Alice de Janzé (née Silverthorne; 28 September 1899 – 30 September 1941),
[Reed, Frank Fremont (1982). ''History of the Silverthorn Family, Vol. 4'', p. 550. Chicago: DuBane's Print Shop. Her birth and death date can also be found at http://www.ancestry.com/trees/awt/main.aspx. (free registration required)] also known as the Countess de Janzé during her first marriage and as Alice de Trafford during her second marriage, was an
American heiress
''American Heiress'' is a telenovela which debuted on March 13, 2007 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on the American television network MyNetworkTV. This romantic melodrama tells the story of a roughneck pilot and a pampered heiress who survive a plane cras ...
who spent years in
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
as a member of the
Happy Valley set
The Happy Valley set was a group of hedonistic, largely British and Anglo-Irish aristocrats and adventurers who settled in the "Happy Valley" region of the Wanjohi Valley, near the Aberdare mountain range, in colonial Kenya and Uganda between ...
of colonials. She was connected with several scandals, including the attempted murder of her lover in 1927, and the 1941 murder of the
22nd Earl of Erroll in Kenya. Her life was marked by promiscuity, drug abuse and several
suicide attempt
A suicide attempt is an attempt to die by suicide that results in survival. It may be referred to as a "failed" or "unsuccessful" suicide attempt, though these terms are discouraged by mental health professionals for implying that a suicide res ...
s.
Growing up in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
and
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, Silverthorne was one of the most prominent American
socialite
A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...
s of her time. A relative of the wealthy
Armour
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...
family, she was a multi-millionaire heiress. She married into the
French nobility
The French nobility (french: la noblesse française) was a privileged social class in France from the Middle Ages until its abolition on June 23, 1790 during the French Revolution.
From 1808 to 1815 during the First Empire the Emperor Napoléo ...
in 1921 when she wed
Frédéric de Janzé, ''comte de Janzé''. In the mid-1920s, she was introduced to the Happy Valley set, a community of
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
expatriates
An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...
in East Africa, notorious for their
hedonistic
Hedonism refers to a family of theories, all of which have in common that pleasure plays a central role in them. ''Psychological'' or ''motivational hedonism'' claims that human behavior is determined by desires to increase pleasure and to decre ...
lifestyle.
In 1927, she made international news when she shot her lover Raymond de Trafford in a Paris railway station and then turned the gun on herself; they both survived. Alice de Janzé stood trial and was fined a small amount, and later
pardon
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
ed by the French state. She went on to marry, and later divorce, the man she shot.
In 1941, she was one of several major suspects in the murder in Kenya of her friend and former lover, Lord Erroll. After several previous suicide attempts, she died of a self-inflicted gunshot in September 1941. Her personality has been referenced both in fiction and non-fiction, most notably in the book ''White Mischief'' and its
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
, where she was portrayed by
Sarah Miles
Sarah Miles (born 31 December 1941) is an English actress. She is known for her roles in films ''The Servant'' (1963), ''Blowup'' (1966), ''Ryan's Daughter'' (1970), ''The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing'' (1973), '' White Mischief'' (1987) and '' Ho ...
.
Early life
Alice Silverthorne was born in
Buffalo,
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York State. As of the 2020 census, the population was 954,236. The county seat is Buffalo, which makes up about 28% of the county's population. Both the county and Lake Erie w ...
,
the only child of textile industrialist William Edward Silverthorne and his wife Julia Belle Chapin (14 August 1871 – 2 June 1907),
[Reed, Frank Fremont (1982). ''The History of the Silverthorn Family, Vol. 4''. Chicago: DuBane's Print Shop, p. 434] a relative to the Armour family of meatpacking success through the
Armour & Company
Armour & Company was an American company and was one of the five leading firms in the meat packing industry. It was founded in Chicago, in 1867, by the Armour brothers led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company had become Chicago's most ...
brand, at that time the largest food products company in the world. Silverthorne was a first cousin (once removed) to
J. Ogden Armour
Jonathan Ogden Armour (November 11, 1863 – August 16, 1927) was an American meat packing industry, meatpacking business magnate, magnate and only surviving son of American Civil War, Civil War–era industrialist Philip Danforth Armour. He beca ...
and great-niece to
Philip Danforth Armour
Philip Danforth Armour Sr. (16 May 1832 – 6 January 1901) was an American meatpacking industrialist who founded the Chicago-based firm of Armour & Company. Born on an upstate New York farm, he made $8,000 in the California gold rush, 1852 ...
and
Herman Ossian Armour
Herman Ossian Armour (March 7, 1837 – September 8, 1901) was an American businessman and philanthropist who with his brother, Philip Danforth Armour, co-founded the meatpacking firm of Armour & Company, which would exist as the nation's larges ...
, the granddaughter of their sister Marietta, who left much of her estate to her mother, Julia, in 1897.
William and Julia were married on 8 June 1892 in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, the city where Alice spent most of her childhood and adolescence, living with her parents in the affluent
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
district.
