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 who spent years in colonial

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

as a member of the Happy Valley set. Her life was marked by promiscuity, drug abuse, and scandals, including the attempted murder of her lover in 1927, the 1941 murder in Kenya of Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll, and several attempts at

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

, in which she eventually succeeded. Growing up in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, Silverthorne was one of the most prominent American

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or 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 ...

s of her time. A relative of the wealthy

Armour Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...

family, she was a multi-millionaire heiress. She married into the

French nobility The French nobility () was an Aristocracy, aristocratic social class in France from the France in the Middle Ages, Middle Ages until its abolition on 23 June 1790 during the French Revolution. From 1808 to 1815 during the First French Empire, ...

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 chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

expatriates An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

in East Africa, notorious for their

hedonistic Hedonism is a family of philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is the theory that all human behavior is motivated by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. As a form of egoism, it suggests that peopl ...

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 j ...

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 transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

, where she was portrayed by

Sarah Miles Sarah Miles (born 31 December 1941) is a retired 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'' (19 ...

Early life

Alice Silverthorne was born on 28 September 1899 in Buffalo,

Erie County, New York Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York (state), New York State. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the population was 954,236. However, in the 2023 census, the Erie County population was 946,147 ...

, 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 Julia was the daughter of Marietta Armour Chapin, whose brothers

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 a farm in upstate New York, he initially gained financial success when he mad ...

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 large ...

founded 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 1863, by the Armour brothers led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company had become Chicago's mo ...

meatpacking brand, at that time the largest food products company in the world. William and Julia were married on 8 June 1892 in

, the city where Alice spent most of her childhood and adolescence, living with her parents in the affluent Gold Coast 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. Her family's great wealth prompted her childhood friends to take a cue from her surname and give her the nickname "Silver Spoon".Coughlin, Gene (27 June 1948
"Battered Brides: Unhappy Hunt of the Golden Girl"
''The Milwaukee Sentinel'', p. 32] Her mother died of complications from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

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 Asymptomatic (or clinically silent) is an adjective categorising the medical conditions (i.e., injuries or diseases) that patients carry but without experiencing their symptoms, despite an explicit diagnosis (e.g., a positive medical test). P ...

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 fatherFox, 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. Al silverthorne2

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 , ), or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and is presented to society at a formal "debut" ( , ; ) or possibly debutante ball. Origin ...

. These years of wild youth left Alice with a chronic

melancholia Melancholia or melancholy (from ',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 depressed mood, bodily complain ...

; 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 disorder, mental and Abnormal behaviour, behavioural Disease#Disorder ...

, 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. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Journalist Michael Kilian believes this was because William Silverthorne had an

incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...

uous relationship with his adolescent daughter, in which she lost her

virginity Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereo ...

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.''The Times Online'', ''The Sunday Times'', 2 May 2010. Wilson, Frances. "''The Temptress: The Scandalous Life of Alice, Countess de Janze'' Review".
/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 (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...

, where Kilian claims William Silverthorne openly sported her as his mistress and allowed her to keep a

black panther A black panther is the Melanism, 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 Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

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 "Walkway of the English") is a promenade along the Mediterranean coast of Nice, France. It extends from the airport on the west to the ("United States Quay") on the eas ...

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million

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 1880. Patou's family's business was tanning and furs. Patou worked with his u ...

'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 vi ...

'', until she met Frédéric de Janzé, a well-known French racing driver and heir to an old aristocratic family in

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. A participant in the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

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, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...

Maurice Barrès Auguste-Maurice Barrès (; 19 August 1862 – 4 December 1923) was a French novelist, journalist, philosopher, and politician. Spending some time in Italy, he became a figure in French literature with the release of his work ''The Cult of the S ...

, 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, Greek and Bulgarian descent, a poet and a socialist feminist. She was the only female poet ...

. 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
/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 (landscape), 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 ...

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. It is split betwee ...

. 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 A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their '' metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often o ...

, 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 long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of . It straddles the counties of Nyandarua, Nyeri, Murang'a, Kiambu and La ...

. This enclave had become notorious among socialites in the UK for being a community for those seeking a

lifestyle, including drugs, alcohol, and sexual

promiscuity Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as promiscuous by man ...

. 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, 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 ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

,''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", ''The Times'', 4 May 2008
/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, ...

. Alice's infatuation with de Trafford was so great that the couple attempted to elope, although they promptly returned. Frédéric was aware of his wife's open

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include non-consensual non-monogamy, cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, se ...

but did not become preoccupied by it, although years later he would refer to the

love triangle A love 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 someone is simultaneo ...

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 reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...

. 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
/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 List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

family had threatened to disinherit 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
/ref> The couple later visited a sporting equipment shop together, where Alice bought a gold-mounted, pearl-handled

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

.''White Mischief'', p. 42 At the

Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (; ), officially Paris Nord, is one of the seven large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station is served by trains that run between the capital and northern France via the Paris–Lille railway, as well ...

