Alice de Janzé
Encyclopedia
Alice de Janzé, née Silverthorne (28 September 1899 – 30 September 1941), also known as Alice de Trafford and holder of the noble title
Comtesse (Countess)
de Janzé for a few years, was an American
heiress
who spent years in Kenya
, as a member of the Happy Valley set
of colonials. She was connected with numerous scandal
s, including the attempted murder
of her lover in 1927, as well as the 1941 murder
of Josslyn Hay, the Earl of Erroll
in Kenya. Her tempestuous life was marked by promiscuity, drug
abuse and several suicide
attempts.
Growing up in Chicago
and New York
, Silverthorne was a multi-millionaire heiress, relative of the powerful Armour
family and one of the most prominent American socialite
s of her time. She entered French
aristocracy
in the early 1920s, when she married
Count de Janzé. In the mid-1920s, she was introduced to the infamous Happy Valley set, a community of white expatriates in Africa
, notorious for their hedonistic
lifestyle. In 1927, she made international news when she shot
her lover in a Paris
railway station and then shot herself. They both survived. She stood trial
but was only fined with a small amount of money and later pardon
ed by the French state. She further scandalized the public by marrying and later divorcing
the man she shot.
In 1941, her name was brought up as one of the major suspect
s in the well-publicized murder of the 22nd Earl of Erroll in Kenya, a former lover and friend of hers. After numerous failed suicide attempt
s throughout her life, 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
, where she was portrayed by Sarah Miles
.
, Erie County, New York
, the only child of wealthy felt
manufacturer William Edward Silverthorne, of Scottish
descent (3 February 1867 – 30 January 1941) and his equally wealthy wife, Julia Belle Chapin (14 August 1871 – 2 June 1907). an heiress
to the Armours, the family that owned one of the most well-known meatpacking companies of the time, Armour and Company
. Julia was niece to magnate
Philip Danforth Armour
and daughter to Philip's sister, Marietta, who left a great part of her property
to Julia upon her death in 1897. William and Julia were married in Chicago
on 8 June 1892, the city where Alice spent most of her childhood and adolescence, living with her parents in the affluent Gold Coast
district. Alice herself became the favorite niece of her magnate uncle, J. Ogden Armour
. The great wealth of her family caused her childhood friends to give her the nickname "Silver Spoon", also an allusion to her surname.
Alice's mother died of tuberculosis
when Alice was only eight, leaving her a large estate. Writer Paul Spicer, who wrote a biography of Alice, argues that Julia Chapin died from complications arising from being locked out of the house by her husband during a freezing night. Alice herself was an asymptomatic consumptive
from birth. Contrary to her own wishes, her father re-married as quickly as 1908. From his second wife, Louise Mattocks, he had five children, many of which died at a young age. 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. Her father later divorced Mattocks and married two more times.
Alice was introduced to wild social life starting in her early adolescence
. She was one of the most prominent socialite
s of Chicago
, frequenting the most fashionable nightclub
s of the time, with the encouragement of her father. Her father also took her on several journeys around Europe
and encouraged his daughter's image as a notable debutante
. Those years of wild youth left Alice with a lasting
melancholia
. Her biographer, Paul Spicer, believes she was suffering from cyclothymia, a strain of bipolar disorder. Following her mother's death, she was raised by a German
governess
in large houses in New York
, her father being frequently absent by reason of his professional obligations. William Silverthorne was also an alcoholic
.
When Alice was still an adolescent, her father lost custody
and an uncle from her mother's side assumed the role of legal guardian
. Writer and journalist Michael Kilian
alleges that the reason behind this was that William Silverthorne had a sexual relationship with his adolescent daughter
and one of her uncles intervened and took the case to the court
. Killian also believes that Alice lost her virginity
to her father. By contrast, Paul Spicer believes Alice relationship with her father was not incestuous. Nevertheless, even after Alice came to live with the Armours in New York, she shocked everyone when she went vacationing
with her father in the French Riviera
, at the age of 14. Kilian also alleges that Silverthorne openly sported her as his mistress in Riviera and allowed her to keep a black panther
as a pet. In later years, she was famous for walking her panther, in its collar, up and down the Promenade des Anglais
in Nice
.
In 1919, Alice moved back to Chicago and came to live with her aunts, Mrs. Francis E. May (née Alice Chapin) and Mrs. Josephine Chapin. Two years later, Alice moved to Paris
, France
. There, she briefly worked as director of the model department of Jean Patou
's dressmaking establishment until she met Comte Frédéric Jacques de Janzé (ca 1896 – 24 December 1933), a well-known French racing driver of the time (a participant in 24 Hours of Le Mans
races) and heir to an old aristocratic family of Brittany
. Frédéric also used to frequent literary circles, having formed a close friendship with such luminaries as Marcel Proust
, Maurice Barrès
and Anna de Noailles.
Unlike many other American heiresses of the period, Alice had not permitted her father or any other relative to help her pursue an eligible husband and chose to pursue her romance with Comte de Janzé on her own free will. After enjoying a romance of only three weeks, the couple married on 21 September 1921 in Chicago
. Frédéric reportedly found her "Silverthorne" surname so charming he expressed regret their marriage would take it away from her. Following the ceremony, her 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
quarter. Their marriage produced 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; the children were primarily brought up by governesses and by Frédéric's sister, in their family chateau
in Normandy
.
In 1925, Frédéric and Alice first met Josslyn Victor Hay
, Earl of Erroll
a.k.a. Lord Erroll, and his wife, Idina Sackville
in Montparnasse
and became good friends. Some time later, the Hays decided to invite the de Janzés to spend some time in their home in the so-called Happy Valley in Kenya, a community of British colonials living in Wanjohi Valley, near the Aberdare Mountains. This enclave had become notorious among socialites in England for being a paradise for all those seeking a hedonistic
lifestyle, including drug
s, alcohol
and sexual promiscuity
. Noticing that Alice had become restless, Frédéric decided to distract her and agreed to the trip.
In the Happy Valley, the de Janzés were neighbors to the Hays. 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. In the book, Frédéric provides 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 caused a sensation with her wild behavior, sarcastic sense of humour, and her beauty. Symptomatic of wild and unpredictable mood swings she was victim to the mood disorder called bipolar illness, a genetic illness, of which treatment at the time was non-existent. Soon she came to be known by the nickname "the wicked madonna". She would often speak passionately about animal rights, or play ukulele
. Alice soon began an affair with the notorious philanderer Erroll, openly sharing him
with his wife, Idina. Idina and Alice also became very close friends.
Alice and Frédéric returned to Happy Valley in 1926. While Frédéric was distracted with lion hunting, Alice started another love affair, this time with British
nobleman Raymond Vincent de Trafford (28 January 1900 – 14 May 1971), son of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 3rd Baronet
. Frédéric soon became aware of his wife's infidelity
, though he did not become preoccupied by it, although years later he would refer to their love triangle
as "the infernal triangle". However, Alice's infatuation with de Trafford was so great that the couple attempted to elope at some point, though they promptly returned.
In Fall 1926, Frédéric returned to Paris with Alice, in an attempt to save his marriage; he was unsuccessful. Alice visited Frédéric mother, and revealed to her she was in love with de Trafford, also asking her help in obtaining a divorce
. Frédéric's mother advised her to think of her two daughters and do nothing she might later regret. Alice, however, soon returned to Kenya
and de Trafford. Hoping to keep Alice's extramarital affair from becoming a scandal, her mother-in-law loaned her a furnished flat in a quiet street in Paris, to use as a "love nest". Alice moved to the flat, spending her time in both Paris and London
with de Trafford. Under pressure by his family, Frédéric quickly sued for divorce.