[''Chicago Tribune'', Sunday Magazine, 26 May 1996. "Hey Lady! Britain's Beleaguered Princess Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet – Chicago's Rendition", p. 14] Alice became a favourite of her cousin,
J. Ogden Armour
Jonathan Ogden Armour (November 11, 1863 – August 16, 1927) was an American meat packing industry, meatpacking business magnate, magnate and only surviving son of American Civil War, Civil War–era industrialist Philip Danforth Armour. He beca ...
. Her family's great wealth prompted her childhood friends to take a cue from her surname and give her the nickname "Silver Spoon".
[''The Milwaukee Sentinel'', 27 June 1948. Coughlin, Gene. "Battered Brides: Unhappy Hunt of the Golden Girl", p. 32](_blank)
/ref>
Her mother died of complications from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
when Alice was eight years old, although biographer
Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography.
Biographers
Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome ...
Paul Spicer argues that her death was a result of being locked out of the house by her husband during a freezing night six months earlier. Alice, who inherited a large estate from her mother, was herself an asymptomatic
In medicine, any disease is classified asymptomatic if a patient tests as carrier for a disease or infection but experiences no symptoms. Whenever a medical condition fails to show noticeable symptoms after a diagnosis it might be considered asy ...
consumptive from birth.[Fox James (1983). ''White Mischief''. Random House, p. 39] Following her mother's death, Alice was raised by a German governess in large houses in New York; her alcoholic father[Fox, James (1982). ''White Mischief''. Random House, p. 40] was frequently absent due to his professional obligations.
Contrary to her wishes, William Silverthorne quickly remarried in 1908 and had five children with his second wife, Louise Mattocks. Many of their children did not survive; Alice's half-siblings included William Jr. (1912–1976), Victoria Louise (died in infancy in 1914), Patricia (1915–?), Lawrence (1918–1923), and an unnamed girl who died in infancy in 1910. William later divorced Mattocks and married twice more.
With her father's encouragement, Alice was introduced to wild social life in her early adolescence. She was one of the more prominent socialites of Chicago, frequenting the fashionable nightclubs of the time. Her father also took her on several European tours and encouraged her image as a prominent debutante
A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal " ...
. These years of wild youth left Alice with a chronic melancholia
Melancholia or melancholy (from el, µέλαινα χολή ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout ancient, medieval and premodern medicine in Europe that describes a condition characterized by markedly dep ...
; it is possible that she suffered from cyclothymia
Cyclothymia ( ), also known as cyclothymic disorder, psychothemia/psychothymia, bipolar III, affective personality disorder and cyclothymic personality disorder, is a mental and behavioural disorder that involves numerous periods of symptoms of ...
, a strain of bipolar disorder.
Her father soon lost custody of her; an uncle from her mother's side assumed the role of her legal guardian and then proceeded to place her at a boarding school in Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Journalist Michael Kilian
Michael David Kilian (16 July 1939 – 26 October 2005) was a journalist and author. He was born in Toledo, Ohio and raised in Chicago and Westchester, New York. Kilian died on 26 October 2005 from illness and was interred at Arlington Nationa ...
believes this was because William Silverthorne had an incest
Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...
uous relationship with his adolescent daughter, in which she lost her virginity
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
to her father, until one of her uncles intervened and took the case to the court. Paul Spicer disagrees that her relationship with her father was improper.[Times Online'', ''The Sunday Times'', 2 May 2010. Wilson, Frances. "''The Tempress: The Scandalous Life of Alice, Countess de Janze'' Review".](_blank)
/ref> Regardless of the court decision, after 14-year-old Alice came to live with the Armours in New York, she then openly traveled with her father to the French Riviera
The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...
, where Kilian claims William Silverthorne openly sported her as his mistress and allowed her to keep a black panther
A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...
as a pet. In later years, she was famous for parading the animal up and down the Promenade des Anglais
The ''Promenade des Anglais'' (; Niçard: ''Camin dei Anglés''; meaning "English Walkway") is a promenade along the Mediterranean coast of Nice, France. It extends from the airport on the west to the Quai des États-Unis ("United States Qua ...
in Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
.
1919–1927: Marriage and the Happy Valley set
In 1919, Alice moved back to Chicago to live with her aunts, Mrs Francis E. May (née Alice Chapin) and Mrs Josephine Chapin. Two years later, Alice moved to Paris, where she briefly worked as director of the model department in Jean Patou
Jean Patou (; 27 September 1887 – 8 March 1936) was a French fashion designer, and founder of the Jean Patou brand.
Early life
Patou was born in Paris, France in 1887. Patou's family's business was tanning and furs. Patou worked with his ...
's ''atelier
An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or v ...
'', until she met Frédéric de Janzé, a well-known French racing driver and heir to an old aristocratic family in Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
. A participant in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...
and other races, Frédéric also frequented literary circles and was close friends with Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel ''In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous Eng ...
