were many bitter discussions be
fore this course was decided upon. Finally
the husband and wife appeared at thi
hotel in Easthampton and after a few days'
visit the former returned to New York and
business and the latter spent her days
with her friends in Southampton, but mak
ing the hotel her headquarters.
Mr. Stevens, according to the hotel pro
prietor, did not come down to Easthamp
ton again. Shortly after noon on August
1 cries of a woman calling for help
were beard on the beach and a crowd of
bathers rushed toward the hotel. Mrs.
Stevens, it developed, bad been found. in
her room unconscious from loss of blood
and from some Internal trouble, due, it was
said, to poison. Doctors called, took ber
Instantly to the Southampton Hospital,
eighteen miles away, and superhuman
efforts were made to save her life and to
keep the trouble a complete secret
Mr. Stevens was sent for, but he, like
every public official and personal friend,
refused to talk.
And so for four months the "conspiracy
of silence" has dons its fall work. Society
talked for a while and then decided to
awaK the course of events. The published
report of Mrs. Stevens's divorce suit
against her. husband proves that watchful
waiting sometimes has its reward.
Mr. Stevens, It is said, has entered no
protest but will let the divorce go through
unquestioned. Society smiles confidently .
.and sayr tSat before long Its curiosity
win be gratified and the true explanation of
the Easthampton mystery will be known.
It Is no puzzling thing for society-bred
women to get divorces, bat attempted suV
cide lsterr different. .