A few hours later, in the Gare du Nord
, 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. It was also reported that when the conductor opened the compartment door, he saw Alice gasping "I did it", before she collapsed.
De Trafford was gravely injured, and spent several days in a hospital in critical condition. Reportedly, when Alice heard the surgeons mention that de Trafford was too seriously wounded to be expected to live, she began screaming "But he must live! I want him to live!" Alice's own wound was initially overlooked by doctors amidst the confusion, before she was also given proper care. 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 Laboisiere hospital. Relatives of Alice rushed to the hospital and attempted to have her transferred to a private clinic, but they were thwarted by the gendarmes
, since the Countess was technically under arrest
.
In an attempt to appease the situation, a statement was released to the press on behalf of members of Alice's family, assuring the public that there is nothing to the facts of 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".
Both de Trafford and de Janzé initially declined to offer any explanations to investigators. De Janzé was quoted as telling a police official who was permitted to see her for a few moments at the hospital: "I decided to shoot him just as the train was leaving. Why is my own secret. Don't ask me." She also claimed to feel regret about shooting de Trafford, who was said to be on the brink of death. De Trafford finally woke up and had a brief conversation with an officer, who asked him how it happened. Wishing to protect Alice, de Trafford stated the following: "Why, Madame attempted suicide. I tried to stop her and the weapon was accidentally discharged. A deplorable accident, surely... but yet, an accident!" He then lapsed into unconsciousness. De Janzé'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 the same confess, she also admitted to having attempted suicide numerous times in her life. She stated: "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".
Some confusion was caused when five British newspapers, Western Mail, The Manchester Guardian
, The Liverpool Daily Courier, The Liverpool Evening Express and Sheffield Daily Telegraph
, illustrated their reports of the shooting incident with pictures not of Alice de Janzé but of Frédéric's sister-in-law, Vicomtesse Phillis Meeta de Janzé. Phillis de Janzé promptly sued for libel and received a settlement.
The incident made headlines all over the world. The Fort Covington Sun reported the following on 14 April 1927:
Her Chicago relatives were evidently dumbfounded at the news. Mrs. George Silverthorne, de Janzé's aunt, 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".
with premeditation
. 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 out of anguish at parting from him. In her official declaration to Judge Banquart, who was charged with investigating the case and visited her to the hospital, she stated the following:
On 9 April, de Trafford returned to London by a special airplane. He also told French authorities he did not wish to take any action against Alice, although he would hold himself at their disposition to return to Paris if his testimony was needed. Meanwhile, de Janzé was imprisoned in Saint Lazare, a women-only prison
in Paris. Her cell, No. 12, had hosted several notorious female criminals in the past, including Mata Hari
, Marguerite Steinheil
and Henriette Caillaux
. On 20 May, she was temporarily freed by the police pending her recovery, after she made a formal demand for release on bail
. When she eventually described what happened in the train station, she wrote the following:
Alice then vanished from the public eye, hidden in a nursing home close to Paris, thanks to the intervention of her aunt, Mrs. Francis May, in preparation for the impending trial. During that period of time, her lawyers attempted, without success, to have the charges against the Countess, dismissed. The Paris Tribunal tried Alice de Janzé on 23 December 1927. She was represented by celebrated lawyer René Mettetal. However, she was only tried on the charge of assault
, after her lawyers convinced the examining magistrate that she was mentally irresponsible at the time she shot de Trafford. When de Trafford testified he was asked if he wanted to press charges against the Countess, a suggestion to which he expressed surprise and annoyance, claiming that his wounding was an accident that he himself caused:
Alice's defense lawyer pleaded that the Countess' chronic melancholy and tuberculosis had "deadened her intelligence". He also read at the court a letter of a childhood friend of Alice, American heiress Mary Landon Baker, in which Baker claimed that Alice was suffering 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 family name of the de Janzé.
Eventually, Alice de Janzé received a suspended sentence of six months in prison and a fine of 100 franc
s (approximately 4 dollar
s) by the Paris Correctional Court. Under the First Offenders Act, she was immediately released. The Court even rebuked de Trafford for his failure to deliver his promise to marry her, out of fear of losing the family allowance. Some newspapers, like The Delmarvia Star rebuked the French court for their "ludicrously lenient decision".
The aforementioned lenient decision may have been influenced by the fact she was widely seen as the tragic victim of a true crime of passion
and the judge
s may have been influenced by the public's sympathetic view of her story. The revelation concerning her frequent attempt of suicides may possibly have contributed to her lenient treatment by the judges. 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". Raymond de Trafford's testimony may have also favored her treatment, as accepted responsibility for the state of the Countess' mind that provoked her to shoot and was perceived by the newspapers to have contributed, through his testimony, to the lenient decision. Finally, on 13 April 1929 she received a full presidential pardon
from President of France Gaston Doumergue
. Thanks to the pardon, she was even returned the fine she had been forced to pay by the court. Evidently, the request for the pardon was made to avoid any commercial implications the conviction might cause for dealing with property she owned.
In the wake of the shooting scandal, Alice and Frédéric de Janzé were divorce
d by the Paris Tribunal on 15 June 1927. The divorce was granted to Frédéric on the grounds of desertion. Frédéric received custody of their two children, although the judge made no mention of the Gare du Nord episode. Alice was granted no alimony
.
Following the trial on December, Alice began stating to the newspapers that she would remarry her husband for "the sake of the children". The Count was shocked, although Alice later retracted her demand. The divorce would be followed by an annulment
by the Vatican
on 26 July 1928. Frédéric later sent a letter, through his lawyer, to every newspaper in England, warning them never to refer to Alice as Countess de Janzé again. Frédéric died on 24 December 1933, in Baltimore
, of septicaemia
.
, but only to pack up her things, as she was ordered by the Government House to leave the country as an "undesirable alien", in light of her public scandal. In the weeks necessary until she could properly organize her departure, she resumed her old affair with Lord Erroll. She also stayed for a while at the house of writer Karen Blixen
, a good friend of Erroll, wanting a relatively peaceful place where she could rest after the ordeal. Months later, now living in Paris again and growing indignant of the rumors about her forced leave from Kenya, she publicly refuted that she was ousted from the country. It was not until years later that Alice was able to return to Kenya, thanks to the intervention of both Comte de Janzé and de Trafford, who convinced the Kenyan government to re-admit her.
Around this time, Alice caused a new sensation when it was revealed she had resumed her love affair with the man she had almost killed, Raymond de Trafford. It has been suggested, however, that Alice literally chased de Trafford for three years before she finally got him to marry her. A rumor that the couple would soon have a quiet wedding in Paris was first circulated in 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 rumor surfaced again in April 1930. Ultimately, the couple married on 22 February 1932 in Neuilly-sur-Seine
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".
Around the same time, Alice, who now faced severe financial problems, took over the management of a gown shop in Paris under the firm name of "Gloria Bocher", but soon lost both interest and money in the venture. Her marriage also collapsed rapidly, as she and Raymond split up only three months after the wedding. Allegedly, they got into a heated argument while in the compartment of an English railroad train over the place they would have their honeymoon. Alice had confided to him she had bought a cottage in the Happy Valley which they had once rented when they had first begun their affair, to use as a secret meeting place. Alice had decided that this would be the place they would go for their honeymoon, an idea that did not particularly appeal to Raymond. During the course of the argument, Alice absent-mindedly reached into her purse, prompting a terrified de Trafford to run away, out of a fear of a new murder attempt. Fearing for his life, de Trafford soon fled to Australia
. 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.