, Maurice Barrès
Auguste-Maurice Barrès (; 19 August 1862 – 4 December 1923) was a French novelist, journalist and politician. Spending some time in Italy, he became a figure in French literature with the release of his work ''The Cult of the Self'' in 1888. ...
and Anna de Noailles
Anna, Comtesse Mathieu de Noailles (Anna Elisabeth Bibesco-Bassaraba de Brancovan) (15 November 1876 – 30 April 1933) was a French writer of Romanian and Greek descent, a poet and a socialist feminist.
Biography
Personal life
Born Princess ...
.
Unlike many other American heiresses of the period, Alice had not allowed her family to arrange an advantageous match for her, choosing to take the initiative and pursue a romance with Frédéric de Janzé on her own. After a romance of three weeks,[''The New York Times'', 27 March 1927. "Chicago Relatives Amazed", p. 9] the couple married on 21 September 1921 in Chicago, with her new husband reportedly finding her 'Silverthorne' surname so charming that he regretted their marriage would take it away from her.[''The Milwaukee Sentinel'', 26 October 1941. "Killed Herself Where She Lost Her Honor 15 Years Before", p. 30](_blank)
/ref>
Following the ceremony, Alice's aunt, Mrs J. Ogden Armour, turned over the Armour estate on Long Island to the couple, where they spent two weeks before deciding to permanently settle in Paris, in the Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is lo ...
quarter. They had two daughters, Nolwén Louise Alice de Janzé (20 June 1922 – 7 March 1989) and Paola Marie Jeanne de Janzé (1 June 1924 – 24 December 2006). Alice was a neglectful mother and Frédéric was a neglectful father; the children were primarily brought up in their family's '' chateau de Parfondeval'' in Normandy by governesses and Frédéric's sister.
In 1925, the couple first met and became good friends with Josslyn, 22nd Earl of Erroll, and his wife, Idina, Countess of Erroll, in Montparnasse
Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...
. Some time later, the young Lord and Lady Erroll invited the de Janzés to spend some time in their home in the so-called ' Happy Valley' in the British Colony of Kenya
The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commonly known as British Kenya or British East Africa, was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British Crown colony in ...
, a community of British colonials living in the Wanjohi Valley, near the Aberdare Mountains
The Aberdare Range (formerly the Sattima Range, Kikuyu: ''Nyandarua'') is a 160 km (100 mile) long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of . It straddles across the counties of Nyandarua, Nye ...
. This enclave had become notorious among socialites in the UK for being a community for those seeking a hedonistic
Hedonism refers to a family of theories, all of which have in common that pleasure plays a central role in them. ''Psychological'' or ''motivational hedonism'' claims that human behavior is determined by desires to increase pleasure and to decre ...
lifestyle, including drugs, alcohol and sexual promiscuity
Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different Sexual partner, partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as pro ...
. Noticing that Alice had become restless, Frédéric decided to distract her and agreed to the trip.["She Loved Him, Shot Him, Married Him, Divorced Him", ''The Oakland Tribune'', 12 December 1937]
In the Happy Valley, the de Janzés were neighbours to the Errolls. Frédéric de Janzé documented his time in Happy Valley and all the eccentric personalities he met there in his book, ''Vertical Land'', which was published in 1928. He provided several non-eponymous references to members of the Happy Valley set
The Happy Valley set was a group of hedonistic, largely British and Anglo-Irish aristocrats and adventurers who settled in the "Happy Valley" region of the Wanjohi Valley, near the Aberdare mountain range, in colonial Kenya and Uganda between ...
, including a psychological portrait of his wife that alludes to her suicidal tendencies:
Even among the scandalous residents of Happy Valley, Alice was soon known as "the wicked Madonna" for her beauty, sarcastic sense of humour, and unpredictable mood swings. She was known for speaking passionately about animal rights as well as playing the ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings.
The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
,[''White Mischief'', p. 41] and soon she began an affair with Lord Erroll, openly sharing him with Idina.[Osborne, Frances. "Sex Games and Murder in Idina's Happy Valley", ''Times Online'', 4 May 2008](_blank)
/ref>
The de Janzés later returned to Happy Valley in 1926. While Frédéric distracted himself with lion hunting, Alice began a love affair with British aristocrat Raymond Vincent de Trafford (28 January 1900 – 14 May 1971), son of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 3rd Baronet
Sir Humphrey Francis de Trafford (3 July 1862 – 10 January 1929) was an English landowner and racehorse breeder. He was the son of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 2nd Baronet and Lady Annette Mary Talbot.
On the death of his father on 4 May 1886, Hu ...
. Alice's infatuation with de Trafford was so great that the couple attempted to elope
Elopement is a term that is used in reference to a marriage which is conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting ma ...
, although they promptly returned. Frédéric was aware of his wife's open infidelity
Infidelity (synonyms include cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional and/or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, sexual jealousy, and riva ...
but did not become preoccupied by it, although years later he would refer to the love triangle
A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...
with de Trafford as "the infernal triangle".
