Wife of Jack Arthur Johnson.
Inscripion:
ETTA
BELOVED WIFE OF
JACK A. JOHNSON
1881-1912
Wife of heavyweight champion Jack Johnson. Johnson married Etta Terry Duryea in late 1910 or early 1911. A Brooklyn socialite and former wife of Clarence Duryea, she met Johnson at a car race in 1909, and their romantic involvement was turbulent. Beaten several times by Johnson and suffering from depression, she committed suicide in September 1912, shooting herself with a revolver.
[§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§]
From the Pittsburgh Courier
September 13, 1912
JOHNSON'S WIFE
COMMITS SUICIDE
AT HER NEW HOME
Mrs. Etta Duryea Johnson Ends
Life By Sending Bullet
Into Her Brain.
Chicago, Ill.
-A little more than two years ago, Etta Duryea, divorced wife of Clarence Duryea, a millionaire of New York horseman, married a biack man, the champion pugilist of modern times.
Despite the pleading of her family and friends, she became Mrs. Jack Johnson:
Today she lies dead by her own hand.
Dismissing her maids Wednesday night with the injunction that they "pray for her." Mrs. Johnson went to her rooms above her husband's new cafe--the Cafe De Champion.
At 3:30 Thursday morning late revelers were alarmed by the sound of a shot.
Rushing upstairs they discovered the pugilist's wife was unconscious on the floor, a bullet in her brain. She was rushed to the hospital and died without regaining consciousness.
Etta Duryea was for six years the wife of Clarence Duryea, a wealthy clubman of New York city and Long Island
In the spring of 1910 she got a divorce.
The first bitter fruits of the interracial marriage came when her friends in the east socially ostracized her.
Then came another shock with full realization of the forebodings. of her friends and family.
After this *conquest of the white race, " Johnson built a palatial home on Wabash avenue and instalied his wife and family there.
The Negroes of Johnson's menage regarded his wife as an outcast from the white race. They thought she was after his money.
Mrs. Johnson was to have left last night for Las Vegas, for her health.
Shortly before time to start she developed an attack of nervousness and the trip was postponed.
After dismissing her maids, Mrs.Johnson went to her rooms above the cafe. The shooting followed a few minutes later. Jack Johnson was not in the cafe when, the shooting occurred. He had gone into the city to tell Mrg. Johnson's traveling companion that his wife would be unable to accompany her.
Etta H. Duryea became the bride of John Arthur Johnson of Pittsburgh, January the 8th, although the fact did not leak out until a year after that date.
The ceremony was performed by Aldertnan John A. Fugassi, in the parlor of Frank Sutton's hotel, 518 Wylie avenue, the proprietor being a close friend of the champion pugilist.
Johnson was filling an engagement during that week, beginning January 16 at the old Academy of Music in Liberty avenue, destroyed by fire some months ago.
The marriage license was taken out in the local marriage office opposite the courthouse, the names being John A. Johnson, aged 32, and Etta H. Duryea, aged 29.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
In October 1909, while attending the Vanderbilt Cup car race on Long Island, Johnson had a chance meeting with a 28-year-old Brooklyn society woman named Etta Duryea. She was glamorous and well-educated, and played the piano and sang, but was prone to depression. According to the New York World Duryea was "elegantly dressed and slender, with dark hair, large dark eyes, and a lovely sad smile." She'd quickly become a favorite among white "sporting men" in New York since separating from her husband two years earlier. Before long, she was Jack Johnson's favorite. But Belle Schreiber and Hattie McClay resented her, fearful that they would soon be displaced. For her part, Duryea expected better treatment than the other women in Johnson's life and expected faithfulness. She could not handle Johnson's continued infidelity, his abusive behavior and the hostile reaction of the public, and her bouts of depression gradually deepened.
In December of 1910, Johnson began to suspect Duryea of having an affair with his chauffeur, a Frenchman named Gaston Le Fort, and hired a private investigator to have her followed. On Christmas day, Johnson confronted her and beat her so badly that she was hospitalized. Somehow the couple reconciled, and they blamed her injuries on a fall from a streetcar. They were quietly married in Pittsburgh less than a month later. Things seemed stable for a while. Johnson had helped Belle Schreiber go into business for herself, and he'd paid off Hattie McClay to keep her quiet and out of his life. But in January 1912, Duryea's father died, and shortly afterwards news of her marriage to Johnson made it back to Brooklyn. Her isolation and depression deepened even further over the following months, and she attempted suicide twice. On September 11, Johnson tried to send her on a vacation to Las Vegas with a friend. At the last minute, she said that she wasn't feeling well enough to go. Johnson ran to the train station to change the tickets and returned to his Chicago nightclub, the Café de Champion, to find Duryea dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in their upstairs apartment.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
Inscripion:
ETTA
BELOVED WIFE OF
JACK A. JOHNSON
1881-1912
Wife of heavyweight champion Jack Johnson. Johnson married Etta Terry Duryea in late 1910 or early 1911. A Brooklyn socialite and former wife of Clarence Duryea, she met Johnson at a car race in 1909, and their romantic involvement was turbulent. Beaten several times by Johnson and suffering from depression, she committed suicide in September 1912, shooting herself with a revolver.
