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Blanca Errázuriz

Blanca Elena Errázuriz Vergara (9 April 1894 – 20 March 1940), also known as Bianca de Saulles, was a Chilean socialite and the former wife of football player and businessman John de Saulles. In August 1917, Errázuriz fatally shot de Saulles multiple times during a disagreement over the custody of their son. After a highly publicized and sensational trial, Errázuriz was acquitted of her ex-husband's murder.

Blanca Errázuriz
c. 1910-1915
Born
Blanca Elena Errázuriz Vergara

(1894-04-09)9 April 1894
Died20 March 1940(1940-03-20) (aged 45)
Viña del Mar, Chile
EducationSacred Heart Convent
Spouses
(m. 1911; div. 1916)
Fernando Santa Cruz Wilson
(m. 1921, divorced)
Children1

Early life and marriage edit

Errázuriz was born in Viña del Mar, Chile, the eldest daughter of Guillermo Errázuriz Urmeneta and of Blanca Vergara Alvarez, a beauty known as the Star of Santiago, and thus a member of the politically influential Errázuriz family, of Basque descent. Her father, a mining magnate, died when she was two, and she was educated at Sacred Heart Convent in London, England. In 1911, when she was 16 years old, she met John de Saulles, an American businessman and society figure 15 years her senior; he had travelled to Chile as representative of the South American Concessions Syndicate to negotiate a new railway line. After some initial difficulties with her family (mostly due to the difference in age and religion as Errázuriz was Roman Catholic) they were soon engaged.[1] On 14 December 1911, they were married at an English Catholic chapel in Paris, France.[2] (The civil ceremony had taken place the previous day.).[3]

De Saulles had previously been engaged to the heiresses Mary Elsie Moore (later Princess Torlonia) and Eleanor Granville Brown. He was later briefly appointed as U. S. Minister to Uruguay in 1914, a post he resigned shortly after accepting and without ever leaving the U.S. The newly married couple settled in New York City. They had one child, John Longer "Jack" de Saulles, born on 25 December 1912, and for whom the steel magnate Charles H. Schwab stood as godfather. Shortly after John, Jr's birth, the couple's marriage began to falter mainly due to de Saulles' well known infidelities. Errázuri filed for divorce in the summer of 1916.[1]

The divorce edit

Shortly before filing for divorce, Errázuri befriended future actor Rudolph Valentino in New York City. Valentino was then working as an exhibition dancer (taxi dancer) and had gained attention for his rendition of the Argentine tango, which was the craze at the time. Whether the two actually had a romantic relationship is unknown, but Valentino did agree to provide proof in court during the de Saulles' divorce case that Joan Sawyer, his dancing partner, was having an adulterous relationship with John de Saulles; he himself took the stand to support Errázuriz's claim of de Saulle's infidelities. De Saulles was also accused of various financial improprieties involving his misuse of his wife's fortune, claims that received greater validity when it became clear upon his death that de Saulles was deeply in debt.[4][5]

 
Blanca Errázuriz and John de Saulles (1912)

John de Saulles was not pleased with this, and once the divorce was granted in December 1916,[6] he used his political connections to have Valentino arrested along with a madam named Mrs. Thyme (the exact charges are unknown). The evidence was flimsy at best (Valentino having been near the wrong place at the wrong time) and after a few days in jail, Valentino's bail was lowered from $10,000 to $1,500.[7] The scandal and subsequent trial were highly publicized, and Valentino felt degraded and misused. No one would hire him, his old friends would no longer talk to him. Errázuriz did not thank him for his testimony and cut off all contact with him.[8]

The murder and trial edit

 
Blanca Errázuriz and son (1917)