That autumn, in an attempt to save his marriage, Frédéric returned to Paris with Alice; he was unsuccessful. Alice visited Frédéric's mother; revealing that she was in love with de Trafford, she asked her help in obtaining a divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
. Her mother-in-law advised her to think of her two daughters and do nothing she might later regret. Alice soon returned to Kenya and her lover. Hoping to keep the extramarital affair from becoming a scandal, her mother-in-law loaned Alice a furnished flat in a quiet street in Paris to use as a "love nest" with de Trafford. Under pressure from his family, Frédéric quickly sued for divorce.["Paris Shocked Over Countess Love Tragedy", ''The Miami News'', 28 May 1927](_blank)
/ref>
1927: The Gare du Nord shooting incident
On the morning of 25 March 1927, Alice awoke in an agitated state in her Paris home, according to the later testimony of her maid. That afternoon, when Alice and Raymond de Trafford met, he informed her that he would not be able to marry her as his strict Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
family had threatened to disinherit
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officially ...
him if he followed through with the plan.["Used Pistol Bullets Instead of Cupid Darts", ''The Milwaukee Sentinel'', 18 February 1933]["First Shot Lover and then Herself", ''Ottawa Citizen'', 28 March 1927](_blank)
/ref> The couple later visited a sporting equipment shop together, where Alice bought a gold-mounted, pearl-handled revolver
A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...
.[''White Mischief'', p. 42]
At the Gare du Nord
The Gare du Nord (; English: ''station of the North'' or ''Northern Station''), officially Paris-Nord, is one of the six large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station accommodates the trains that run between the capital ...
a few hours later, as de Trafford was bidding farewell to her in his train compartment before he left for London by an express boat train, she pulled the revolver from her purse and shot him in the stomach, puncturing his lung.[ She then shot herself in the stomach.] The train conductor reported that when he opened the compartment door, Alice gasped "I did it" and then collapsed.
De Trafford spent several days in a hospital in critical condition. Alice is reported to have screamed "But he must live! I want him to live!" when she heard the news that de Trafford was too seriously wounded to survive. Her own wound was initially overlooked by doctors during the confusion. Despite initial reports that spoke of her also being gravely injured, her wounds were quite superficial. One journalist reported that "she had shot herself very gently". Both Alice and de Trafford were transferred to the Lariboisière Hospital
Lariboisière Hospital (french: Hôpital Lariboisière) is a hospital in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, France.
The hospital was one of several built following the second cholera pandemic, which had reached Paris in 1832, and which led to a ...
. Alice's relatives rushed to the hospital and attempted to have her transferred to a private clinic, but were stopped by the gendarmes
Wrong info! -->
A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
because the countess was under arrest.
The incident made headlines all over the world. Some confusion was caused when five British newspapers, the '' Western Mail'', ''The Manchester Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', ''The Liverpool Daily Courier'', ''The Liverpool Evening Express'' and ''Sheffield Daily Telegraph
The ''Sheffield Telegraph'' is a weekly newspaper published in Sheffield, England. Founded in 1855 as the ''Sheffield Daily Telegraph'', it became known as the ''Sheffield Telegraph'' in 1938.
History
The ''Sheffield Telegraph'' was founded i ...
'', illustrated their reports of the shooting incident with pictures not of Alice, but of her sister-in-law Vicomtesse Phillis Meeta de Janzé. The viscountess promptly sued them for libel and received a settlement.
In an attempt to minimize the situation, a statement was released to the press by Alice's family, assuring the public that there was nothing in the double shooting that "casts discredit upon the names of Armour and Silverthorne, which have been honored in America many generations, nor anything which could induce a French jury to render a verdict of conviction". Her aunt Mrs George Silverthorne told a reporter: "It cannot be Alice. She and her husband were so happy together, and such a thing would be impossible. There must be some mistake."
Alice claimed to feel regret about shooting de Trafford, who was said to be on the brink of death,["Countess Reticent With Victim Dying", ''The New York Times'', 28 March 1927] but did not offer an explanation, telling a police official who was permitted to see her: "I decided to shoot him just as the train was leaving. Why is my own secret. Don't ask me." De Trafford finally regained consciousness and made a brief statement. In an effort to protect Alice, he explained: "Why, Madame attempted suicide. I tried to stop her and the weapon was accidentally discharged. A deplorable accident, surely... but yet, an accident!" before lapsing into unconsciousness again.["Fined the Countess 4$ For Shooting Her Boy-Friend", ''The Delmarvia Star'', 28 January 1928](_blank)
/ref> Alice's condition quickly improved and she was first able to talk with relatives on 30 March. She officially confessed to the shootings in a signed statement on 2 April, in which she admitted to having attempted suicide numerous times in her life, declaring: "I wanted to kill myself, for I have always had ideas of suicide. From time to time, and without reason, I have wanted to die."
