1926 Flapper Heiress Divorces for Career. SCANDAL.

Front page of
THE DANVILLE REGISTER
Sunday morning, August 1, 1926

(This was published 19 days before the birth of my mom....amazing!)

Mamma Lost Him - Now Daughter's Giving Him the Air

The Red Hot Romance of the Youngest Army Captain and the Omaha Heiress.

Capt. Wylie Arnold, the Youngest of His Rank in the U.S. Army, Whose Flapper Wife now Proposes to divorce him in the interest of a career

Never take the miss when you can get the "missus," is what Wylie Arnold, youngest captain in the United States Army, has just learned.  For his wealthy young bride is about to sue him for a divorce.  And their elopement was the climax to a party in which, it was reported, the bride's mother, Mrs. Margaret Shotwell, had been about to announce her own engagement to the young officer.

It is not that the young society wife does not now love her military husband.  It's the fact that, unlike her mother, Mrs. Wylie Arnold has a career to occupy some of her thoughts.  And she has found that wedding bells and her musical education to not harmonize.

"Most every great artist has been divorced, and some as many as half a dozen times," Mrs. Arnold explains.  "Others never take the trouble to get married.  I will still see the captain after our divorce, and often, too.  We are still going to be sweethearts, but not husband and wife.  I must have my freedom to be able to go and come when I wish."

Such for the younger generation.  This time last year, however, while the youngest captain in the United States Army was learning about women, he was not learning from her, but rather from her mother.

Mrs. Margaret Badollet Shotwell, Mrs. Arnold's mother, is one of the handsomest of Omaha's society matrons.  She is also one of the wealthiest widows in the State of Nebraska.  Only a few months after her husband's recent death she became known as the best-dressed woman in the Middle West.  Her home became a rendezvous of admirers, from youthful college boys to aged financiers.  And her parties were outstanding events in society history.

Into this gay atmosphere strayed Captain Wylie Arnold, only twenty-eight, unsophisticated, handsome, with an overseas record, and a delightful personality.  The wealthy widow and the good-looking officer become close friends.  In fact, so frequently were they seen together that Omaha society began to gossip of another wedding of youth and millions.

Captain Arnold had been engaged to another Omaha girl at about that time, but the engagement was permitted to lose headway and finally die of discouragement.  Captain Arnold was given the full run of Mrs. Shotwell's elaborate garage, and was frequently seen driving one or another of her foreign cars.  The two were constantly together, at the exclusive golf and country clubs.  As Fall approached, the dashing young captain took to wearing a striking mink coast, rumored to have been a present from his wealthy friend.  By the approach of Winter, Captain Arnold was spending all his time, outside his military duties, in the company of Mrs. Shotwell.

But the way of true love never runs smoothly.  Mrs. Shotwell had a beautiful and talented daughter.  Mrs. Margaret Caldwell Shotwell.  Not only was she well known in society circles, but she had tried acting in the movies, and was a student of music.  Also she was extremely wealthy in her own right.  For a few years before, a friend of her father, John Neal, had been a frequent visitor at the Shotwell home.  Neal, who was a millionaire tobacco magnate, had taken an interest in the beautiful daughter of his friend, and upon Neal's sudden death, it was found that Margaret Shotwell was heiress to many hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of tobacco stock.

During the six months in which Mrs. Shotwell's friendship for the young army officer had been ripening, Margaret Shotwell had been in Paris, studying music and studio life.  Shortly before Christmas time, however, she decided to return to her home in Omaha.  And her mother planned a magnificent holiday party for her reception.

The party was to be the most expensive ever given in Omaha.  Five hundred guests were invited, the entire lower floor of the Orpheum Theatre and the Hotel Fontenelle were engaged for the entertainment.  Margaret Shotwell was to play four numbers in the Orpheum show.  And most of Omaha society was certain that Margaret's mother was about to take the occasion to announce her engagement to Captain Wylie Arnold.

