Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 63

II DETROIT FREE PR ES 3 .9 la if a Why Did the Millionaire Art Col 1 lector Try to Brand as a Thief the Charming Indian Princess Who Swears 21rs. Marie Ainslie, wife of millionaire Ainslie's son and now separated from him 1 1 x7 fl Rich and changeable Mr. George H. Ainslie record which Millionaire Ainslie gave for spending so much time and energy to convict of a theft of hundreds. "This larceny charge is a miserable conspiracy," Mirabeau Towns, counsel for the Indian girl, charged.

"It was a conspiracy to ruin her character and blast her reputation by persons who had reason to hate and fear her." And the princess herself gives the last explanation. "These torn pieces of silk were planted in my bag by persons who did not wish me to marry George Ainslie. These persons thought if they could brand me a thief they would ruin his love for me." Behind the rather unpleasant drama of the courtroom is the story of the friendship of the Indian girl and the aged millionaire. This story.Miss Rider says, explains what happened in court. "I first met Mr.

Ainslie over a year ago, when I appeared as hostess for the Greenwich Village Historical Society at two afternoons devoted to Indian art and traditions. Mr. Ainslie had lent his gallery for the meetings. At that time Mrs. Ainslie was alive; she was a pleasant lady, and she and her husband expressed a great interest in my work and singing.

"After that I left for a Western tour, and when I returned I called at the Ainslie home to pay my respects to Mrs. Ainslie. This courtesy call turned into one of condolence, for I heard that Mrs. Ainslie was dead. I expressed my sorrow, and it was then that I am sure Mr.

Ainslie first felt the extraordinary and wicked interest in mo which ended in nil the sorrow his shameful charges have since brought upon me. "He came to see me at my home a little later. He bowed his head and spoke out his grief. '1 am a sad old he said. 'Since my dear wife died I have wanted to commit suicide.

I looked everywhere for comfort, but grown and married children with their own concerns are selfish comforters. My children have one absorbing Interest in me that is to get everything they can from me. If they keep on they will leave me stripped. Love that is disinterested is very hard to find. But, my dear little lady, I think I really think you are the fine type of woman capable of a disinterested "When Mr.

Ainslie said this to me I was touched. I was very sorry for his mourning for his wife. I felt an intense daughterly interest in trying to cheer him up. At that time I respected him enough to believe that his feeling for me was fatherly. "From this our friendship grew.

It wasn't very long after that Mr. Ainslie urged me to take a studio in the building where his art galleries are. I did, out of my desire to be near a sorrowing old gentleman, and to comfort him. Then he became interested in my career. To give me prestige he had several artists paint my portrait and a sculptor do a likeness of my face.

"Naturally, this was helpful to a singer, particularly as the finished work was put on exhibition in his galleries where people I hoped to reach through 0' That He Repeatedly Begged Her to Marry Him? Mrs. Lucie Benedict, tvho disapproved of her father's attractive young woman friend and voiced she would "get" her my art would see them. And, quite naturally, I wanted to do some kindness in return for this favor to me. So when Mr, Ainslie said ho wanted some cushions made I offered to sew them for him. He gave me those faded pieces of damask, and as I looked at them I must confess I marveled at the extreme economy of millionaires.

"But his confidence and his apparent love for me kept increasing, until one day at my studio he put his hands on my shoulders and looked upon me with his sorrowing old eyes. 'My dear little he said to me, 'I love only you. I can't live without you. You have been cheer and music and affection to my sad old heart. I want you I must have you for my "And I refused hinv kindly but emphatically.

I told him that a marriage between us was unsuitable, owing to the difference in our ages. I also mentioned his children. 'They do not like I told him. "'What does it matter about he said, his eyes gleaming. 'Nothing matters except that I love you and want you with me "I have learned many things from Mr.