[§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§]
From the Pittsburgh Courier
September 13, 1912
JOHNSON'S WIFE
COMMITS SUICIDE
AT HER NEW HOME
Mrs. Etta Duryea Johnson Ends
Life By Sending Bullet
Into Her Brain.
Chicago, Ill.
-A little more than two years ago, Etta Duryea, divorced wife of Clarence Duryea, a millionaire of New York horseman, married a biack man, the champion pugilist of modern times.
Despite the pleading of her family and friends, she became Mrs. Jack Johnson:
Today she lies dead by her own hand.
Dismissing her maids Wednesday night with the injunction that they "pray for her." Mrs. Johnson went to her rooms above her husband's new cafe--the Cafe De Champion.
At 3:30 Thursday morning late revelers were alarmed by the sound of a shot.
Rushing upstairs they discovered the pugilist's wife was unconscious on the floor, a bullet in her brain. She was rushed to the hospital and died without regaining consciousness.
Etta Duryea was for six years the wife of Clarence Duryea, a wealthy clubman of New York city and Long Island
In the spring of 1910 she got a divorce.
The first bitter fruits of the interracial marriage came when her friends in the east socially ostracized her.
Then came another shock with full realization of the forebodings. of her friends and family.
After this *conquest of the white race, " Johnson built a palatial home on Wabash avenue and instalied his wife and family there.
The Negroes of Johnson's menage regarded his wife as an outcast from the white race. They thought she was after his money.
Mrs. Johnson was to have left last night for Las Vegas, for her health.
Shortly before time to start she developed an attack of nervousness and the trip was postponed.
After dismissing her maids, Mrs.Johnson went to her rooms above the cafe. The shooting followed a few minutes later. Jack Johnson was not in the cafe when, the shooting occurred. He had gone into the city to tell Mrg. Johnson's traveling companion that his wife would be unable to accompany her.
Etta H. Duryea became the bride of John Arthur Johnson of Pittsburgh, January the 8th, although the fact did not leak out until a year after that date.
The ceremony was performed by Aldertnan John A. Fugassi, in the parlor of Frank Sutton's hotel, 518 Wylie avenue, the proprietor being a close friend of the champion pugilist.
Johnson was filling an engagement during that week, beginning January 16 at the old Academy of Music in Liberty avenue, destroyed by fire some months ago.
The marriage license was taken out in the local marriage office opposite the courthouse, the names being John A. Johnson, aged 32, and Etta H. Duryea, aged 29.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
In October 1909, while attending the Vanderbilt Cup car race on Long Island, Johnson had a chance meeting with a 28-year-old Brooklyn society woman named Etta Duryea. She was glamorous and well-educated, and played the piano and sang, but was prone to depression. According to the New York World Duryea was "elegantly dressed and slender, with dark hair, large dark eyes, and a lovely sad smile." She'd quickly become a favorite among white "sporting men" in New York since separating from her husband two years earlier. Before long, she was Jack Johnson's favorite. But Belle Schreiber and Hattie McClay resented her, fearful that they would soon be displaced. For her part, Duryea expected better treatment than the other women in Johnson's life and expected faithfulness. She could not handle Johnson's continued infidelity, his abusive behavior and the hostile reaction of the public, and her bouts of depression gradually deepened.
In December of 1910, Johnson began to suspect Duryea of having an affair with his chauffeur, a Frenchman named Gaston Le Fort, and hired a private investigator to have her followed. On Christmas day, Johnson confronted her and beat her so badly that she was hospitalized. Somehow the couple reconciled, and they blamed her injuries on a fall from a streetcar. They were quietly married in Pittsburgh less than a month later. Things seemed stable for a while. Johnson had helped Belle Schreiber go into business for herself, and he'd paid off Hattie McClay to keep her quiet and out of his life. But in January 1912, Duryea's father died, and shortly afterwards news of her marriage to Johnson made it back to Brooklyn. Her isolation and depression deepened even further over the following months, and she attempted suicide twice. On September 11, Johnson tried to send her on a vacation to Las Vegas with a friend. At the last minute, she said that she wasn't feeling well enough to go. Johnson ran to the train station to change the tickets and returned to his Chicago nightclub, the Café de Champion, to find Duryea dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in their upstairs apartment.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
Wife of Jack Arthur Johnson.