Shortly after the divorce was final, on 3 August 1917, Errázuriz drove from her home in Roslyn, New York to the home of her ex-husband, The Box, in Meadowbrook Colony, near Westbury. She had legal claims over the custody of their son, since she and her husband had been given shared custody over him, but de Saulles refused to acknowledge the court's decision. She arrived at The Box shortly after 8pm, and found her former husband sitting on the porch of the house. They argued, and she pointed a gun at his head demanding him to immediately hand over the child to her. When he tried to disarm her, she shot him five times.[9] He was rushed to the Nassau County Hospital, but died there at 10.20pm from his injuries.[10] In the meantime, she awaited at the house for the arrival of the police, to whom she surrendered. She was charged with murder in the first degree and imprisoned in the Nassau County Jail at Mineola, New York, leading to a sensational trial.[11][12]

The widely reported case went on for months. Errázuriz was defended by Henry Uterhart, a noted criminalist of the time, and the principal witness for the defense was Suzanne Monteau, Errázuriz's French maid, who had accompanied her that night and completely supported her version of the events.[13] Blanca Errázuriz became the darling of the press, and the champion of the suffragettes who portrayed her as the victim of the chauvinism prevalent in the society of the time.[14][15]

Blanca Errázuriz was unanimously acquitted of the murder charges on 1 December 1917 in what was called a "popular" verdict.[16]

Later years and death edit

Following the trial, Errázuriz moved to San Francisco where she sought and obtained full custody of her son. She and her son went later to Japan.[17] Eventually she and her son returned to Chile and settled there. On 22 December 1921, she remarried, this time to engineer Fernando Santa Cruz Wilson in Santiago;[18] the couple later divorced.

By the late 1930s, Errázuriz was suffering from poor health and had become estranged from her son, Jack Jr. He severed contact with his mother and moved back to the United States.[19] On 20 March 1940, she committed suicide by taking an overdose of barbiturates at her home in Viña del Mar.[20][19]