Ainslie's courtship of me, and one of them is that there is no lover so urgent and no lover so treacherous as the ardent old man. But I respected him and pitied him. He asked me to Ardsley, his homo on the Hudson, and I accepted. And what a situation I encountered! "Grown children can be as jealous of their father as a young and loving wife of Don Juan, her husband. Mr.

Ainslie naturally liked my company, but his children dogged us wherever we went through that large house. No old man can honestly pay court to the woman of ft- 1 The Cherokee Jndian princess in court to defend herself against what her attorney called "a miserable conspiracy to blast her reputation" his choice unless he provides one home for his dependent adult children and another for himself. "I remember so well one day in tka library. Mr. Ainslie was telling me again of his griefs, and of his lack of religious faith.

I took the Bible and read to him. i 'The heavens declare the glory of was one of the things I read to him from the Psalms. Also, I read Christ's words, 'I am the Resurrection and the I read these fervently, because my faith is firm. His eyes moistened and he took my hands in his. 'Dear he said, 'I have got faith from "This was a sacred moment to me, but it was interrupted rudely.

Mrs. Benedict, Mr. Ainslie's daughter, came into the room. She glared at me. It was of no moment to her that I had comforted her poor father's heart.

There was a scene between us at the end of which she told me, "You will never get any of the Ainslie money! That's for my father's children not for "Of course, Mr. Ainslie was much upset and, of course, he tried to make me feel better, but at the same time I knew he was in awe of his grown daughter." Then the finale. One night after I had been abed some three hours, suddenly as I told in court, the light flashed on in my room. George Ainslie was there more eager in his protestations of love for me than I had yet seen him. 'Atalie, Atalie, my darling, my he muttered, 'I have a terrible premonition that I will lose you that you will never come to this house again! I felt the same when my dear wife died; I felt the same when I lost our blessed old family dog.

Speak to me, dear! Say we won't be parted. Oh, my girl, I can't let you "I repulsed him. I called him a beast. I sent him from the room. The next day when we drove back to town I said but two words to him.

Yet after we arrived, I made him lunch. I was sorry for him; I did it in the goodness of my heart. That very night, as I as coming out of my studio, Mrs. Benedict, Mr. Ainslie's daughter, and the detective arrested me.

They found in my bag some old silk I never saw before. "My enemies put them there those who did not want me to marry Mr. Ainslie. And the old man I had made lunch for, even after his insulting visit to his guest's room, knew that I was being arrested, and did not move a hand to save me. I felt in my heart I would never have suffered this indignity if I had done differently this evening when Mr.

Ainslie came to me." So this Indian girl retells with feeling the story she told in the court. Other witnesses testified to the disapproval Mrs. Lucie Benedict felt for her father's friend a disapproval which, apparently, rather blighted their association. Princess Atalie Unkalunt Rider, the disillusioned victim of what seemed like a perfectly innocent and pleasant friendship with the millionaire 0EORGE J. AINSLIE is a millionaire New York art collector, with a splendid establishment on Fifth avenue and a spacious estate at Ardsley-on-the-Hudson.

He is an elderly man, the father of several grown children. Atalie Unkalunt, or Atalie Rider, is a Cherokee Indian princess, a singer and lecturer" by profession, who served overseas during the war and received a citation from the British Government for bravery under fire. She is twenty-six years old. Recently these two faced each other in a courtroom as accuser and accused in a case that involved, as the testimony revealed, a surprising change of heart on the millionaire's part toward the princess he once admired so fondly. Between the two were gathered on a table a pile of ancient bedspreads, pieces of silk, worn and faded, a mussed black bodice, a pair of worn carriage shoes, two cheap little leather belts, 11 hair comb set with imitation brilliants, and a frowzy black satin skirt that once had been accordion pleated.

This collection of odds and ends would hardly bring ten dollars at any second-hand dealer's. Mr. Ainslie's daughter, Mrs. Lucie Benedict, stated that the original value of the articles was $355. Millionaire Ainslie charged the Indian girl with having stolen this collection of things from his home during week-end visits there as his particular guest.

