God & Baby

For years Chicago's hollow-eyed lively Attorney Mary Belle Spencer has been a stock figure in that city's news. During the Hauptmann trial, she circularized the Hunterdon County, N. J. venire rolls with a long fantasy to prove the alien carpenter innocent. During the Century of Progress, she tried to have Fan Dancer Sally Rand jailed for indecency. Same year Attorney Spencer was herself haled into court to explain why she had never sent her two daughters to school. Daughters Victoria, now 14, and Mary Belle II, 16, their mother then explained, had been brought up without suppressions or inhibitions; they threw their Christmas tree out the window without a word of parental rebuke; they learned life from the transcripts of testimony in Chicago criminal courts; they won beauty contests, rode like Amazons, behaved as they pleased. Since then the Misses Spencer, whose news value is not lessened by the fact that they are two of Chicago's comeliest young girls, have been well publicized by their headline-hunting parent. Last week, Chicago's city editors again splashed Mother and Daughter Mary Belle Spencer on Page One.

Story broke when Daughter Mary Belle eloped from her home in suburban Chicago Heights to La Porte, Ind. with a 6-ft. 4 in., 21-year-old, 200-lb. onetime high-school athlete named J. Edward Wright. When this news was announced by Mrs. Spencer, the Hearstian Evening American gave it an eight-column, front-page streamer headline. Col. William Franklin Knox's Daily News front-paged the story with a two-column picture of the bride. The tabloid Times devoted its entire front page to Mary Belle, followed up inside with strips of pictures, additional copy.

Cried Mother Spencer of her new son-in-law: "He's wonderful! He looks just like a Greek god! His hair is like pure gold, he has the bluest eyes, and the sweetest mouth." Of her daughter, Mrs. Spencer proudly observed: "We brought her up to do as she pleased, and the marriage is approved by us."

Next day Mrs. Spencer indulged in a spectacular reversal of form. Hurrying to La Porte to try to annul the marriage, Mrs. Spencer announced that she now thought her 200-lb. son-in-law had traded on her daughter's maternal instincts. Said Mrs. Spencer: "It was just on account of his being sickly and weak that Baby married him, I know. She is so kind-hearted and sympathetic." Gist of Mrs. Spencer's complaint soon proved to be that she did not have a high regard for the social standing of young Wright's parents. Mrs. Spencer also doubted the young man's ability to furnish his bride with 365 new dresses a year, since Mary Belle reputedly "won't wear the same dress twice."

Vexed at such snubs, Mr. & Mrs. Wright Sr. vowed that their son should remain married. Daughter Mary Belle, called in the Press "The Do-As-You-Please Bride," described her marriage as "simply scrumptious." "I don't care if Mamma is a darn good lawyer," declared Mary Belle, "Edward and I will hire a lawyer, too."

"God" Wright and "Baby's" father, a shy, mild Chicago Heights physician, were the only people concerned with nothing to say.

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