In November 1932, Alice officially sought a divorce, charging Raymond with cruelty and desertion. Alice had to chase him for two years, before she got him to sign the divorce papers and the divorce procedures were reported to begin on September 1934. However, Alice may have changed her mind afterwards, because she again officially filed for divorce on May 1937. The divorce was not finalized until October 1937 in London. Alice won an uncontested suit, as the divorce was granted decree nisi
on her on the grounds of adultery
with an unnamed correspondent at a London hotel. Alice commented on her second husband: "An idler, who associates with disreputable women".
Following the divorce, Alice considered permanently returning to Chicago, but friends advised her against that, pointing out how the shooting scandal had made her a "marked woman" in her native land. As such, Alice returned to the world of Happy Valley, where she settled on a permanent basis to the farmhouse
she had previously bought in Gilgil
, located on the banks of River Wanjohi. Alice spent the following years taking care of her animals (including lions, panthers and antelopes) and reading. She had also become heavily addicted to drug
s by now, particularly morphine
. She was almost feared by certain members of the community due to her rapid changes of mood and the aforementioned shooting incident. Her friend, aviator Beryl Markham
, later stated of her: "Loneliness fixed Alice. Everyone was frightened of her".
After having permanently settled in Kenya, Alice only 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 together 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.
. Police interrogated all of Erroll's closest acquaintances, including Alice de Janzé. Although she had an alibi
- she had evidently spent an intimate night with Dickie Pembroke, another Happy Valley resident - she was immediately regarded as one of the major suspects. In fact, she proved to be the prime suspect among the white community of Happy Valley, not least because of her drug habits, her romantic attachment to Errol, and her previous attempt to kill a paramour. A persistent rumor that the perpetrator was a woman contributed to her being a major suspect. It was also rumored that Alice attempted suicide upon finding out the news about Erroll's death.
On the morning after Erroll's body was discovered, de Janzé went to the morgue
with a friend to see his body. According to eyewitnesses, Alice stunned the others in attendance by leaving a tree branch on Erroll's body, wiping her fingers, wet with vagina
l secretions, over Hay's lips and whispering the words: "Now you are mine forever". Eyewitness and close friend of Alice, Julian Lezzard, was suspicious of Alice, as the murder fitted with her morbid preoccupations and she was generally rumored to have been involved in the murder. It was even rumored that Alice herself had admitted to the killing.
In his investigative book, White Mischief, journalist James Fox mentions a suspicious incident regarding Alice and her possible connection to the Erroll murder. A few months after the murder, before Alice left away for a few days, she had a neighbor look after her house. In her absence, one of Alice's houseboys came to the neighbor, and produced a revolver, which he claimed he had found by a bridge, under a pile of stones on Alice's land.
In March 1941, British aristocrat Sir Henry John "Jock" Delves Broughton
was officially charged with Erroll's murder. Broughton had been aware of a romantic affair between his young wife, Diana, and Lord Erroll, in the months leading to Erroll's death. Broughton stood trial with the charge of murder. De Janzé paid regular visits to Delves Broughton in prison. Together with Idina, they attended every day of the trial. In July 1941, Delves Broughton was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
In his biography of Alice de Janzé, titled The Temptress: The Scandalous Life of Alice, Countess de Janzé, writer Paul Spicer theorizes that Alice was the murderer of Lord Erroll. According to what he learned, Alice's personal doctor, William Boyle (also a former lover of hers), was called to her house on the day of her death, alerted by her hysterical servants. There, Boyle discovered several letters written by Alice, including a letter that was later handed to the police. Decades later Boyle's daughter, Alice Fleet, revealed to Spicer that this letter, which was read by her father before being handed over to the police, contained her full confession to the murder of Lord Erroll, a fact that Boyle revealed to his family but was otherwise largely kept secret.
, Alice underwent a hysterectomy
. On 23 September, she attempted suicide by taking an overdose of pentobarbital
. When her friend, Patricia Bowles, went to her house, she discovered Alice 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 perform gastric lavage
.
On 30 September 1941 she finally succeeded in ending her life. A servant found her dead on her bed, killed by a self-inflicted gunshot, with the same gun she had once used on Raymond and herself, in her farmhouse
in Gilgil
, Kenya
, two days after turning 42. 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, fueling rumors of containing possible revelations. Reportedly, a government official, summoned to examine her possessions, was 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. It became known, however, that she had asked her friends to hold a cocktail party
on her grave
.
On 21 January 1942, her death was officially ruled a suicide following a Nairobi inquest. The finding was delayed due to the difficulty in obtaining evidence. The coroner also concluded there was no sign of insanity. However, he further fuelled the conspiracy theories regarding Alice's found letters, stating that the content of the letters were such as to merit their being destroyed, because they constituted damaging revelations of a social and political nature. As such, the letters were destroyed. Journalist Michael Kilian, who has written extensively about Alice's life, believes that she chose suicide because she became depressed about her ageing appearance and loss of looks.
's novel
Tender Is the Night
(1934). In the sequence in question, character Maria Wallis is talking to a man who is about to depart from Paris by train. While on the platform, Maria takes a distance from the man, pulls a revolver
from her purse and shoots him. The train stops and, minutes later, the man is carried away on a stretcher whereas the woman is taken away by gendarmes. Broccoli conjectures that the incident and Maria's character are based on Alice de Janzé.
In 1982, Alice de Janzé's life came to widespread attention through the investigative non-fiction
book White Mischief by writer James Fox, which examines the events surrounding the murder of Lord Erroll, while also examining the Happy Valley set and their notorious life before and after the murder. Alice's character features prominently in the book. In 1988, the book was made into an eponymous movie, directed by Michael Radford
. Alice de Janzé was portrayed by British actress Sarah Miles
. Radford was reportedly drawn to the story primarily due to a remark attributed to Alice de Janzé. According to this story, Alice had once flung open the shutters of her window in her house in Kenya, only to remark "Oh God. Not another fucking beautiful day". Radford incorporated this scene into the film.
The film adaptation focuses heavily on de Janzé's eccentric traits, including a scene in which she watches a polo match with a snake twined around her shoulders or another in which she shoots morphine with a syringe in the ladies' room. In 1988, when asked at the Cannes Film Festival
, Miles stated that de Janzé was a difficult character for her to "pin down" as an actress. Upon arrival in Kenya for the filming of White Mischief, Miles searched out people who knew Alice, but was unable to learn anything substantial, due to those acquaintances' confused perceptions of de Janzé. Some were even uncertain of her true nationality, a fact that left Miles slightly bewildered. Reviews of Miles' portrayal of Alice were mixed. An article of The New York Times
commended Miles on her performance, claiming that few people who will see the movie "will walk away without clear memories of Sarah Miles as Alice de Janzé". Certain critics found her performance "outstanding","mesmerizing" and a "standout" of the film. Conversely, other critics noted that Miles tries too hard to be outrageous and becomes grotesque, whereas another critic found that Miles' "constant would-be wicked little smile seems merely silly".