The Indian girl made her defense. The pieces of Bilk, she said, Mr. Ainslie had given her to make into sofa cushions for him. The bedspread he had given her for safekeeping from his grasping adult children. The comb and the cheap little belts and the carriage shoes were her own, she' said, and she produced witnesses to tell where she had bought them.

For days a New York courtroom witnessed the unusual spectacle of a multimillionaire and his daughter battling to convict their former friend and guest of the theft of worn articles of small actual cash value. Why were so much time and energy spent by Mr. Ainslie and his daughter, Mrs. Benedict, to prove ownership to articles which were of minute value compared to the expense of that long drawn out trial? This was the question which all observers had to ask before they had listened long. Ainslie was obviously spending thousands of dollars to try to prove a theft of things worth, at his own valuation, only $300 or so.

To this question there were amazingly contradictory answers from the various principals at the trial. "I had Miss Rider arrested because I believe she stole things from my father which had great sentimental value. I wanted my father to know what Bort of a woman she was." This was the explanation, on the record, given by Mrs. Lucie Benedict, Ainslie's married daughter. "I must stick by my daughter, but if the princess will give me a full release from all claims against me, I will cause my daughter to withdraw the charge." This is the explanation on the court board of these children had not been paid for six- months.

Young Ainslio and his wife are separated. At that. time the elder Mr. Ainslie explained that he had troubles in his own home with several other grandchildren. was before any steps, had been taken to' have the Indian Princess brand-dd a thief.

(Copyright, 1924). Would You Have Passed? The other day a spectacled man, with a cork leg, and wearing a felt hat, got into a bus; Could you---this was a test of "general knowledge" in a recent examination paper say who invented spectacles, cork legs, felt, and "buses?" The inventor of spectacles was an Ital- ian, Sa''vuia dcgli Armati, who lived i 'ihe thirteenth' century. In a street 'W ''1, therais a house with an inscrip-- tion'to'his rtemory, placed 'there by the Guild of Artisani. And "Cork logs? Alas, artificial legs 6re Tiot'made of Dr. -COrk invented thpm, and bis name, somewhat rhistead- ingly, was applied to his invention in a material The "bus A French' Invention, this, due to the philosopher Pascal.

In 1667 he obtained a "privilege" to run buses in certain streets In Paris. of tnougn omniDus means lor body," only the elite were permitted to 1 ride omnibuses; soldiers, lackeys 'and, other humble folk -j Felt? This Tartar invention, -and goes back thousands of years. In North Asia, clothes, houses, beds, and much else, are all of felt. "Father told me he was bringing a very fine young woman out for a weekend, but as soon as I saw her I detested her. I knew she was not what she claimed to be.

I vowed I would get her; I vowed I would show father her true character." Several witnesses agreed to Mrs. Benedict's having expressed such sentiments. Mrs. Benedict herself even went so far as to admit that she had put the piece of silk that was later found in the-Indian girl's bag in a drawer of the guest room where it would be" The testimony showed that Mrs. Benedict had exclaimed to her aunt: "If that silk's gone, we've got her!" In Bpite of the earnest efforts- of Mr.

Ainslie and his daughter and their highly paid lawyers, they were unable to prove their case against Princess Atalie Unkalunt Rider. After she had told her amazing story on the stand, after various witnesses had testified to her good character, her law-v yer, Mirabeau C. Towns, uttered asf scathing a denunciation of her accusers as has ever been beard in a New York court, And then, to the Princess' great joy, the court refused to find her guilty of the charges Mr. Ainslie had bro.ught.' She was free to return to her profession and try. to live down the memory of the disagreeable notoriety the court pro-'t ceedings thrust upon her.

Does this end the matter? The Princess is not sure and neither are Mr. Ainslie and his family. There is believed to be a possibility of other st'U more sensational court proceedings. Readers of the papers doubtless, re-, member other Ainslie troubles; recently nired when authorities of a private school where two children of George Ainslie, were left, asked authority to have them adopted. It appeared that the.