Inscripion:
ETTA
BELOVED WIFE OF
JACK A. JOHNSON
1881-1912
Wife of heavyweight champion Jack Johnson. Johnson married Etta Terry Duryea in late 1910 or early 1911. A Brooklyn socialite and former wife of Clarence Duryea, she met Johnson at a car race in 1909, and their romantic involvement was turbulent. Beaten several times by Johnson and suffering from depression, she committed suicide in September 1912, shooting herself with a revolver.
[§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§]
From the Pittsburgh Courier
September 13, 1912
JOHNSON'S WIFE
COMMITS SUICIDE
AT HER NEW HOME
Mrs. Etta Duryea Johnson Ends
Life By Sending Bullet
Into Her Brain.
Chicago, Ill.
-A little more than two years ago, Etta Duryea, divorced wife of Clarence Duryea, a millionaire of New York horseman, married a biack man, the champion pugilist of modern times.
Despite the pleading of her family and friends, she became Mrs. Jack Johnson:
Today she lies dead by her own hand.
Dismissing her maids Wednesday night with the injunction that they "pray for her." Mrs. Johnson went to her rooms above her husband's new cafe--the Cafe De Champion.
At 3:30 Thursday morning late revelers were alarmed by the sound of a shot.
Rushing upstairs they discovered the pugilist's wife was unconscious on the floor, a bullet in her brain. She was rushed to the hospital and died without regaining consciousness.
Etta Duryea was for six years the wife of Clarence Duryea, a wealthy clubman of New York city and Long Island
In the spring of 1910 she got a divorce.
The first bitter fruits of the interracial marriage came when her friends in the east socially ostracized her.
Then came another shock with full realization of the forebodings. of her friends and family.
After this *conquest of the white race, " Johnson built a palatial home on Wabash avenue and instalied his wife and family there.
The Negroes of Johnson's menage regarded his wife as an outcast from the white race. They thought she was after his money.
Mrs. Johnson was to have left last night for Las Vegas, for her health.
Shortly before time to start she developed an attack of nervousness and the trip was postponed.
After dismissing her maids, Mrs.Johnson went to her rooms above the cafe. The shooting followed a few minutes later. Jack Johnson was not in the cafe when, the shooting occurred. He had gone into the city to tell Mrg. Johnson's traveling companion that his wife would be unable to accompany her.
Etta H. Duryea became the bride of John Arthur Johnson of Pittsburgh, January the 8th, although the fact did not leak out until a year after that date.
The ceremony was performed by Aldertnan John A. Fugassi, in the parlor of Frank Sutton's hotel, 518 Wylie avenue, the proprietor being a close friend of the champion pugilist.
Johnson was filling an engagement during that week, beginning January 16 at the old Academy of Music in Liberty avenue, destroyed by fire some months ago.
The marriage license was taken out in the local marriage office opposite the courthouse, the names being John A. Johnson, aged 32, and Etta H. Duryea, aged 29.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
In October 1909, while attending the Vanderbilt Cup car race on Long Island, Johnson had a chance meeting with a 28-year-old Brooklyn society woman named Etta Duryea. She was glamorous and well-educated, and played the piano and sang, but was prone to depression. According to the New York World Duryea was "elegantly dressed and slender, with dark hair, large dark eyes, and a lovely sad smile." She'd quickly become a favorite among white "sporting men" in New York since separating from her husband two years earlier. Before long, she was Jack Johnson's favorite. But Belle Schreiber and Hattie McClay resented her, fearful that they would soon be displaced. For her part, Duryea expected better treatment than the other women in Johnson's life and expected faithfulness. She could not handle Johnson's continued infidelity, his abusive behavior and the hostile reaction of the public, and her bouts of depression gradually deepened.
In December of 1910, Johnson began to suspect Duryea of having an affair with his chauffeur, a Frenchman named Gaston Le Fort, and hired a private investigator to have her followed. On Christmas day, Johnson confronted her and beat her so badly that she was hospitalized. Somehow the couple reconciled, and they blamed her injuries on a fall from a streetcar. They were quietly married in Pittsburgh less than a month later. Things seemed stable for a while. Johnson had helped Belle Schreiber go into business for herself, and he'd paid off Hattie McClay to keep her quiet and out of his life. But in January 1912, Duryea's father died, and shortly afterwards news of her marriage to Johnson made it back to Brooklyn. Her isolation and depression deepened even further over the following months, and she attempted suicide twice. On September 11, Johnson tried to send her on a vacation to Las Vegas with a friend. At the last minute, she said that she wasn't feeling well enough to go. Johnson ran to the train station to change the tickets and returned to his Chicago nightclub, the Café de Champion, to find Duryea dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in their upstairs apartment.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
Inscripion:
ETTA
BELOVED WIFE OF
JACK A. JOHNSON
1881-1912
Wife of heavyweight champion Jack Johnson. Johnson married Etta Terry Duryea in late 1910 or early 1911. A Brooklyn socialite and former wife of Clarence Duryea, she met Johnson at a car race in 1909, and their romantic involvement was turbulent. Beaten several times by Johnson and suffering from depression, she committed suicide in September 1912, shooting herself with a revolver.