Trial and penalty
On 5 April, Alice was officially charged with attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions.
Canada
Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seven ye ...
with premeditation
Malice aforethought is the "premeditation" or "predetermination" (with malice) required as an element of some crimes in some jurisdictions and a unique element for first-degree or aggravated murder in a few. Insofar as the term is still in use, ...
. On 8 April, she made an official declaration in which she stated she originally only planned suicide when she bought the revolver, but eventually also fired at de Trafford because of anguish at parting from him. In her official declaration to Judge Banquart, who was charged with investigating the case, she stated:
On 9 April, de Trafford returned to London by a private aeroplane, declaring to French authorities that he did not wish to take any action against Alice, although he would return to Paris if his testimony was needed. Meanwhile, Alice was held in Saint Lazare, a prison for women. Her cell, No. 12, had hosted several notorious female criminals in the past, including Mata Hari
Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed by ...
, Marguerite Steinheil
Marguerite Jeanne "Meg" Japy Steinheil, Baroness Abinger (16 April 1869 – 17 July 1954) was a French woman known for her many love affairs with important men. She was present at the death of President Félix Faure, who was rumored to have ...
and Henriette Caillaux
Henriette Caillaux (5 December 1874 – 29 January 1943) was a Parisian socialite and second wife of the former Prime Minister of France, Joseph Caillaux. On March 16, 1914, she shot and killed Gaston Calmette, editor of the newspaper ''Le Figaro ...
. After she made a formal demand for release on bail, she was temporarily freed by the police pending her recovery on 20 May. She eventually described what happened in the train station:
Thanks to the intervention of her aunt Francis May, Alice vanished from the public eye, hidden in a nursing home close to Paris in preparation for the impending trial. Her lawyers attempted, without success, to have the charges against her dismissed. She was tried by the Paris Tribunal on 23 December 1927, on the charge of assault, after her celebrated advocate, René Mettetal, convinced the examining magistrate that she was mentally irresponsible at the time she shot de Trafford. When de Trafford was asked if he wanted to press charges against the countess, he expressed surprise and annoyance at the idea, claiming that his wounding was an accident that he himself caused:["Alice de Janzé Kept from Cell by Man She Shot", ''Chicago Daily Tribune'', 24 December 1927]
Alice's defence lawyer pleaded that the countess' chronic melancholy and tuberculosis had "deadened her intelligence". He also read a letter from her childhood friend, American heiress Mary Landon Baker, in which Baker claimed that Alice suffered from extreme melancholia and that she had attempted suicide a total of four times throughout her life. When asked why she took the gun with her to the railway station, Alice replied: "To kill myself. And I nearly succeeded. Didn't I shoot myself in the stomach, like poor Raymond?" She also made her plea that she be acquitted so as to not disgrace the de Janzé family name.
Alice received a suspended sentence of six months in prison and a fine of 100 francs (approximately four U.S. dollars) by the Paris Correctional Court, who rebuked de Trafford for his failure to deliver his promise to marry her, out of fear of losing the family allowance. Although it was criticized by some newspapers, this lenient decision may have been influenced by the revelation concerning Alice's frequent suicide attempts, de Trafford's taking responsibility for her state of mind, and the public's sympathetic view of her as the tragic victim of a true crime of passion
A crime of passion (French: ''crime passionnel''), in popular usage, refers to a violent crime, especially homicide, in which the perpetrator commits the act against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as anger rather than as a premed ...
. Even the prosecuting attorney insisted upon leniency and declared that "I should not like to bear de Trafford's responsibility for a broken heart and a disrupted home".["Countess de Luxe", ''Palm Beach Daily News'', 27 December 1927](_blank)
/ref>
Under the First Offenders Act, Alice was immediately released, and on 13 April 1929 she received a full presidential pardon from Gaston Doumergue
Pierre Paul Henri Gaston Doumergue (; 1 August 1863 in Aigues-Vives, Gard18 June 1937 in Aigues-Vives) was a French politician of the Third Republic. He served as President of France from 13 June 1924 to 13 June 1931.
Biography
Doumergue ca ...
, the president of the French Republic
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...
, so that even the fine she had been forced to pay was returned to her by the court. The request for the pardon was partially made to avoid any commercial repercussions the conviction might cause.
In the wake of the shooting scandal, a divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
was granted to Frédéric de Janzé, on the grounds of desertion, by the Paris Tribunal on 15 June 1927.["Count de Janzé Divorces Wife, Who Shot Man", ''Chicago Tribune'', 16 June 1927] While no mention was made of the Gare du Nord episode, Alice was to receive no alimony and Frédéric was granted custody of their two children.
That December, Alice shocked both the Count and the newspapers when she declared that she would remarry her husband for "the sake of the children"; she later retracted her statement. The civil divorce was followed by an annulment of the marriage by the Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
The Holy See
* The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
on 26 July 1928; Frédéric's attorneys then warned every newspaper in England never to refer to Alice as Countess de Janzé again.
