From: Cincinnati Magazine COMMENT - Wow. Now we see how early bigamy, infidelity, profligacy and other nasty habits started in the Montagu family. Thank goodness Alex's sibs and kids are different.
You have heard the story: A Cincinnati heiress marries into a noble but cash-strapped British family.
Fans of the PBS Masterpiece Classic television series Downton Abbey
will recognize the marriage at the center of the saga. Cincinnati
heiress Cora Levinson (Elizabeth McGovern) married Robert Crawley, the
7th Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), to resolve his family's financial
problems.
But Downton Abbey fans may not know that a story identical
to this unfolded in Cincinnati in 1900. A British lord really did marry a
Cincinnati heiress to resolve his family's financial problems. From
there, however, reality intervened.
The Duke of Manchester and his Cincinnati heiress (note the money bag next to Cupid) as published by The Cincinnati Enquirer 10 August 1900.
From Cincinnati Enquirer 10 August 1900; image extracted from microfilm by Greg Hand
The heiress in question was Helena Zimmerman, born in 1878 to
Cincinnati railroad magnate Eugene Zimmerman and his wife, Marietta
Evans. Helena's father, Eugene Zimmerman, was born in Vicksburg,
Mississippi, where his father owned a factory. He was orphaned at 13,
and came to Ohio to attend Kenyon College. When the Civil War broke out,
the factory Eugene inherited from his father was burned down. Now
penniless, Eugene enlisted in the Union Navy. He served with
distinction, and was promoted often. He left the service as a
20-year-old lieutenant. By investing wisely, Eugene acquired extensive
holdings in oil, which he sold to John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil
Company, gaining a substantial block of stock and a seat on the
company's board. He then plowed his profits into a number of successful
railroads. At the time of his daughter's marriage, he was worth an
estimated $10 million. (With inflation, that would be about $280 million
today.) The Zimmerman mansion still sits at the southeast corner of
Auburn and McMillan.
Helena was Eugene and Marietta's only child. The couple married in
1876. Helena was born in 1878 and was only four years old when her
mother died of peritonitis in 1882. Helena was sent to France for her
education and lived there for many years, becoming proficient in fencing
and horsemanship. By 1900, she was described as "one of the most
beautiful young women" in the summer resort at Narragansett, Rhode
Island. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer [23 July 1900]: MORE
1. Steadfast adherence to a strict
moral or ethical code.
2. The state of being
unimpaired; soundness.
3. The quality or condition of
being whole or undivided; completeness.
If a man engages in a scheme to violate
the law, suborning the justice system to gain power and wealth, while
destroying the lives of an entire family and putting some of them at
risk of their lives, does he have any claim to 'integrity?'
And
what if the list of crimes the man enabled and covered for includes
placing uncounted women and girls at risk? Paying off victims, or
intimidating them into silence?
And if such a man hides behind the cloak of power to cover his crimes, what is he then?
Our
country, today, is waking up to question those who have been entrusted
with power. One of the first questions to be asked is what can be
proven of their integrity? Have
they honored their obligation to follow the law, used power in ways
which made all of us safer, more secure in our homes and lives?
What is, instead, profits are accruing from the very means used to enslave Americans, for instance drone technology?
But for those without INTEGRITY it is all about the money, greed, and an unbridled lust for power and control.
America needs individuals who use their discernment to question what they are asked to do and the integrity to say, 'no,' even when they stand to profit.
Our institutions, government, courts, commerce, should be always in the hands of those possessing only the highestintegrity.
If a man guilty of such offenses then uses the word, INTEGRITY, for his main
product, what does that say about him?
The use of the word could well be an
attempt to cover, even possibly, to himself, the full import of his actions.
Laura, presently styling herself as 'Duchess of Manchester," posts at the blog from which the comment at the bottom of this post was copied. She clearly authored the comment.
Read the previous Post on this site for the longer answer to the question she poses on 'why would the Duke of Manchester go through an expensive divorce...'.
Family Values' appears to have a very interesting meaning in the minds of the Duke and Duchess.
To answer the question below in short form, Alex filed for divorce and served papers on Wendy in December of 2006 so he could extort alimony and child support from Wendy. He had joined dating sites some months previously and quickly moved his present 'duchess' into the family home to assist him as he continued the brain washing process on the children.
Duke Alex claimed to be destitute.
In court he was found to have, in his possession, funds amounting to nearly a million dollars which he had attempted to hide. Don't for a moment think this was money earned. It appears to have come from the sale of the Manchester Jewels, another loss for the heritage of his formerly respected family.
Back in court, Alex sat on the stand continuing his claims to be destitute. However, at least one of his bank accounts was located and he was confronted there by Wendy's attorney with written documentation, obtained through subpoena of his bank, with his own account information.
What followed will soon be available here through the transcript. If you are a journalist, and are researching the Manchesters, contact us and we will provide the files immediately.
Alex's 'medical needs' were not caused by injuries but by his various expenditures for cosmetic surgery, including, according to Wendy, a colon reduction to help him reduce his growing weight.
This surgery took place at Tri-City Regional Medical Center. Alex had a bypass, which he told his wife, Wendy, was 'back surgery.' Since the family medical insurance was obtained through Wendy's employer the only source for this elective surgery would have been the funds from sale of the Manchester Jewels.
Alexander, Duke of Manchester, wanted to keep all the assets from a fraudulent marriage while forcing his victim to pay for the doubtful privilege of having been victimized. This is Family Values, Manchester Style.
Here is what Laura is REALLY saying, "Why did you have to point out what Alex did? It would have been so much more convenient for us is you would shut up."
Laura, that is not going to happen. Get used to the truth.