Author and journalist Michael Kilian has also referenced Alice in his novel of historical fiction
, Dance on a Sinking Ship (1988), in which a character boasts to have claimed her virginity and included her as a character in another novel of historical fiction Sinful Safari (2003). The whodunit
features various members of the Happy Valley set, including Alice, as suspects in a fictional murder case in the 1920s Kenya. Similarly, Paul Di Filippo
utilized Alice 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). Her character also briefly appears in yet another novel of historical fiction, Stephen Maitland-Lewis' Hero on Three Continents (2004), in which she is comically depicted recounting how she once shot one of her former husbands but "sadly botched it up".
Royal and noble ranks
Traditional rank amongst European royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and between geographic regions , the following is a reasonably comprehensive list that provides information on both general ranks and specific differences.-...
Comtesse (Countess)
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
de Janzé for a few years, was an American
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
heiress
Beneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
who spent years in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, as a member of the Happy Valley set
Happy Valley set
The Happy Valley set was a group of privileged British colonials living in the Happy Valley region of the Wanjohi Valley,near the Aberdare mountain range, in the colonies of Kenya and Uganda during the 1920s - 1940s...
of colonials. She was connected with numerous scandal
Scandal
A scandal is a widely publicized allegation or set of allegations that damages the reputation of an institution, individual or creed...
s, including the attempted murder
Attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
of her lover in 1927, as well as the 1941 murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of Josslyn Hay, the Earl of Erroll
Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll
Josslyn Victor Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll and 5th Baron Kilmarnock was a British peer, famed for the unsolved case surrounding his murder and the sensation it caused during wartime Britain.-Early life:Hay was the eldest son of the diplomat Victor Hay, Lord Kilmarnock and his wife...
in Kenya. Her tempestuous life was marked by promiscuity, drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
abuse and several suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
attempts.
Growing up in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Silverthorne was a multi-millionaire heiress, relative of the powerful Armour
Armour and Company
Armour & Company was an American slaughterhouse and meatpacking company founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1867 by the Armour brothers, led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company was Chicago's most important business and helped make the city and its Union Stock Yards the center of the...
family and one of the most prominent American socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
s of her time. She entered French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
in the early 1920s, when she married
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
Count de Janzé. In the mid-1920s, she was introduced to the infamous Happy Valley set, a community of white expatriates in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, notorious for their hedonistic
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
lifestyle. In 1927, she made international news when she shot
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
her lover in a Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
railway station and then shot herself. They both survived. She stood trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
but was only fined with a small amount of money and later pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
ed by the French state. She further scandalized the public by marrying and later divorcing
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
the man she shot.
In 1941, her name was brought up as one of the major suspect
Suspect
In the parlance of criminal justice, a suspect is a known person suspected of committing a crime.Police and reporters often incorrectly use the word suspect when referring to the...
s in the well-publicized murder of the 22nd Earl of Erroll in Kenya, a former lover and friend of hers. After numerous failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempts comprise a large portion of suicide attempts. Some are regarded as not true attempts at all, but rather parasuicide. The usual attempt may be a wish to affect another person by the behaviour. Consequently, it occurs in a social context and may represent a request for help....
s throughout her life, she died of a self-inflicted gunshot in September 1941. Her personality has been referenced both in fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
and non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
, most notably in the book White Mischief and its film adaptation
White Mischief
White Mischief is a 1987 film dramatising the events of the Happy Valley murder case in Kenya in 1941, when Sir Henry "Jock" Delves Broughton was tried for the murder of Josslyn Hay, Earl of Erroll....
, where she was portrayed by Sarah Miles
Sarah Miles
-Early life and career:Sarah Miles was born in the small town of Ingatestone, Essex, in South East England.She first attended Roedean but at the age of 15 she enrolled at RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...
.
Early life
Alice was born in BuffaloBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, Erie County, New York
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
, the only child of wealthy felt
Felt
Felt is a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing woollen fibres. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be of any colour, and made into any shape or size....
manufacturer William Edward Silverthorne, of Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
descent (3 February 1867 – 30 January 1941) and his equally wealthy wife, Julia Belle Chapin (14 August 1871 – 2 June 1907). an heiress
Beneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
to the Armours, the family that owned one of the most well-known meatpacking companies of the time, Armour and Company
Armour and Company
Armour & Company was an American slaughterhouse and meatpacking company founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1867 by the Armour brothers, led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company was Chicago's most important business and helped make the city and its Union Stock Yards the center of the...
. Julia was niece to magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
Philip Danforth Armour
Philip Danforth Armour
Philip Danforth Armour, Sr. was an American businessman who founded Armour and Company, an American meatpacking firm.-Biography:...
and daughter to Philip's sister, Marietta, who left a great part of her property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
to Julia upon her death in 1897. William and Julia were married in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
on 8 June 1892, the city where Alice spent most of her childhood and adolescence, living with her parents in the affluent Gold Coast
Gold Coast Historic District (Chicago, Illinois)
The Gold Coast Historic District is a historic district in Chicago, Illinois. Part of Chicago's Near North Side community area, it is roughly bounded by North Avenue, Lake Shore Drive, Oak Street, and Clark Street....
district. Alice herself became the favorite niece of her magnate uncle, J. Ogden Armour
J. Ogden Armour
Jonathan Ogden Armour was an American meatpacking magnate in Chicago, and owner and president of Armour and Company. During his tenure as president, Armour & Co...
. The great wealth of her family caused her childhood friends to give her the nickname "Silver Spoon", also an allusion to her surname.
Alice's mother died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
when Alice was only eight, leaving her a large estate. Writer Paul Spicer, who wrote a biography of Alice, argues that Julia Chapin died from complications arising from being locked out of the house by her husband during a freezing night. Alice herself was an asymptomatic consumptive
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
from birth. Contrary to her own wishes, her father re-married as quickly as 1908. From his second wife, Louise Mattocks, he had five children, many of which died at a young age. Alice's half-siblings included William Jr. (1912–1976), Victoria Louise (died in infancy
Infant
A newborn or baby is the very young offspring of a human or other mammal. A newborn is an infant who is within hours, days, or up to a few weeks from birth. In medical contexts, newborn or neonate refers to an infant in the first 28 days after birth...
in 1914), Patricia (1915-?), Lawrence (1918–1923) and an unnamed girl who died in infancy in 1910. Her father later divorced Mattocks and married two more times.
Alice was introduced to wild social life starting in her early adolescence
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
. She was one of the most prominent socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
s of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, frequenting the most fashionable nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s of the time, with the encouragement of her father. Her father also took her on several journeys around Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and encouraged his daughter's image as a notable debutante
Debutante
A débutante is a young lady from an aristocratic or upper class family who has reached the age of maturity, and as a new adult, is introduced to society at a formal "début" presentation. It should not be confused with a Debs...
. Those years of wild youth left Alice with a lasting
Chronic (medicine)
A chronic disease is a disease or other human health condition that is persistent or long-lasting in nature. The term chronic is usually applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include asthma, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.In medicine, the...
melancholia
Melancholia
Melancholia , also lugubriousness, from the Latin lugere, to mourn; moroseness, from the Latin morosus, self-willed, fastidious habit; wistfulness, from old English wist: intent, or saturnine, , in contemporary usage, is a mood disorder of non-specific depression,...
. Her biographer, Paul Spicer, believes she was suffering from cyclothymia, a strain of bipolar disorder. Following her mother's death, she was raised by a German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
in large houses in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, her father being frequently absent by reason of his professional obligations. William Silverthorne was also an alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.