Frédéric died on 24 December 1933, in Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
of septicaemia
Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...
.
1928–1941: Second marriage, divorce and return to Kenya
Following the public ordeal, de Trafford advised Alice against returning to London for a while. In early 1928, she returned to Kenya, but, in light of her public scandal, was soon ordered by Government House to leave the country as an "undesirable alien". In the following weeks, until she could properly organize her departure and wanting a relatively peaceful place where she could rest after the ordeal, she stayed for a while at the house of writer Karen Blixen
Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote works in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countrie ...
, a good friend of Lord Erroll. She also resumed her affair with the Earl.[''White Mischief'', p. 47] Months later, living in Paris and growing indignant about the rumours, she publicly refuted that she had been asked to leave Kenya. It was not until years later that Alice was able to return, thanks to the intervention of both de Janzé and de Trafford, who convinced the Kenyan Government to re-admit her.
Around this time, Alice resumed her love affair with de Trafford, the man she had almost killed. A rumour that the couple would soon have a quiet wedding in Paris was first circulated in May 1927,[''Chicago Tribune'', 8 May 1927] then in September of that same year and later in January 1928. Alice's lawyer denied any such plans, and no wedding took place. The rumour surfaced again in April 1930. Ultimately, the couple married on 22 February 1932 in Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine (; literally 'Neuilly on Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is a commune in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in France, just west of Paris. Immediately adjacent to the city, the area is composed of mostly select residentia ...
and spoke of buying a house in London. Alice commented on her affair with de Trafford: "We were deeply in love. It was arranged that we should marry", although it has been suggested that Alice literally pursued de Trafford for three years before she finally got him to marry her.
During this time Alice, who now had severe financial reversals, took over the management of a gown shop in Paris under the name of "Gloria Bocher", but soon lost both interest and money in the venture. Her marriage also rapidly collapsed, ending only three months after the wedding when the couple got into a heated argument in the compartment of an English railroad train over their honeymoon destination.
Alice confided to de Trafford that she had purchased the cottage in Happy Valley where they used to rendezvous at the start of their affair, deciding that it would be perfect for their honeymoon. The idea did not appeal to her new husband; during the course of the argument, Alice absent-mindedly reached into her purse, prompting a terrified de Trafford to flee, fearing a new murder attempt. Alice later claimed she had no pistol in her purse, nor had she the intention of shooting him, but instead wanted to powder her nose.
Alice officially sought a divorce in November 1932, charging Raymond, who had fled to Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, with cruelty and desertion.["Chased Him 3 Years to Marry – Chased Him 3 Years to Divorce", ''The Milwaukee Sentinel'', 16 September 1934](_blank)
/ref> It took her two years to obtain his signature, and the divorce procedure was reported to begin in September 1934, but did not go forward. Alice may have changed her mind, but she again officially filed for divorce in May 1937, winning an uncontested suit and a grant of decree nisi
A decree nisi or rule nisi () is a court order that will come into force at a future date unless a particular condition is met. Unless the condition is met, the ruling becomes a decree absolute (rule absolute), and is binding. Typically, the condi ...
on the grounds of adultery
Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...
with an unnamed correspondent at a London hotel.
Following the divorce, Alice considered permanently returning to Chicago; however friends advised her against it, pointing out how the shooting scandal had made her a "marked woman" in her native land. Accepting her notoriety, Alice returned to the world of ' Happy Valley', where she permanently settled in the large farmhouse she had previously bought in Gilgil
Gilgil, Kenya, is a town in Nakuru County, Kenya. The town is located between Naivasha and Nakuru and along the Nairobi - Nakuru highway. It is to the west of the Gilgil River, which flows south to feed Lake Naivasha.
Gilgil has a population ...
, located on the banks of the River Wanjohi. She spent the following years reading and taking care of her animals, which included lions, panthers and antelopes. She became addicted to drugs, particularly morphine
Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a analgesic, pain medication, and is also commonly used recreational drug, recreationally, or to make ...
. She was avoided by certain members of the community due to her mood swings and the shooting incident; her friend, aviator Beryl Markham
Beryl Markham (née Clutterbuck; 26 October 1902 – 3 August 1986) was a Kenyan aviator born in England (one of the first bush flying, bush pilots), adventurer, racehorse trainer and author. She was the first person to fly solo, non-stop acros ...
, later disclosed: "Loneliness fixed Alice. Everyone was frightened of her."[''White Mischief'', p. 193]
Alice now rarely visited her children in France. Years later, Nolwén would state that she did not feel bitterness or hostility for her mother during their brief meetings, but would actually be fascinated by this virtually unknown woman who brought with her an air of mystique, owing to her permanent stay in Africa.