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. Alice's relatives rushed to the hospital and attempted to have her transferred to a private clinic, but were stopped by the

gendarmes A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or 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" (). In France and som ...

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 Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', ''The Liverpool Daily Courier'', ''The Liverpool Evening Express,'' and '' Sheffield Daily Telegraph'', 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
/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 seve ...

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 (, ; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari ( , ; , ), was a Dutch Stripper, exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for German Empire, Germany during World War ...

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 rumoured to have ...

, and

Henriette Caillaux Henriette Caillaux (born 5 December 1874 – 29 January 1943) was a Parisian socialite and second wife of the former Prime Minister of France, Joseph Caillaux. On 16 March 1914, she shot and killed Gaston Calmette, editor of the newspaper ''Le F ...

. 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 defense attorney 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 (), 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 or jealousy rather than as a premeditated crime. A ...

. 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
/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 who served as President of France from 1924 to 1931. Tasked with important ministerial portfolios, he was first appo ...

, the

president of the French Republic The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the pos ...

, 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

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"; a statement she later retracted . The civil divorce was followed by an annulment of the marriage by the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

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 is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, of

septicaemia Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...

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 Christentze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countries; Ta ...

, 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 (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

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 country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, with cruelty and desertion."Chased Him 3 Years to Marry – Chased Him 3 Years to Divorce", ''The Milwaukee Sentinel'', 16 September 1934
/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 con ...

on the grounds of

adultery Adultery 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 consequences, the concept ...

with an unnamed co-respondent 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. According to the 1999 c ...

, 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, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...

. 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 (born Clutterbuck; 26 October 1902 – 3 August 1986) was a Kenyan aviator born in England (one of the first bush pilots), adventurer, racehorse trainer and author. She was the first person to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlant ...

, 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 city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

. Errol's serial philandering contributed to the persistent rumour that the perpetrator was a woman. Police 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 under suspicion in a crime that they were in a different place when the offence was committed. During a police investigation, all suspects are usually a ...

. 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 series devised by Lynda La Plante. Broadcast on ITV between 1991 and 2006, it stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater Lo ...

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 James William Fox (born William Fox; 19 May 1939) is an English actor known for his work in film and television. Fox's career began in the 1960s through roles in films such as '' The Servant'' and ''Performance''. He is also known for his role ...

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

, 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 (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

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 ute ...

, Alice de Janzé underwent a

hysterectomy Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus and cervix. Supracervical hysterectomy refers to removal of the uterus while the cervix is spared. These procedures may also involve removal of the ovaries (oophorectomy), fallopian tubes ( salpi ...

. On 23 September, she attempted suicide by taking an overdose of

pentobarbital Pentobarbital (US) or pentobarbitone (British and Australian) 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 insomnia but ...

. 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. 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 contained 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

, 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 caused by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to other ...

, but he further fueled the

conspiracy theories A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * ...

by stating that the content of Alice's letters was 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'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 the French Riviera during the twilight of the Jazz Age, the 1934 novel chronicles the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young ...

'' (1934), In 1982, Alice de Janzé's life was prominently featured in the investigative non-fiction book ''White Mischief'' by journalist

, 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 credi ...

, in which Alice de Janzé was portrayed by British actress

. 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 stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

match with a snake twined around her shoulders, or doses herself with a syringe of

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"
/ref> In 1988, Miles stated at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

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"
/ref> Michael Kilian makes reference to Alice de Janzé in his novel of

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

''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 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 Nolwen, later Lady Clark, became a fashion designer after the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

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 (1981 film), Quartet''. After Nolwén's second marriage (1961) to Edward Dennis Rice (1899–1974) at Dane Court, Nolwén in 1977 married the well known art historian Kenneth Clark, Lord Clark (1903–83), director of London's National Gallery. Nolwén died on 7 March 1989 in France at the age of 67 after undergoing heart surgery. * Her second daughter, Paola, died in Normandy, close to the family property, in Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, Dieppe 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 officer John Ciechanowski (1921–2008), who had participated in the Normandy Landings, became a well known jockey and later trainer at the stud farm in Lambourn for the Al Maktoum, Al-Maktoum family, reigning princes of Dubai; with him she had a son, Alexander Ciechanowski, born in 1956.

References

*Paul Spicer, ''The Temptress: The Scandalous Life of Alice, Countess de Janze'' (Simon & Schuster, 2010) {{DEFAULTSORT:Janze, Alice de 1899 births 1941 suicides 1941 deaths American socialites People from Buffalo, New York People from Chicago People with mood disorders Recipients of French presidential pardons Settlers of Kenya French nobility American expatriates in France American emigrants to Kenya White Kenyan people 20th-century murderers People charged with attempted murder Armour family Suicides by firearm in Kenya