When Alice was still an adolescent, her father lost custody
Child custody
Child custody and guardianship are legal terms which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.Following ratification of the United...
and an uncle from her mother's side assumed the role of legal guardian
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
. Writer and journalist Michael Kilian
Michael Kilian
Michael David Kilian 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 National Cemetery...
alleges that the reason behind this was that William Silverthorne had a sexual relationship with his adolescent daughter
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
and one of her uncles intervened and took the case to the court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
. Killian also believes that Alice lost her virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
to her father. By contrast, Paul Spicer believes Alice relationship with her father was not incestuous. Nevertheless, even after Alice came to live with the Armours in New York, she shocked everyone when she went vacationing
Holiday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
with her father in the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
, at the age of 14. Kilian also alleges that Silverthorne openly sported her as his mistress in Riviera and allowed her to keep a black panther
Black panther
A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars , in Asia and Africa they are black leopards , and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars A black panther is...
as a pet. In later years, she was famous for walking her panther, in its collar, up and down the Promenade des Anglais
Promenade des Anglais
The Promenade des Anglais is a celebrated promenade along the Mediterranean at Nice, France.-History:Before Nice was urbanized, the coast at Nice was just bordered by a deserted band of beach...
in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
.
1919-1927: Marriage and the Happy Valley set
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. There, she briefly worked as director of the model department of Jean Patou
Jean Patou
- Early life :Patou was born in Normandy, France in 1880. Patou's family's business was tanning and furs. Patou worked with his uncle in Normandy, then moved to Paris in 1910, intent on becoming a couturier.-1910s - World War I and later:...
's dressmaking establishment until she met Comte Frédéric Jacques de Janzé (ca 1896 – 24 December 1933), a well-known French racing driver of the time (a participant in 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
races) and heir to an old aristocratic family of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. Frédéric also used to frequent literary circles, having formed a close friendship with such luminaries as Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
, Maurice Barrès
Maurice Barrès
Maurice Barrès was a French novelist, journalist, and socialist politician and agitator known for his nationalist and antisemitic views....
and Anna de Noailles.
Unlike many other American heiresses of the period, Alice had not permitted her father or any other relative to help her pursue an eligible husband and chose to pursue her romance with Comte de Janzé on her own free will. After enjoying a romance of only three weeks, the couple married on 21 September 1921 in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Frédéric reportedly found her "Silverthorne" surname so charming he expressed regret their marriage would take it away from her. Following the ceremony, her aunt , Mrs. J. Ogden Armour, turned over the Armour estate on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
to the couple, where they spent two weeks before deciding to permanently settle in Paris, in the Champs-Élysées
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
quarter. Their marriage produced 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; the children were primarily brought up by governesses and by Frédéric's sister, in their family chateau
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
.
In 1925, Frédéric and Alice first met Josslyn Victor Hay
Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll
Josslyn Victor Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll and 5th Baron Kilmarnock was a British peer, famed for the unsolved case surrounding his murder and the sensation it caused during wartime Britain.-Early life:Hay was the eldest son of the diplomat Victor Hay, Lord Kilmarnock and his wife...
, Earl of Erroll
Earl of Erroll
The Earl of Erroll is an ancient title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1453 for Sir William Hay.The subsidiary titles held by the Earl of Erroll are Lord Hay and Lord Slains , both in the Peerage of Scotland. The Earls of Erroll also hold the hereditary office of Lord High Constable...
a.k.a. Lord Erroll, and his wife, Idina Sackville
Idina Sackville
Lady Myra Idina Sackville was a British aristocrat and member of the infamous Happy Valley set. Her deviant behaviour and promiscuous lifestyle scandalised upper class society.-Life and marriages:...
in Montparnasse
Montparnasse
Montparnasse is an area 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...
and became good friends. Some time later, the Hays decided to invite the de Janzés to spend some time in their home in the so-called Happy Valley in Kenya, a community of British colonials living in Wanjohi Valley, near the Aberdare Mountains. This enclave had become notorious among socialites in England for being a paradise for all those seeking a hedonistic
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
lifestyle, including drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
s, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and sexual promiscuity
Promiscuity
In humans, promiscuity refers to less discriminating casual sex with many sexual partners. The term carries a moral or religious judgement and is viewed in the context of the mainstream social ideal for sexual activity to take place within exclusive committed relationships...
. Noticing that Alice had become restless, Frédéric decided to distract her and agreed to the trip.
In the Happy Valley, the de Janzés were neighbors to the Hays. 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. In the book, Frédéric provides several non-eponymous references to members of the Happy Valley set
Happy Valley set
The Happy Valley set was a group of privileged British colonials living in the Happy Valley region of the Wanjohi Valley,near the Aberdare mountain range, in the colonies of Kenya and Uganda during the 1920s - 1940s...
, including a psychological portrait of his wife that alludes to her suicidal tendencies:
Even among the scandalous residents of Happy Valley, Alice caused a sensation with her wild behavior, sarcastic sense of humour, and her beauty. Symptomatic of wild and unpredictable mood swings she was victim to the mood disorder called bipolar illness, a genetic illness, of which treatment at the time was non-existent. Soon she came to be known by the nickname "the wicked madonna". She would often speak passionately about animal rights, or play ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
. Alice soon began an affair with the notorious philanderer Erroll, openly sharing him
Open relationship
An open relationship is an interpersonal relationship in which the parties want to be together but agree to a form of a non-monogamous relationship. This means that they agree that a romantic or sexual relationship with another person is accepted, permitted, or tolerated...
with his wife, Idina. Idina and Alice also became very close friends.
Alice and Frédéric returned to Happy Valley in 1926. While Frédéric was distracted with lion hunting, Alice started another love affair, this time with British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
nobleman Raymond Vincent de Trafford (28 January 1900 – 14 May 1971), son of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 3rd Baronet
Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 3rd Baronet
Sir Humphrey Francis de Trafford was an English landowner and racehorse breeder. He was the son of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 2nd Baronet and Lady Annette Mary Talbot....
. Frédéric soon became aware of his wife's infidelity
Infidelity
In many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...
, though he did not become preoccupied by it, although years later he would refer to their love triangle
Love triangle
A love triangle is usually a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two...
as "the infernal triangle". However, Alice's infatuation with de Trafford was so great that the couple attempted to elope at some point, though they promptly returned.
In Fall 1926, Frédéric returned to Paris with Alice, in an attempt to save his marriage; he was unsuccessful. Alice visited Frédéric mother, and revealed to her she was in love with de Trafford, also asking her help in obtaining a divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
. Frédéric's mother advised her to think of her two daughters and do nothing she might later regret. Alice, however, soon returned to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and de Trafford. Hoping to keep Alice's extramarital affair from becoming a scandal, her mother-in-law loaned her a furnished flat in a quiet street in Paris, to use as a "love nest". Alice moved to the flat, spending her time in both Paris and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with de Trafford. Under pressure by his family, Frédéric quickly sued for divorce.
1927: The Gare du Nord shooting incident
On the morning of 25 March 1927, Alice arose in her Paris home feeling extremely agitated, according to the later testimony of her maid. A few hours later, in the afternoon, Alice and Raymond de Trafford met. Raymond informed Alice that he would not be able to marry her. His family, which held strict Catholic views, had threatened to disinherit him if he were to marry her. Later that afternoon, the couple visited a sporting equipment shop together, where Alice bought a gold-mounted, pearl handled revolver.A few hours later, in the Gare du Nord
Gare du Nord
Paris Nord is one of the six large terminus railway stations of the SNCF mainline network for Paris, France. It offers connections with several urban transportation lines, including Paris Métro and RER...
