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RMS Titanic - letter, Mabel Francatelli, passenger
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RMS Titanic - letter, Mabel Francatelli, passenger
RMS Titanic - First Class passenger Mabel Francatelli. A fascinating letter from Mattison, Davey & Rader of New York to Miss Francatelli dated 17 April 1956. Miss Francatelli, private secretary to Lady Duff-Gordon, considered that after many years of having to tolerate false allegations, slurs, untruths and many inaccuracies made by the press and media, mainly aimed towards her former employers, Lady Duff-Gordon and Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, she contemplates taking legal action against the publishers of A Night to Remember and the author Walter Lord for libel and defamation. This was as a result of extracts taken from the book and subsequently published in The Readers Digest of January 1956. Francatelli underlined and squared off parts of the volume that she considered to be inaccurate and untruthful. On page 160 she is first mentioned, together with her employers Lady Duff-Gordon and Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, where Sir Cosmo apparently asked Officer Murdoch if they could get into Lifeboat 1. On page 166 she underlined and squared off the paragraph which reads As the sea closed over the Titanic, Lady Duff-Gordon remarked to secretary, there is your beautiful night dress gone'. On page 169 she squared off text which reads Lady Duff-Gordon's efforts to console her secretary on the loss of her nightgown, and that Fireman Pusey to have said Never mind, you can get more, but we have lost our kit and the company won't replace it, what's more, our pay stops from tonight. To end the discussion Sir Cosmo spoke out Very well, I will give each seaman here a fiver to start a new kit. He did too but lived to regret it. The Duff-Gordons near monopoly of Boat 1, and its failure to row back, gave the gift the look of a payoff that Sir Cosmo had a hard time living down. Date: 1956
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Media ID 32252858
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1956 Action Aimed Apparently Asked Beautiful Closed Considered Console Contemplates Controversy Copy Cosmo Dated Davey Discussion Efforts Employers Extracts Failure False Fascinating Gave Gift Give Hard Included Legal Letter Libel Lifeboat Lived Living Loss Lost Mabel Media Mentioned Mind Monopoly Murdoch Nightgown Paragraph Parts Press Private Publishers Pusey Readers Reads Regret Remember Replace Result Seaman Secretary Spoke Squared Start Stops Subsequently Taking Titanic Tonight Walter Years Allegations Defamation Digest Fireman Fiver Inaccurate January Liner Made Miss Remarked Underlined Volume
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EDITORS COMMENTS
In this evocative photograph, a letter penned by Mattison, Davey & Rader of New York to Mabel Francatelli unfolds a captivating tale of defiance and determination. Dated 17 April 1956, the letter reveals Francatelli's contemplation of taking legal action against the publishers of "A Night to Remember" and its author, Walter Lord, for libel and defamation. Francatelli, a private secretary to Lady Duff-Gordon, had long endured years of false allegations, slurs, and untruths from the press and media, primarily targeting her former employers. The catalyst for this decisive action was the publication of extracts from "A Night to Remember" in The Readers Digest of January 1956. As she meticulously read through the book, Francatelli underlined and squared off sections that she considered inaccurate and untruthful. On page 160, she found herself mentioned alongside Lady Duff-Gordon and Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, with an account of Sir Cosmo supposedly asking Officer Murdoch if they could board Lifeboat 1. On page 166, she underlined the paragraph where Lady Duff-Gordon is quoted as remarking, "there is your beautiful nightgown gone," following the sinking of the Titanic. On page 169, Francatelli squared off text describing Lady Duff-Gordon's attempts to console her secretary on the loss of her nightgown, as well as Fireman Pusey's comment, "Never mind, you can get more, but we have lost our kit and the company won't replace it, what's more, our pay stops from tonight." Sir Cosmo's subsequent gesture of giving each seaman a fiver to start a new kit, as well as the Duff-Gordons' occupation of Boat 1 and its failure to row back, fueled speculation of a payoff and tarnished Sir Cosmo's reputation. This letter from Mattison, Davey & Rader to Mabel Francatelli serves as a poignant reminder of the far-reaching consequences of inaccurate reporting and the lengths one woman was willing to go to defend her reputation and that of her employers.
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