Mrs. Martin Is Ill by Worry of Beach Troubles

Owing to the prolonged nervous strain and partially as the result of jealous criticism, Mrs. George L. Martin, president of the Wilmette Beach Improvement Association and a social leader in local affairs, is confined to her home, 1046 Elmwood avenue, in a precarious state of nervous prostration. Physicians are exerting every effort to avert a recurrence of an attack of paralysis which the patient suffered two months ago. Mrs. Martin, since early in the spring, has been strenuously engaged in guiding the affairs of the Beach Improvement Association safely through a maze of legal difficulties which threatened to wreck that public recreation plan on the lake front. Until Mrs. Martin assumed active control of the movement little or no assistance, her fellow officers say, was offered the enterprise either by the village or park board officials. The nervous strain which the president of the association labored under was only increased by the fact that certain interests, ranged along the lake front, were eagerly spying on every move and seeking an opportunity to apply legal action to bar the association from its proposed location on the beach. "Mrs. Martin, however, showed such shrewd executive ability," said a fellow official yesterday, "that it was finally agreed that the village should give the association a permit to locate its buildings at the foot of Lake avenue, which is village property, and against which lawyers avise that it is impossible to fix legitimate ouster proceedings." Mrs Martin also went to the state authorities and received their assurance of support in the legality of the association's position."These incidents are only a few of the many vexing problems which Mrs. Martin has been compelled to solve since she took charge of the executive manag3ment of the association's affairs last spring. She has devoted her time unstintingly to the conduct of the beach and has been present every day and most evenings on the beach directing her many subordinates in the trying duties which they have, as she has, assumed gratuitously. But the petty bickerings of those persons, who, perhaps jealous of the special privileges they enjoyed on the beach prior to the development of the improvement plan, naturally worried our president. And when she was lampooned in the public press as a "mayoress" and a "czarina" these things doubtless hastened the nervous breakdown last week." In the previous attack of illness two months ago, Mrs. Martin was partially paralyzed on her right side for a time, but skillful medical attention promptly relieved the condition and consequently Mrs. Martin was one of the most active participants in the beach pleasures during the summer.