But somehow, Captain Wylie Arnold's heart must have been lost, strayed or stole, or maybe it was all a mistake, anyhow.  Mrs. Shotwell introduced him to her daughter, and they at once became good friends.  He stood behind the scenes while Margaret played, he followed her around during the evening.  He seemed to neglect Margaret's mother, except to remark to her about the daughter:  "She's a cute kid."

Omaha's most expensive party was a great success in many ways.  Everyone had a great time, but the mother.  Something seemed to be weighing on her mind; in fact, the more her daughter and Captain Arnold smiled and danced together, the more forced th hostess' welcoming expression seemed to become.  Finally rumors began to fly among the guests that Mrs. Margaret Shotwell would not announce her engagement that evening.

And they were right.  Margaret's mother did not announce her engagement that evening.  But Margaret herself a few days later startled Omaha by announcing her marriage.  She had eloped with the youngest captain in the United States Aarmy after a forty-eight-hour courtship.  She also announced that she was madly in love with her husband, that he was the dearest man in the whole world, and that nothing could ever separate them.  She was going to give up her musical studies, settle in Ohama, and try to live up to Captain Arnold's ideals of her.

But once Captain Arnold was safely in the Shotwell family, he began to learn som emore abou the ways of the wealthy society girls.  Mrs. Arnold soon decided not to give up her musical career that held so much promise for her.  In fact, early in the Spring she sailed for her Paris studio, leaving Mamma Shotwell and her captain in Omaha.

From Paris began to trickle back to America strange tales of wild parties at Mrs. Arnold's Paris studio and at her beautiful country chateau, where she entertained most of the notables whose names are the common property of the international gossips.  However, Mrs. Arnold herself denied the wilder of the rumors.

"You know that as long as I have money and ma an artist, I must keep pace with a certain crowd, but such stories a those of the bathing parties in the fountain and the mad dances I was supposed to have staged, lasting for days at a time, are not true at all."

However, one story she did not deny, if fact, that she confirmed, was the report that she was planning to get a divorce from her husband.  "Women cannot have both marriage and a career," she announced, "and as for me, I want a career."

All seems fair in love and war.  Two days before the news that his wife was planning to divorce him reached America, Captain Arnold was arrested with Captain W. Allen while driving into Fort Crook, where both officers were stationed.  Three bottles of liquor were found in the car, according tot the Federal agents who made the arrest.  Also with the officers werer two well-known Omaha society women, not the wives of either of the arrested men.

The arrest of the two young officers created an immense sensation throughout Omaha society.  The identity of the two women in the car led to endless gossip.  Also the question of what Margaret Arnold would say when she discovered that her husband had found another playmate while she was so busy with her "studies" in hardworking Paris.

Captain W. Allen, the other man in the car, was first to be tried.  He was convicted and sentenced to remain at Fort Crook for six months.  Captain Arnold's trial was to follow.

But before the trial could start, Omaha society was treated to another surprise.  Margaret Shotwell Arnold suddenly arrived in America, if fact, she had sailed the day after she had given out the announcement of her planned divorce.  She had not heard of the trouble her husband was in, and later insisted that it would not make any difference in her plans for a divorce.

"You see, I'm too young to take over the responsibilities of a home," she said, "and besides, I expect to make my musical debut next year. And you can see how marriage and that would work out.  Captain Arnold would have to be on this side - he is under orders you know - and my career takes me to Paris.  The two won't mix and that's all."

But a divorce has nothing to do with love.  Margaret visited her repeatedly at his quarters at Fort Crook.  She attended every day of his trial when it started.  At once time, they sought seclusion in an anteroom during a recess, and when they came out both had apparently been crying.  And when Margaret bid her husband good-by she kissed him affectionately for some time.

When Captain Arnold finally convinced the court that he had nothing to do with the liquor in the car on the ill-fated night of his arrest, and was freed, his wife rejoiced equally with him. But at the same time, the young heiress insisted that positively she would still go through with her divorce ideas.

"The captain has agreed to it, and we are still going to be sweethearts, but not husband and wife," said Margaret.  "I have talked over the affair with my mother, and she is heartily in favor of the entire arrangement."