Legacy edit

The case was the basis for the 1918 silent film The Woman and the Law, directed by Raoul Walsh. It featured Jack Connors, Miriam Cooper and Peggy Hopkins Joyce.[21] (Guillermo Errázuriz, Blanca's diplomat brother, killed himself in Paris hotel in May 1922, after being spurned by Joyce.)[22] The name "de Saulles" was changed to "La Salle" but the film's opening credits admit to being based on the story.[23]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Wortis Leider, Emily (2004). Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino. Macmillan. p. 70. ISBN 0-571-21114-3.
  2. ^ "JOHN G. DE SAULLES TO WED IN PARIS; New Yorker's Marriage to Senorita Blanca Errazuriz to Take Place To-day or To-morrow". The New York Times. 14 December 1911. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  3. ^ Jack de Saulles' capture of Chili's richest beauty, Cass City Chronicle, Cass City, Michigan, (July 5, 1912) 16 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "DESAULLES' FRIENDS DIVORCE ACCUSERS; Dancing Partner of Joan Sawyer and Manservant of Slain Man Gave Testimony. COOK ALSO A WITNESS District Attorney Says Evidence of Maid Will Be Strong Part of Murder Prosecution.", The New York Times, 12 August 1917, retrieved 10 August 2008
  5. ^ "DE SAULLES IS SUED BY HIS CHILEAN WIFE; Former Yale Football Star and Friend of President Wilson Wed in 1911. TWO WOMEN ARE NAMED Fifth Avenue Real Estate Man Was Promoter in Chile When He Met the Heiress". The New York Times. 28 July 1916. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  6. ^ "LUTHERAN BOOK IS RUSHED.; Published In Seven Days to Answer Charges Against Reformer". The New York Times. 20 December 1916. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  7. ^ Wortis Leider 2004 pp.68-76
  8. ^ Evans, Colin (2014). The Valentino Affair: The Jazz Age Murder Scandal That Shocked New York Society and Gripped the World. Globe Pequot. pp. 252–54, 257. ISBN 978-1-493-01167-4.
  9. ^ "LITTLE SON SEES MRS. DE SAULLES; Mother's Depression Dispelled by Boy's Visit to Her in Jail. DE SAULLES WILL UNSIGNED Testament Outlines Plans for "Little Jack's" Future--Inquest Into Killing Begun. Waits With Arms Outstretched. Better Than Medicine. LITTLE SON SEES MRS.DE SAULLES Will Provided for Boy". The New York Times. 10 August 1917. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  10. ^ "JOHN L. DE SAULLES SLAIN IN HIS HOME BY FORMER WIFE; Neighbors Find Yale's Old Football Captain Dying from Five Bullet Wounds. CHILEAN HEIRESS ARRESTED Quarrel Over Custody of Son Followed Her Divorce from Real Estate Man. WANTED TO GET HER SON "I Am Glad I Did It," She Said, Because Father Had Kept Boy from Her. JOHN L. DE SAULLES SLAIN IN HIS HOME". The New York Times. 4 August 1917. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  11. ^ (PDF). Cass City Chronicle. Cass City, Michigan. 24 August 1917. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  12. ^ "INDICTS MRS. DE SAULLES.; Grand Jury Accuses Her of Murder In the First Degree". The New York Times. 16 October 1917. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  13. ^ "DE SAULLES KILLING RE-ENACTED BY MAID; Suzanne Monteau Supports Theory That Mistress Acted on Sudden Impulse. TELLS OF PROVOCATION Says De Saulles's Looks Were Terrifying and He Declared Mother Should Never Have Boy". The New York Times. 11 August 1917. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  14. ^ "BROTHER DEFENDS DESAULLES' HONOR; Denounces Attack on Slain Man's Memory as "Grossly and Incredibly False." WIFE'S MONEY NOT MISUSED Prisoner, He Says, Agreed to the Division of Their Boy's Custody. MAY LET HER SEE HER LAD Uncle Promises to Do What He Thinks Father Would Have Done --Great Crowds at Funeral. Asks for Her Boys. Police Keep Crowd in Order". The New York Times. 9 August 1917. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  15. ^ "I DANCED, BUT NOT IN MY HEART, SAYS MRS. DE SAULLES; Wrote Gay Letters and Flattered Her Husband to Keep Him, She Testifies. STROVE TO HIDE DISTRESS State Reads Letters to Prove She Was Not Low Spirited When De Saulles Was Away. CROSS-EXAMINATION ENDS Story of $20,000 Ring for Mme.Errazuriz Brought Out--Nurses Take the Stand. Made Use of Woman's Wiles. Turns to British Slang. Finds Excuse for Juror. DANCE NOT IN HEART, MRS. DESAULLES SAYS Always Taking the Blame. The Joy of Living. Believed in Flattery. First Letter of the New Year. Thought Letter Rude. But She Liked the Clothes. The Actress's Picture". The New York Times. 28 November 1917. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  16. ^ "A "POPULAR" VERDICT". The New York Times. 3 December 1917. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  17. ^ "MRS. DE SAULLES IN JAPAN.; Accompanied by Her Son, She Has Taken a Villa Near Tokio". The New York Times. 14 March 1918. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  18. ^ "MRS. J.L. DE SAULLES WEDS AGAIN IN CHILE; Acquitted Slayer of Former Football Star Marries Fernando Santa Cruz Wilson". The New York Times. 23 December 1921. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  19. ^ a b Evans 2014 p.259
  20. ^ "HEIRESS, ONCE WIFE OF J.L. DE SAULLES; Freed After Slaying Him, She Was Wed to F. de Santacruz". The New York Times. 22 March 1940. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  21. ^ Gevinson, Alan (1997). Gevinson, Alan (ed.). Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960. University of California Press. p. 1152. ISBN 0-520-20964-8.
  22. ^ Evans 2014 p.252
  23. ^ Rosenblum, Constance (2000). Gold Digger: The Outrageous Life and Times of Peggy Hopkins Joyce. Macmillan. p. 66. ISBN 0-805-05089-2.