, 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
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
from her purse and shot him in the stomach, puncturing his lung. She then shot herself in the stomach. It was also reported that when the conductor opened the compartment door, he saw Alice gasping "I did it", before she collapsed.
De Trafford was gravely injured, and spent several days in a hospital in critical condition. Reportedly, when Alice heard the surgeons mention that de Trafford was too seriously wounded to be expected to live, she began screaming "But he must live! I want him to live!" Alice's own wound was initially overlooked by doctors amidst the confusion, before she was also given proper care. 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 Laboisiere hospital. Relatives of Alice rushed to the hospital and attempted to have her transferred to a private clinic, but they were thwarted by the gendarmes
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
, since the Countess was technically under arrest
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
.
In an attempt to appease the situation, a statement was released to the press on behalf of members of Alice's family, assuring the public that there is nothing to the facts of 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".
Both de Trafford and de Janzé initially declined to offer any explanations to investigators. De Janzé was quoted as telling a police official who was permitted to see her for a few moments at the hospital: "I decided to shoot him just as the train was leaving. Why is my own secret. Don't ask me." She also claimed to feel regret about shooting de Trafford, who was said to be on the brink of death. De Trafford finally woke up and had a brief conversation with an officer, who asked him how it happened. Wishing to protect Alice, de Trafford stated the following: "Why, Madame attempted suicide. I tried to stop her and the weapon was accidentally discharged. A deplorable accident, surely... but yet, an accident!" He then lapsed into unconsciousness. De Janzé'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 the same confess, she also admitted to having attempted suicide numerous times in her life. She stated: "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".
Some confusion was caused when five British newspapers, Western Mail, The Manchester Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Liverpool Daily Courier, The Liverpool Evening Express and Sheffield Daily Telegraph
Sheffield Telegraph
The Sheffield Telegraph is a weekly newspaper published in Sheffield, England.-History:Founded in 1855 as the Sheffield Daily Telegraph, it was the city's first daily newspaper, published at 08:00 each morning. The newspaper struggled until W. C...
, illustrated their reports of the shooting incident with pictures not of Alice de Janzé but of Frédéric's sister-in-law, Vicomtesse Phillis Meeta de Janzé. Phillis de Janzé promptly sued for libel and received a settlement.
The incident made headlines all over the world. The Fort Covington Sun reported the following on 14 April 1927:
Her Chicago relatives were evidently dumbfounded at the news. Mrs. George Silverthorne, de Janzé's aunt, 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".
Trial and penalty
On 5 April, Alice de Janzé was officially charged with attempted murderAttempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
with premeditation
Premeditated murder
Premeditated murder is the crime of wrongfully causing the death of another human being after rationally considering the timing or method of doing so, in order to either increase the likelihood of success, or to evade detection or apprehension.State laws in the United States vary as to definitions...
. 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 out of anguish at parting from him. In her official declaration to Judge Banquart, who was charged with investigating the case and visited her to the hospital, she stated the following:
On 9 April, de Trafford returned to London by a special airplane. He also told French authorities he did not wish to take any action against Alice, although he would hold himself at their disposition to return to Paris if his testimony was needed. Meanwhile, de Janzé was imprisoned in Saint Lazare, a women-only prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in Paris. Her cell, No. 12, had hosted several notorious female criminals in the past, including Mata Hari
Mata Hari
Mata Hari was the stage name of Margaretha Geertruida "M'greet" Zelle , a Dutch exotic dancer, courtesan, and accused spy who was executed by firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I.-Early life:Margaretha Geertruida Zelle was born in Leeuwarden, Friesland,...
, Marguerite Steinheil
Marguerite Steinheil
Marguerite Jeanne "Meg" Steinheil, Lady Abinger was a French woman famous in connection with the deaths of President Félix Faure and her own husband and stepmother.-Early life:...
and Henriette Caillaux
Henriette Caillaux
Henriette Caillaux was a Parisian socialite and second wife of the former Prime Minister of France. She is remembered as an assassin.-Biography:...
. On 20 May, she was temporarily freed by the police pending her recovery, after she made a formal demand for release on bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
. When she eventually described what happened in the train station, she wrote the following:
Alice then vanished from the public eye, hidden in a nursing home close to Paris, thanks to the intervention of her aunt, Mrs. Francis May, in preparation for the impending trial. During that period of time, her lawyers attempted, without success, to have the charges against the Countess, dismissed. The Paris Tribunal tried Alice de Janzé on 23 December 1927. She was represented by celebrated lawyer René Mettetal. However, she was only tried on the charge of assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
, after her lawyers convinced the examining magistrate that she was mentally irresponsible at the time she shot de Trafford. When de Trafford testified he was asked if he wanted to press charges against the Countess, a suggestion to which he expressed surprise and annoyance, claiming that his wounding was an accident that he himself caused:
Alice's defense lawyer pleaded that the Countess' chronic melancholy and tuberculosis had "deadened her intelligence". He also read at the court a letter of a childhood friend of Alice, American heiress Mary Landon Baker, in which Baker claimed that Alice was suffering 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 family name of the de Janzé.
Eventually, Alice de Janzé received a suspended sentence of six months in prison and a fine of 100 franc
Franc
The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions and the former currency of France, the French franc until the Euro was adopted in 1999...
s (approximately 4 dollar
Dollar
The dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...
s) by the Paris Correctional Court. Under the First Offenders Act, she was immediately released. The Court even rebuked de Trafford for his failure to deliver his promise to marry her, out of fear of losing the family allowance. Some newspapers, like The Delmarvia Star rebuked the French court for their "ludicrously lenient decision".
The aforementioned lenient decision may have been influenced by the fact she was widely seen as the tragic victim of a true crime of passion
Crime of passion
A crime of passion, or crime passionnel, in popular usage, refers to a crime in which the perpetrator commits a crime, especially assault or murder, against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as sudden rage or heartbreak rather than as a premeditated crime...
and the judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
s may have been influenced by the public's sympathetic view of her story. The revelation concerning her frequent attempt of suicides may possibly have contributed to her lenient treatment by the judges. Even the prosecuting attorney
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
insisted upon leniency and declared that "I should not like to bear de Trafford's responsibility for a broken heart and a disrupted home". Raymond de Trafford's testimony may have also favored her treatment, as accepted responsibility for the state of the Countess' mind that provoked her to shoot and was perceived by the newspapers to have contributed, through his testimony, to the lenient decision. Finally, on 13 April 1929 she received a full presidential pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
from President of France Gaston Doumergue
Gaston Doumergue
Pierre-Paul-Henri-Gaston Doumergue was a French politician of the Third Republic.Doumergue came from a Protestant family. Beginning as a Radical, he turned more towards the political right in his old age. He served as Prime Minister from 9 December 1913 to 2 June 1914...
. Thanks to the pardon, she was even returned the fine she had been forced to pay by the court. Evidently, the request for the pardon was made to avoid any commercial implications the conviction might cause for dealing with property she owned.
In the wake of the shooting scandal, Alice and Frédéric de Janzé were divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d by the Paris Tribunal on 15 June 1927. The divorce was granted to Frédéric on the grounds of desertion. Frédéric received custody of their two children, although the judge made no mention of the Gare du Nord episode. Alice was granted no alimony
Alimony
Alimony is a U.S. term denoting a legal obligation to provide financial support to one's spouse from the other spouse after marital separation or from the ex-spouse upon divorce...
.
