One of the many issues raised in Peaches & Daddy is that of adoption practices in the early twentieth century. Peaches was not Daddy Browning’s first wife. Browning’s first marriage would end badly when his wife, Nellie Adel, ran off with the family dentist (True)! During the marriage, the Brownings adopted two children whom they would rename Marjory and Dorothy “Sunshine.” (Daddy Browning loved nicknames). One of the tragic items that was agreed to in the Browning divorce was that the children would be separated - one to each of the parents. Marjory stayed with Nellie Adel and she never again saw Edward Browning. Dorothy Sunshine remained with her father, but it wasn’t long before Browning recognized that she was lonely and in need of companionship beyond what he was able to provide. This recognition was to lead to one of the most bizarre chapters in Edward Browning’s life and would propel him into the headlines for good.
In the summer of 1925 Edward Browning placed the following advertisement in several New York newspapers:
ADOPTION - PRETTY, REFINED GIRL, about 14 years old, wanted by aristocratic family of large wealth and highest standing: will be brought up as own child among beautiful surroundings, with every desirable luxury, opportunity, education, travel, kindness, care, love. Address with full particulars and photograph.
In doing the research for Peaches & Daddy, I was amazed to learn that adoption ads such as these were fairly common-place in the early twentieth century. Many parents simply couldn’t afford to care for their children and a market for these children soon developed. This particular advertisement, however, captured the attention of New Yorkers like non-other.
Instantly, Browning’s offices were swamped with applications for the job of being the sister to Dorothy Sunshine - and, more importantly, the heiress to the Browning fortune. Estimates as high as 12,000 letters poured in response to the ad. Browning’s office was turned into a bastion of activity with long lines of woman and children stretching out the door and into the streets below. The newspapers rushed to the story and Browning was utterly delighted by the press coverage that he received. Across America, people were reading about this strange man whom they now called the “Cinderella Man.” Before long they were simply calling him “Daddy.”
Among the Browning applicants was a young girl from Astoria, Queens named Mary Louise Spas. She had read Browning’s advertisement and without telling her parents she took the train into the city, walked over the Queensborough Bridge, and made her way to Browning’s office. Browning caught sight of the girl and was immediately taken by her. Though she admitted to being 16 - somewhat older than the age limit stated in the advertisement - Mary Spas insisted that she would be a wonderful and fitting big sister to Dorothy Sunshine. Browning was smitten and he made his choice on the spot. Within a few days he used his influence and his wallet to persuade Mary’s parents that he would be the perfect father for Mary and soon after he legally adopted the girl. What could possibly go wrong…
Well, as it turns out Mary, far from being the innocent child that she had portrayed herself to be, was in fact a worldly 21 year old who had, shall we say, been out with the boys. At first, Browning denied the claims and publicly denounced any suggestion that Mary wasn’t 16, but soon the Department of Public Welfare and the City District Attorney’s Office got involved and a very public crusade to annul the adoption was underway. Browning insisted that he had been duped by Mary Spas and he actively sought to portray himself as the victim of a vicious plot to defraud him. As for Mary Spas, she sold her story to the local tabloids and relentlessly ripped Daddy Browning as a self-serving publicity hound with lecherous intentions. Later she sued Browning claiming that he assaulted her during her stay with him.
One further footnote: Years later, Mary married a dentist and moved to Europe.