External links edit

  • Blanca Errázuriz at Flickr Commons
  • Hansboro News newspaper for 7 December 1917
  • Short biographical antecedents of Blanca Errázuriz (in Spanish)
  • (in Spanish)
  • Short biography and genealogical page (in Spanish)
  • The Woman and the Law at IMDb  

blanca, errázuriz, blanca, elena, errázuriz, vergara, april, 1894, march, 1940, also, known, bianca, saulles, chilean, socialite, former, wife, football, player, businessman, john, saulles, august, 1917, errázuriz, fatally, shot, saulles, multiple, times, duri. Blanca Elena Errazuriz Vergara 9 April 1894 20 March 1940 also known as Bianca de Saulles was a Chilean socialite and the former wife of football player and businessman John de Saulles In August 1917 Errazuriz fatally shot de Saulles multiple times during a disagreement over the custody of their son After a highly publicized and sensational trial Errazuriz was acquitted of her ex husband s murder Blanca Errazurizc 1910 1915BornBlanca Elena Errazuriz Vergara 1894 04 09 9 April 1894Vina del Mar ChileDied20 March 1940 1940 03 20 aged 45 Vina del Mar ChileEducationSacred Heart ConventSpousesJohn de Saulles m 1911 div 1916 wbr Fernando Santa Cruz Wilson m 1921 divorced wbr Children1 Contents 1 Early life and marriage 2 The divorce 3 The murder and trial 4 Later years and death 5 Legacy 6 References 7 External linksEarly life and marriage editErrazuriz was born in Vina del Mar Chile the eldest daughter of Guillermo Errazuriz Urmeneta and of Blanca Vergara Alvarez a beauty known as the Star of Santiago and thus a member of the politically influential Errazuriz family of Basque descent Her father a mining magnate died when she was two and she was educated at Sacred Heart Convent in London England In 1911 when she was 16 years old she met John de Saulles an American businessman and society figure 15 years her senior he had travelled to Chile as representative of the South American Concessions Syndicate to negotiate a new railway line After some initial difficulties with her family mostly due to the difference in age and religion as Errazuriz was Roman Catholic they were soon engaged 1 On 14 December 1911 they were married at an English Catholic chapel in Paris France 2 The civil ceremony had taken place the previous day 3 De Saulles had previously been engaged to the heiresses Mary Elsie Moore later Princess Torlonia and Eleanor Granville Brown He was later briefly appointed as U S Minister to Uruguay in 1914 a post he resigned shortly after accepting and without ever leaving the U S The newly married couple settled in New York City They had one child John Longer Jack de Saulles born on 25 December 1912 and for whom the steel magnate Charles H Schwab stood as godfather Shortly after John Jr s birth the couple s marriage began to falter mainly due to de Saulles well known infidelities Errazuri filed for divorce in the summer of 1916 1 The divorce editShortly before filing for divorce Errazuri befriended future actor Rudolph Valentino in New York City Valentino was then working as an exhibition dancer taxi dancer and had gained attention for his rendition of the Argentine tango which was the craze at the time Whether the two actually had a romantic relationship is unknown but Valentino did agree to provide proof in court during the de Saulles divorce case that Joan Sawyer his dancing partner was having an adulterous relationship with John de Saulles he himself took the stand to support Errazuriz s claim of de Saulle s infidelities De Saulles was also accused of various financial improprieties involving his misuse of his wife s fortune claims that received greater validity when it became clear upon his death that de Saulles was deeply in debt 4 5 nbsp Blanca Errazuriz and John de Saulles 1912 John de Saulles was not pleased with this and once the divorce was granted in December 1916 6 he used his political connections to have Valentino arrested along with a madam named Mrs Thyme the exact charges are unknown The evidence was flimsy at best Valentino having been near the wrong