Following the trial on December, Alice began stating to the newspapers that she would remarry her husband for "the sake of the children". The Count was shocked, although Alice later retracted her demand. The divorce would be followed by an annulment
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
by the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
on 26 July 1928. Frédéric later sent a letter, through his lawyer, to every newspaper in England, warning them never to refer to Alice as Countess de Janzé again. Frédéric died on 24 December 1933, in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, of septicaemia
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
.
1928-1941: Second marriage, divorce and return to Kenya
Following the public ordeal, Raymond de Trafford advised Alice that it might not be a good idea to return to London for a while. In early 1928, Alice de Janzé returned to KenyaKenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, but only to pack up her things, as she was ordered by the Government House to leave the country as an "undesirable alien", in light of her public scandal. In the weeks necessary until she could properly organize her departure, she resumed her old affair with Lord Erroll. She also stayed for a while at the house of writer Karen Blixen
Karen Blixen
Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke , , née Karen Christenze Dinesen, was a Danish author also known by her pen name Isak Dinesen. She also wrote under the pen names Osceola and Pierre Andrézel...
, a good friend of Erroll, wanting a relatively peaceful place where she could rest after the ordeal. Months later, now living in Paris again and growing indignant of the rumors about her forced leave from Kenya, she publicly refuted that she was ousted from the country. It was not until years later that Alice was able to return to Kenya, thanks to the intervention of both Comte de Janzé and de Trafford, who convinced the Kenyan government to re-admit her.
Around this time, Alice caused a new sensation when it was revealed she had resumed her love affair with the man she had almost killed, Raymond de Trafford. It has been suggested, however, that Alice literally chased de Trafford for three years before she finally got him to marry her. A rumor that the couple would soon have a quiet wedding in Paris was first circulated in 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 rumor surfaced again in April 1930. Ultimately, the couple married on 22 February 1932 in Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Although Neuilly is technically a suburb of Paris, it is immediately adjacent to the city and directly extends it. The area is composed of mostly wealthy, select residential...
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".
Around the same time, Alice, who now faced severe financial problems, took over the management of a gown shop in Paris under the firm name of "Gloria Bocher", but soon lost both interest and money in the venture. Her marriage also collapsed rapidly, as she and Raymond split up only three months after the wedding. Allegedly, they got into a heated argument while in the compartment of an English railroad train over the place they would have their honeymoon. Alice had confided to him she had bought a cottage in the Happy Valley which they had once rented when they had first begun their affair, to use as a secret meeting place. Alice had decided that this would be the place they would go for their honeymoon, an idea that did not particularly appeal to Raymond. During the course of the argument, Alice absent-mindedly reached into her purse, prompting a terrified de Trafford to run away, out of a fear of a new murder attempt. Fearing for his life, de Trafford soon fled to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. 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.
In November 1932, Alice officially sought a divorce, charging Raymond with cruelty and desertion. Alice had to chase him for two years, before she got him to sign the divorce papers and the divorce procedures were reported to begin on September 1934. However, Alice may have changed her mind afterwards, because she again officially filed for divorce on May 1937. The divorce was not finalized until October 1937 in London. Alice won an uncontested suit, as the divorce was granted decree nisi
Decree nisi
A decree nisi is a court order that does not have any force until such time that a particular condition is met, such as a subsequent petition to the court or the passage of a specified period of time....
on her on the grounds of adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
with an unnamed correspondent at a London hotel. Alice commented on her second husband: "An idler, who associates with disreputable women".
Following the divorce, Alice considered permanently returning to Chicago, but friends advised her against that, pointing out how the shooting scandal had made her a "marked woman" in her native land. As such, Alice returned to the world of Happy Valley, where she settled on a permanent basis to the farmhouse
Farmhouse
Farmhouse is a general term for the main house of a farm. It is a type of building or house which serves a residential purpose in a rural or agricultural setting. Most often, the surrounding environment will be a farm. Many farm houses are shaped like a T...
she had previously bought in Gilgil
Gilgil
Gilgil, Kenya is a town in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. The town is located between Naivasha and Nakuru and along the Nairobi - Nakuru highway. Gilgil has a population of 18,805 . Gilgil is also the centre of the Gilgil division in Nakuru District.- History :During the 1920s - 1940s, some...
, located on the banks of River Wanjohi. Alice spent the following years taking care of her animals (including lions, panthers and antelopes) and reading. She had also become heavily addicted to drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
s by now, particularly morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
. She was almost feared by certain members of the community due to her rapid changes of mood and the aforementioned shooting incident. Her friend, aviator Beryl Markham
Beryl Markham
Beryl Markham was a British-born Kenyan aviatrix, adventurer, and racehorse trainer. During the pioneer days of aviation, she became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west...
, later stated of her: "Loneliness fixed Alice. Everyone was frightened of her".
After having permanently settled in Kenya, Alice only 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 together 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 NairobiNairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
. Police interrogated all of Erroll's closest acquaintances, including Alice de Janzé. Although she had an alibi
Alibi
Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C...
- she had evidently spent an intimate night with Dickie Pembroke, another Happy Valley resident - she was immediately regarded as one of the major suspects. In fact, she proved to be the prime suspect among the white community of Happy Valley, not least because of her drug habits, her romantic attachment to Errol, and her previous attempt to kill a paramour. A persistent rumor that the perpetrator was a woman contributed to her being a major suspect. It was also rumored that Alice attempted suicide upon finding out the news about Erroll's death.
On the morning after Erroll's body was discovered, de Janzé went to the morgue
Morgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
with a friend to see his body. According to eyewitnesses, Alice stunned the others in attendance by leaving a tree branch on Erroll's body, wiping her fingers, wet with vagina
Vagina
The vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
l secretions, over Hay's lips and whispering the words: "Now you are mine forever". Eyewitness and close friend of Alice, Julian Lezzard, was suspicious of Alice, as the murder fitted with her morbid preoccupations and she was generally rumored to have been involved in the murder. It was even rumored that Alice herself had admitted to the killing.
In his investigative book, White Mischief, journalist James Fox mentions a suspicious incident regarding Alice and her possible connection to the Erroll murder. A few months after the murder, before Alice left away for a few days, she had a neighbor look after her house. In her absence, one of Alice's houseboys came to the neighbor, and produced a revolver, which he claimed he had found by a bridge, under a pile of stones on Alice's land.
In March 1941, British aristocrat Sir Henry John "Jock" Delves Broughton
Jock Delves Broughton
Henry John Delves Broughton, 11th Baronet Broughton was a British aristocrat who is chiefly known for standing trial for the murder of Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll...
was officially charged with Erroll's murder. Broughton had been aware of a romantic affair between his young wife, Diana, and Lord Erroll, in the months leading to Erroll's death. Broughton stood trial with the charge of murder. De Janzé paid regular visits to Delves Broughton in prison. Together with Idina, they attended every day of the trial. In July 1941, Delves Broughton was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
In his biography of Alice de Janzé, titled The Temptress: The Scandalous Life of Alice, Countess de Janzé, writer Paul Spicer theorizes that Alice was the murderer of Lord Erroll. According to what he learned, Alice's personal doctor, William Boyle (also a former lover of hers), was called to her house on the day of her death, alerted by her hysterical servants. There, Boyle discovered several letters written by Alice, including a letter that was later handed to the police. Decades later Boyle's daughter, Alice Fleet, revealed to Spicer that this letter, which was read by her father before being handed over to the police, contained her full confession to the murder of Lord Erroll, a fact that Boyle revealed to his family but was otherwise largely kept secret.