1941: The Lord Erroll murder
On 24 January 1941, Lord Erroll was found shot to death in his car, at an intersection outside Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
. Errol's serial philandering contributed to the persistent rumour that the perpetrator was a woman. Police duly interrogated all of Erroll's closest acquaintances, including Alice de Janzé. Although she had an alibi
An alibi (from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person, who is a possible perpetrator of a crime, of where they were at the time a particular offence was committed, which is somewhere other than where the crim ...
because she had spent an intimate night with Dickie Pembroke, another Happy Valley resident, due to her drug habits, her romantic attachment to Errol, and her previous attempt to kill a paramour, she was immediately regarded as the prime suspect
''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television drama series devised by Lynda La Plante. It stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, who ...
among the white community of Happy Valley. It was also rumoured that she had attempted suicide on hearing the news of Erroll's death.
On the morning after Erroll's body was discovered, Alice went to the morgue with a friend to see his body. According to eyewitnesses, she stunned those in attendance by leaving a tree branch on Erroll's corpse, and whispering the words: "Now you are mine forever." Eyewitness and close friend Julian Lezzard suspected that Alice was the murderer, since it fitted with her morbid preoccupations; it was rumoured that Alice had admitted to the killing.
In his investigative book, ''White Mischief'', journalist James Fox
William Fox (born 19 May 1939), known professionally as James Fox, is an English actor. He appeared in several notable films of the 1960s and early 1970s, including '' King Rat'', ''The Servant'', ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' and ''Performanc ...
mentions a suspicious incident regarding Alice de Janzé and her possible connection to the crime. A few months after the murder, Alice went away for a few days and asked a neighbour to look after her house. In her absence, one of Alice's houseboys came to the neighbour, and produced a revolver
A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...
, which he claimed he had found by a bridge, under a pile of stones on Alice's land.
In March 1941, British aristocrat
The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...
Sir Henry John "Jock" Delves Broughton was officially charged with Lord Erroll's murder. Delves Broughton had been aware of a passionate love affair between his young wife, Diana, and Erroll, in the months before his murder. Alice paid regular visits to Delves Broughton in prison, and, with her friend Idina, the late Errol's first wife, attended every day of the trial. In July 1941, Delves Broughton was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Paul Spicer theorizes that Alice de Janzé was the actual murderer of Lord Erroll, based on several letters that Alice's personal doctor and former lover, William Boyle, discovered in her house on the day of her death, and later handed over to the police.
Death
In August 1941, after being diagnosed with uterine cancer
Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the uteru ...
, Alice de Janzé underwent a hysterectomy
Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus. It may also involve removal of the cervix, ovaries (oophorectomy), Fallopian tubes (salpingectomy), and other surrounding structures.
Usually performed by a gynecologist, a hysterectomy may b ...
. On 23 September, she attempted suicide by taking an overdose of pentobarbital
Pentobarbital (previously known as pentobarbitone in Britain and Australia) is a short-acting barbiturate typically used as a sedative, a preanesthetic, and to control convulsions in emergencies. It can also be used for short-term treatment of ...
. When her friend, Patricia Bowles, discovered her, she had already marked every piece of furniture with the name of the friend who would inherit it. Bowles rescued Alice by calling a doctor to pump her stomach.[''White Mischief'', p. 216]
A week later, on 30 September, two days after turning 42, Alice succeeded in ending her life. A servant found her dead on her bed from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, from the same weapon she had once used on Raymond and herself. Michael Kilian, who has written extensively about Alice de Janzé's life, believes that she chose suicide because she became depressed about her ageing appearance and loss of looks. It was not the first suicide in her family: her cousin, John Hellyer Silverthorne had also committed suicide by gunshot in his home in Chicago in 1933, at the age of 26.
Alice left three suicide notes, one addressed to the police, one to her daughters and one to Dickie Pembroke. The content of the letters was never publicly disclosed, fuelling rumours that they containing revelations into the Errol murder. A government official, summoned to examine her possessions, was reportedly dumbfounded when he came across the letters. After a long, secret meeting among officials, it was decided that the content of her papers and letters would not be made public. What did become known is that she had requested that her friends hold a cocktail party on her grave.
On 21 January 1942, following an inquest in Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
, her death was officially ruled a suicide; the finding was delayed due to the difficulty in obtaining evidence. The coroner also concluded there was no sign of insanity
Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...
, but he further fuelled the conspiracy theories
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
*
*
*
* The term has a nega ...
by stating that the content of Alice's letters were such as to merit their being destroyed, because they constituted damaging revelations of a social and political nature.
Legacy
Writer Joseph Broccoli conjectures that Alice de Janzé and the 1927 shooting served as a source of inspiration for Maria Wallis and the shooting incident in F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
's novel ''Tender Is the Night
''Tender Is the Night'' is the fourth and final novel completed by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in French Riviera during the twilight of the Jazz Age, the 1934 novel chronicles the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young ps ...
'' (1934),
In 1982, Alice de Janzé's life was prominently featured in the investigative non-fiction book ''White Mischief'' by journalist James Fox
William Fox (born 19 May 1939), known professionally as James Fox, is an English actor. He appeared in several notable films of the 1960s and early 1970s, including '' King Rat'', ''The Servant'', ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' and ''Performanc ...