place at the wrong time and after a few days in jail Valentino s bail was lowered from 10 000 to 1 500 7 The scandal and subsequent trial were highly publicized and Valentino felt degraded and misused No one would hire him his old friends would no longer talk to him Errazuriz did not thank him for his testimony and cut off all contact with him 8 The murder and trial edit nbsp Blanca Errazuriz and son 1917 Shortly after the divorce was final on 3 August 1917 Errazuriz drove from her home in Roslyn New York to the home of her ex husband The Box in Meadowbrook Colony near Westbury She had legal claims over the custody of their son since she and her husband had been given shared custody over him but de Saulles refused to acknowledge the court s decision She arrived at The Box shortly after 8pm and found her former husband sitting on the porch of the house They argued and she pointed a gun at his head demanding him to immediately hand over the child to her When he tried to disarm her she shot him five times 9 He was rushed to the Nassau County Hospital but died there at 10 20pm from his injuries 10 In the meantime she awaited at the house for the arrival of the police to whom she surrendered She was charged with murder in the first degree and imprisoned in the Nassau County Jail at Mineola New York leading to a sensational trial 11 12 The widely reported case went on for months Errazuriz was defended by Henry Uterhart a noted criminalist of the time and the principal witness for the defense was Suzanne Monteau Errazuriz s French maid who had accompanied her that night and completely supported her version of the events 13 Blanca Errazuriz became the darling of the press and the champion of the suffragettes who portrayed her as the victim of the chauvinism prevalent in the society of the time 14 15 Blanca Errazuriz was unanimously acquitted of the murder charges on 1 December 1917 in what was called a popular verdict 16 Later years and death editFollowing the trial Errazuriz moved to San Francisco where she sought and obtained full custody of her son She and her son went later to Japan 17 Eventually she and her son returned to Chile and settled there On 22 December 1921 she remarried this time to engineer Fernando Santa Cruz Wilson in Santiago 18 the couple later divorced By the late 1930s Errazuriz was suffering from poor health and had become estranged from her son Jack Jr He severed contact with his mother and moved back to the United States 19 On 20 March 1940 she committed suicide by taking an overdose of barbiturates at her home in Vina del Mar 20 19 Legacy editThe case was the basis for the 1918 silent film The Woman and the Law directed by Raoul Walsh It featured Jack Connors Miriam Cooper and Peggy Hopkins Joyce 21 Guillermo Errazuriz Blanca s diplomat brother killed himself in Paris hotel in May 1922 after being spurned by Joyce 22 The name de Saulles was changed to La Salle but the film s opening credits admit to being based on the story 23 References edit a b Wortis Leider Emily 2004 Dark Lover The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino Macmillan p 70 ISBN 0 571 21114 3 JOHN G DE SAULLES TO WED IN PARIS New Yorker s Marriage to Senorita Blanca Errazuriz to Take Place To day or To morrow The New York Times 14 December 1911 Retrieved 10 August 2008 Jack de Saulles capture of Chili s richest beauty Cass City Chronicle Cass City Michigan July 5 1912 Archived 16 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine DESAULLES FRIENDS DIVORCE ACCUSERS Dancing Partner of Joan Sawyer and Manservant of Slain Man Gave Testimony COOK ALSO A WITNESS District Attorney Says Evidence of Maid Will Be Strong Part of Murder Prosecution The New York Times 12 August 1917 retrieved 10 August 2008 DE SAULLES IS SUED BY HIS CHILEAN WIFE Former Yale Football Star and Friend of President Wilson Wed in 1911 TWO WOMEN ARE NAMED Fifth Avenue Real Estate Man Was Promoter in Chile When He Met the Heiress The New York Times 28 July 1916 Retrieved 10 August 2008 LUTHERAN BOOK IS RUSHED Published In Seven Days