Death
In August 1941, after being diagnosed with uterine cancerUterine cancer
The term uterine cancer may refer to any of several different types of cancer which occur in the uterus, namely:*Uterine sarcomas: sarcomas of the myometrium, or muscular layer of the uterus, are most commonly leiomyosarcomas.*Endometrial cancer:...
, Alice underwent a hysterectomy
Hysterectomy
A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus, usually performed by a gynecologist. Hysterectomy may be total or partial...
. On 23 September, she attempted suicide by taking an overdose of pentobarbital
Pentobarbital
Pentobarbital is a short-acting barbiturate that was first synthesized in 1928. Pentobarbital is available as both a free acid and a sodium salt, the former of which is only slightly soluble in water and ethanol....
. When her friend, Patricia Bowles, went to her house, she discovered Alice 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 perform gastric lavage
Gastric lavage
Gastric lavage, also commonly called stomach pumping or Gastric irrigation, is the process of cleaning out the contents of the stomach. It has been used for over 200 years as a means of eliminating poisons from the stomach. Such devices are normally used on a person who has ingested a poison or...
.
On 30 September 1941 she finally succeeded in ending her life. A servant found her dead on her bed, killed by a self-inflicted gunshot, with the same gun she had once used on Raymond and herself, in her farmhouse
Farmhouse
Farmhouse is a general term for the main house of a farm. It is a type of building or house which serves a residential purpose in a rural or agricultural setting. Most often, the surrounding environment will be a farm. Many farm houses are shaped like a T...
in Gilgil
Gilgil
Gilgil, Kenya is a town in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. The town is located between Naivasha and Nakuru and along the Nairobi - Nakuru highway. Gilgil has a population of 18,805 . Gilgil is also the centre of the Gilgil division in Nakuru District.- History :During the 1920s - 1940s, some...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, two days after turning 42. 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, fueling rumors of containing possible revelations. Reportedly, a government official, summoned to examine her possessions, was 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. It became known, however, that she had asked her friends to hold a cocktail party
Cocktail party
A cocktail party is a party where cocktails are served. Women may choose to wear what has become known as a cocktail dress.Although many believe the inventor of the cocktail party to be Alec Waugh of London, who in 1924 found a need for this pleasant interlude before a dinner party, an article in...
on her grave
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
.
On 21 January 1942, her death was officially ruled a suicide following a Nairobi inquest. The finding was delayed due to the difficulty in obtaining evidence. The coroner also concluded there was no sign of insanity. However, he further fuelled the conspiracy theories regarding Alice's found letters, stating that the content of the letters were such as to merit their being destroyed, because they constituted damaging revelations of a social and political nature. As such, the letters were destroyed. Journalist Michael Kilian, who has written extensively about Alice's life, believes that she chose suicide because she became depressed about her ageing appearance and loss of looks.
Legacy
Writer Joseph Matthew Broccoli alleges that the 1927 shooting scandal served as a possible source of inspiration for a shooting sequence in F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
's novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Tender Is the Night
Tender is the Night
Tender Is the Night is a novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was his fourth and final completed novel, and was first published in Scribner's Magazine between January-April, 1934 in four issues...
(1934). In the sequence in question, character Maria Wallis is talking to a man who is about to depart from Paris by train. While on the platform, Maria takes a distance from the man, pulls a revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
from her purse and shoots him. The train stops and, minutes later, the man is carried away on a stretcher whereas the woman is taken away by gendarmes. Broccoli conjectures that the incident and Maria's character are based on Alice de Janzé.
In 1982, Alice de Janzé's life came to widespread attention through the investigative non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book White Mischief by writer James Fox, which examines the events surrounding the murder of Lord Erroll, while also examining the Happy Valley set and their notorious life before and after the murder. Alice's character features prominently in the book. In 1988, the book was made into an eponymous movie, directed by Michael Radford
Michael Radford
Michael Radford is an English film director and screenwriter.-Early life and career:Radford was born on 24 February 1946, in New Delhi, India, to a British father and an Austrian Jewish mother. He was educated at Bedford School before attending Worcester College, Oxford...
. Alice de Janzé was portrayed by British actress Sarah Miles
Sarah Miles
-Early life and career:Sarah Miles was born in the small town of Ingatestone, Essex, in South East England.She first attended Roedean but at the age of 15 she enrolled at RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...
. Radford was reportedly drawn to the story primarily due to a remark attributed to Alice de Janzé. According to this story, Alice had once flung open the shutters of her window in her house in Kenya, only to remark "Oh God. Not another fucking beautiful day". Radford incorporated this scene into the film.
The film adaptation focuses heavily on de Janzé's eccentric traits, including a scene in which she watches a polo match with a snake twined around her shoulders or another in which she shoots morphine with a syringe in the ladies' room. In 1988, when asked at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, Miles stated that de Janzé was a difficult character for her to "pin down" as an actress. Upon arrival in Kenya for the filming of White Mischief, Miles searched out people who knew Alice, but was unable to learn anything substantial, due to those acquaintances' confused perceptions of de Janzé. Some were even uncertain of her true nationality, a fact that left Miles slightly bewildered. Reviews of Miles' portrayal of Alice were mixed. An article of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
commended Miles on her performance, claiming that few people who will see the movie "will walk away without clear memories of Sarah Miles as Alice de Janzé". Certain critics found her performance "outstanding","mesmerizing" and a "standout" of the film. Conversely, other critics noted that Miles tries too hard to be outrageous and becomes grotesque, whereas another critic found that Miles' "constant would-be wicked little smile seems merely silly".
Author and journalist Michael Kilian has also referenced Alice in his novel of historical fiction
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
, Dance on a Sinking Ship (1988), in which a character boasts to have claimed her virginity and included her as a character in another novel of historical fiction Sinful Safari (2003). The whodunit
Whodunit
A whodunit or whodunnit is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader or viewer is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final...
features various members of the Happy Valley set, including Alice, as suspects in a fictional murder case in the 1920s Kenya. Similarly, Paul Di Filippo
Paul Di Filippo
Paul Di Filippo is an American science fiction writer. He has been published in Postscripts...
utilized Alice 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). Her character also briefly appears in yet another novel of historical fiction, Stephen Maitland-Lewis' Hero on Three Continents (2004), in which she is comically depicted recounting how she once shot one of her former husbands but "sadly botched it up".
Descendants and relatives
- Alice's oldest daughter, Nolwén, became a fashion designer and was president of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers in the 1950s. She had two children, a daughter Angelique and a son Frederic Armand-Delille. In 1981, Angelique worked as picture assistant for the film QuartetQuartet (1981 film)Quartet is a 1981 Merchant Ivory Film, starring Isabelle Adjani, Maggie Smith, Anthony Higgins and Alan Bates, set in 1924 Paris. It premiered at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival and was an entry for the Selection Officielle...
. In 1977, Nolwén married the well known art historian Kenneth ClarkKenneth ClarkKenneth McKenzie Clark, Baron Clark, OM, CH, KCB, FBA was a British author, museum director, broadcaster, and one of the best-known art historians of his generation...
. He died in 1983. Nolwén died on 7 March 1989 in France at the age of 67 after undergoing heart surgery.
- Her second daughter, Paola, died in NormandyNormandyNormandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, close to the family property, in DieppeDieppe, Seine-MaritimeDieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
on 24 December 2006 at the age of 82. She married three times and had four children : Guillaume de Rougemont (1945) Arthur Hayden (1947) and Moya Hayden(1950). In 1955 she married amateur rider John Ciechanowski and had a son (Alexander Ciechanowski 1956) with him.