The Press: Mrs. Murphy's Chatter

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Through the prattle of the gossip columnists, those past masters (and mistresses) of opacity, ran a mysterious thread:

> Hearst Columnist Dorothy Kilgallen, Dec. 13: "The most discussed lady wherever socialites gather is a Mrs. Murphy."

> Lady Jeanne Campbell in the London Evening Standard, Dec. 20: "Whenever two people are gathered together in New York today, they fall to talking about the Kennedys or the Murphys. Now, the Kennedys are spoken of in loud voices while the Murphys are but whispered of —to date. The prettiest Murphy of them all is said to be called 'Happy' Murphy. She is young, in her early 30s, and a country-loving girl. Already people are comparing her to the Duchess of Windsor when she was plain Mrs. Simpson. However, this seems a strange comparison, for the two women have nothing much in common—except perhaps energy. Mrs. Murphy has worked tirelessly for the Rockefeller Foundation."

> Hearst Columnist Cholly Knickerbocker, Dec. 27: "It was ostensibly Mrs. O'Leary's cow that caused the Chicago fire, but New York socialites are all saying that it is a certain Mrs. Murphy who has thrown the overalls in the chowder here. She is currently reported to be in Paris for her divorce."

For once, it seemed, the gossip columnists knew a good bit more than they dared to tell.