, which examined the events surrounding the murder of Lord Erroll, the Happy Valley set, and their notorious life before and after the event. In 1987, the book was adapted into an eponymous film, directed by Michael Radford
Michael James Radford (born 24 February 1946) is an English film director and screenwriter. He began his career as a documentary director and television comedy writer before transitioning into features in the early 1980s. His best-known credits ...
, in which Alice de Janzé was portrayed by British actress Sarah Miles
Sarah Miles (born 31 December 1941) is an English actress. She is known for her roles in films ''The Servant'' (1963), ''Blowup'' (1966), ''Ryan's Daughter'' (1970), ''The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing'' (1973), '' White Mischief'' (1987) and '' Ho ...
. Radford was reportedly drawn to the story primarily due to an incident attributed to Alice, in which she had once flung open the shutters of her window in her house in Kenya and remarked: "Oh, God. Not another fucking beautiful day." Radford incorporated this scene into the film.
The film adaptation makes much of Alice's eccentricities, including scenes in which she watches a polo
Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...
match with a snake twined around her shoulders, or doses herself with a syringe of morphine
Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a analgesic, pain medication, and is also commonly used recreational drug, recreationally, or to make ...
in the ladies' toilet.[''The New York Times'', 22 May 1988. Gross, John. "Two New Movies Suggest that Shock Tactics are Best Muted In a Work of Art"](_blank)
/ref> In 1988, Miles stated at the Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
that as an actress Alice de Janzé was a difficult character for her to portray. When she first arrived in Kenya, Miles sought people who knew de Janzé but was unable to learn anything substantial due to those acquaintances' confused perceptions of the woman; some were even uncertain as to her true nationality.[''The New York Times'', 29 April 1988. van Gelder, Lawrence. "At the Movies"](_blank)
/ref>
Michael Kilian makes reference to Alice de Janzé in his novel of historical fiction
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
''Dance on a Sinking Ship'' (1988), in which a character boasts of having taken her virginity, and included her as a character in another novel of historical fiction ''Sinful Safari'' (2003) in which various members of the Happy Valley set, including Alice, are suspects in a fictional murder case in 1920s Kenya. Similarly, Paul Di Filippo
Paul Di Filippo (born October 29, 1954) is an American science fiction writer. He is a regular reviewer for print magazines ''Asimov's Science Fiction'', ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', ''Science Fiction Eye'', ''The New York Re ...
based Alice de Janzé and several other members of the Happy Valley set as the protagonists in his fictional story "The Happy Valley at the End of the World", part of his collection, ''Lost Pages'' (1998).
The music band Building released a song in their album ''Second Building'' that is titled ''Alice de Janze'' and is inspired by the story of de Janzé, making reference to her suicide with the lyric ''"you died too young"''.
Fashion designer Edward Finney's Spring/Summer Collection 2012 was inspired by the life of Alice de Janzé.
Descendants and relatives
* Alice's elder daughter Nolwén, later Lady Clark, became a fashion designer after the war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
and became president of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers in the 1950s. From her first marriage in 1948 (divorce 1957) to Lionel Armand-Delille (1913-2007) at Maillebois she had two children, a daughter Angélique and a son Frédéric Armand-Delille. In 1981, Angelique worked as picture assistant for the film ''Quartet
In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments.
Classical String quartet
In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...
''. After Nolwén's second marriage (1961) to Edward Dennis Rice (1899-1974) at Dane Court, Nolwén in 1977 married the well known art historian
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
Lord Clark (1903–83), director of London's National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...
. Nolwén died on 7 March 1989 in France at the age of 67 after undergoing heart surgery.
* Her second daughter, Paola, died in Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, close to the family property, in Dieppe
Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France.
Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newha ...
on 24 December 2006 at the age of 82. After giving birth to Guillaume de Rougemont (26 October 1945 – 3 May 2020), whose father probably died in 1945, she married twice: with Walt Hayden, born 1888, she had Arthur Hayden (1947), Moya Hayden (1950) and possibly Pierre. In 1955 she married secondly the former Polish cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
officer John Ciechanowski (1921-2008), who had participated in the Normandy Landings, became a well known jockey and later trainer at the stud farm
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English ''stod'' meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding". Historically, documentation o ...
in Lambourn
Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of ra ...
for the Al-Maktoum family, reigning princes of Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
; with him she had a son, Alexander Ciechanowski, born in 1956.Obituary of John Ciechanowski
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Janze, Alice de
1899 births
1941 suicides
American socialites
People from Buffalo, New York
People from Chicago
People with mood disorders
Recipients of French presidential pardons
Suicides by firearm in Kenya
Settlers of Kenya
French nobility
American expatriates in France
American emigrants to Kenya
White Kenyan people
1941 murders in Africa
People charged with attempted murder
Armour family