to Answer Charges Against Reformer The New York Times 20 December 1916 Retrieved 10 August 2008 Wortis Leider 2004 pp 68 76 Evans Colin 2014 The Valentino Affair The Jazz Age Murder Scandal That Shocked New York Society and Gripped the World Globe Pequot pp 252 54 257 ISBN 978 1 493 01167 4 LITTLE SON SEES MRS DE SAULLES Mother s Depression Dispelled by Boy s Visit to Her in Jail DE SAULLES WILL UNSIGNED Testament Outlines Plans for Little Jack s Future Inquest Into Killing Begun Waits With Arms Outstretched Better Than Medicine LITTLE SON SEES MRS DE SAULLES Will Provided for Boy The New York Times 10 August 1917 Retrieved 10 August 2008 JOHN L DE SAULLES SLAIN IN HIS HOME BY FORMER WIFE Neighbors Find Yale s Old Football Captain Dying from Five Bullet Wounds CHILEAN HEIRESS ARRESTED Quarrel Over Custody of Son Followed Her Divorce from Real Estate Man WANTED TO GET HER SON I Am Glad I Did It She Said Because Father Had Kept Boy from Her JOHN L DE SAULLES SLAIN IN HIS HOME The New York Times 4 August 1917 Retrieved 10 August 2008 News Snapshots of the Week PDF Cass City Chronicle Cass City Michigan 24 August 1917 p 7 Archived from the original PDF on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 23 January 2016 INDICTS MRS DE SAULLES Grand Jury Accuses Her of Murder In the First Degree The New York Times 16 October 1917 Retrieved 10 August 2008 DE SAULLES KILLING RE ENACTED BY MAID Suzanne Monteau Supports Theory That Mistress Acted on Sudden Impulse TELLS OF PROVOCATION Says De Saulles s Looks Were Terrifying and He Declared Mother Should Never Have Boy The New York Times 11 August 1917 Retrieved 10 August 2008 BROTHER DEFENDS DESAULLES HONOR Denounces Attack on Slain Man s Memory as Grossly and Incredibly False WIFE S MONEY NOT MISUSED Prisoner He Says Agreed to the Division of Their Boy s Custody MAY LET HER SEE HER LAD Uncle Promises to Do What He Thinks Father Would Have Done Great Crowds at Funeral Asks for Her Boys Police Keep Crowd in Order The New York Times 9 August 1917 Retrieved 10 August 2008 I DANCED BUT NOT IN MY HEART SAYS MRS DE SAULLES Wrote Gay Letters and Flattered Her Husband to Keep Him She Testifies STROVE TO HIDE DISTRESS State Reads Letters to Prove She Was Not Low Spirited When De Saulles Was Away CROSS EXAMINATION ENDS Story of 20 000 Ring for Mme Errazuriz Brought Out Nurses Take the Stand Made Use of Woman s Wiles Turns to British Slang Finds Excuse for Juror DANCE NOT IN HEART MRS DESAULLES SAYS Always Taking the Blame The Joy of Living Believed in Flattery First Letter of the New Year Thought Letter Rude But She Liked the Clothes The Actress s Picture The New York Times 28 November 1917 Retrieved 10 August 2008 A POPULAR VERDICT The New York Times 3 December 1917 Retrieved 10 August 2008 MRS DE SAULLES IN JAPAN Accompanied by Her Son She Has Taken a Villa Near Tokio The New York Times 14 March 1918 Retrieved 10 August 2008 MRS J L DE SAULLES WEDS AGAIN IN CHILE Acquitted Slayer of Former Football Star Marries Fernando Santa Cruz Wilson The New York Times 23 December 1921 Retrieved 10 August 2008 a b Evans 2014 p 259 HEIRESS ONCE WIFE OF J L DE SAULLES Freed After Slaying Him She Was Wed to F de Santacruz The New York Times 22 March 1940 Retrieved 10 August 2008 Gevinson Alan 1997 Gevinson Alan ed Within Our Gates Ethnicity in American Feature Films 1911 1960 University of California Press p 1152 ISBN 0 520 20964 8 Evans 2014 p 252 Rosenblum Constance 2000 Gold Digger The Outrageous Life and Times of Peggy Hopkins Joyce Macmillan p 66 ISBN 0 805 05089 2 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blanca Errazuriz Blanca Errazuriz at Flickr Commons Hansboro News newspaper for 7 December 1917 Short biographical antecedents of Blanca Errazuriz in Spanish Memories of the events in Spanish Short biography and genealogical page in Spanish The Woman and the Law at IMDb nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Blanca Errazuriz amp oldid 1186624716, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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