[§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§][§]
From the Pittsburgh Courier
September 13, 1912
JOHNSON'S WIFE
COMMITS SUICIDE
AT HER NEW HOME
Mrs. Etta Duryea Johnson Ends
Life By Sending Bullet
Into Her Brain.
Chicago, Ill.
-A little more than two years ago, Etta Duryea, divorced wife of Clarence Duryea, a millionaire of New York horseman, married a biack man, the champion pugilist of modern times.
Despite the pleading of her family and friends, she became Mrs. Jack Johnson:
Today she lies dead by her own hand.
Dismissing her maids Wednesday night with the injunction that they "pray for her." Mrs. Johnson went to her rooms above her husband's new cafe--the Cafe De Champion.
At 3:30 Thursday morning late revelers were alarmed by the sound of a shot.
Rushing upstairs they discovered the pugilist's wife was unconscious on the floor, a bullet in her brain. She was rushed to the hospital and died without regaining consciousness.
Etta Duryea was for six years the wife of Clarence Duryea, a wealthy clubman of New York city and Long Island
In the spring of 1910 she got a divorce.
The first bitter fruits of the interracial marriage came when her friends in the east socially ostracized her.
Then came another shock with full realization of the forebodings. of her friends and family.
After this *conquest of the white race, " Johnson built a palatial home on Wabash avenue and instalied his wife and family there.
The Negroes of Johnson's menage regarded his wife as an outcast from the white race. They thought she was after his money.
Mrs. Johnson was to have left last night for Las Vegas, for her health.
Shortly before time to start she developed an attack of nervousness and the trip was postponed.
After dismissing her maids, Mrs.Johnson went to her rooms above the cafe. The shooting followed a few minutes later. Jack Johnson was not in the cafe when, the shooting occurred. He had gone into the city to tell Mrg. Johnson's traveling companion that his wife would be unable to accompany her.
Etta H. Duryea became the bride of John Arthur Johnson of Pittsburgh, January the 8th, although the fact did not leak out until a year after that date.
The ceremony was performed by Aldertnan John A. Fugassi, in the parlor of Frank Sutton's hotel, 518 Wylie avenue, the proprietor being a close friend of the champion pugilist.
Johnson was filling an engagement during that week, beginning January 16 at the old Academy of Music in Liberty avenue, destroyed by fire some months ago.
The marriage license was taken out in the local marriage office opposite the courthouse, the names being John A. Johnson, aged 32, and Etta H. Duryea, aged 29.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
In October 1909, while attending the Vanderbilt Cup car race on Long Island, Johnson had a chance meeting with a 28-year-old Brooklyn society woman named Etta Duryea. She was glamorous and well-educated, and played the piano and sang, but was prone to depression. According to the New York World Duryea was "elegantly dressed and slender, with dark hair, large dark eyes, and a lovely sad smile." She'd quickly become a favorite among white "sporting men" in New York since separating from her husband two years earlier. Before long, she was Jack Johnson's favorite. But Belle Schreiber and Hattie McClay resented her, fearful that they would soon be displaced. For her part, Duryea expected better treatment than the other women in Johnson's life and expected faithfulness. She could not handle Johnson's continued infidelity, his abusive behavior and the hostile reaction of the public, and her bouts of depression gradually deepened.
In December of 1910, Johnson began to suspect Duryea of having an affair with his chauffeur, a Frenchman named Gaston Le Fort, and hired a private investigator to have her followed. On Christmas day, Johnson confronted her and beat her so badly that she was hospitalized. Somehow the couple reconciled, and they blamed her injuries on a fall from a streetcar. They were quietly married in Pittsburgh less than a month later. Things seemed stable for a while. Johnson had helped Belle Schreiber go into business for herself, and he'd paid off Hattie McClay to keep her quiet and out of his life. But in January 1912, Duryea's father died, and shortly afterwards news of her marriage to Johnson made it back to Brooklyn. Her isolation and depression deepened even further over the following months, and she attempted suicide twice. On September 11, Johnson tried to send her on a vacation to Las Vegas with a friend. At the last minute, she said that she wasn't feeling well enough to go. Johnson ran to the train station to change the tickets and returned to his Chicago nightclub, the Café de Champion, to find Duryea dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in their upstairs apartment.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
