The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-05-11


the party, and the conHagratons and sacrisious
acts of the other, present terrible Lesson to all.
The lamen able results of the impotency and want OF
energy exhibited by the authorities, admonsh the
guardians of the public peace and of the laws in
other cities to be ready to act with decision and
efficiency IN aly emergency whistle whole sad
tragedy rnpresses on all sensible and patriotic
minds the urgent necessity of at once and for
suppressing the slightest effort, in any quarter, T. in
corp ,rate, with political agitation, or discussions
these ever prolific elements OF disorder and blood
shed-reIigious prejudice and sectarian bigotry.
THE WIxoPF Commemorative CLOSING
BArcn.-We give in our paper to-day about tour
teen or fifteen letters-perhaps more-in the hand
writing of Chevalier Wik'fi, describing the closing
scenes of the progress OF Fanny Elssler in this coun
try, together with some of his letters written to u
from London, about year ago, which detail his
love quarrel with Fanny-hs meanness to that beau
t,ful damsese in attempting attack her in the
nmns of the Herald, which, however, was prevent
ed-and the final separation which took place in
Europe about twelve months since.
These letters, including also the letter written by
Fanny Elsser herself, which is now in our possess
sion, complete the chain OF evidence, showing our
perfect dsinterestedness towards Fanny ssler and
Wikof during the whole period of their career III
tie United States, and after they went TO Europe
and establishing beyond the possibility OF gal o.,
a moral doubt, the fasehood and baseness of Wi
koi ;. unprinciped attempt to injure reputation.
20 far from this wrelch's bellous statements beius
confirmed They have been most completely disprov-
I'd by hi- own evidence far from the slightest
evid. appearing that We had attempted to extor
- black mail'' he calls II, II is proved beyond
Doubt that If we ened at all, it was in doing
much 10 advance the interest al mere ddn@use-
in making Il greater Effort than was justified by hei
standing or position in the world These letter
show ia the most conclusive that there never
has been the slightest ntimaton fact respecting
the giving OF so.rernis presents, even the pay
ment cf advertise in the usual way. MOI
was the postage OF these letters paid tor-anc
We have sixty or seventy Of them in our possession
And yet in the face Of ali this, in The face of his
letters, in the face Of his own repeated assev
eraons, this miserable wretch, for some pary pur
pose, comes forward and endeavors to traduce our
character, and publishes these bels in the other pa
pers Of the city and pays for their publication
What the simple facts of the case, as proved by
this creature himself? Why that Fanny Elssler al
ter having made fortune of $3.50, 600 or $4,000 as
Wikoff himself acknowledged sent us aNPresent on
the birth of our son, and TWO or three addiuonal
"souvenirs'' between that time and her departure
for Europe. And these were given and accepted
purely as expressions of friendly regard and es-
TEEN. No one then dreamed any wretch would, four
years afterwards, come forward and manufacture
out of these simple incidents of friendship, vile
tissue of calumny and falsehood! But never has
retributive justice more speedily and effecually
| crushed the calumniator, and covered him with the
burning infamy of falsehood.
Itmay be supposed, and not without some show OF
good reason too, tina, we have given quite too much
space, and too much Importance, to this miserable
controversy with Wikofi, and we observe that one
Of our contsmpoiaries-the Hartford 7imes-has
the following remarks:-
The editor Of the New York Herald has lately published
certain correspondence on the part OF Mr. Wkof thu
gentleman who somewhat intimate with Fam,
account of accusations made by wiko that MIR Bennett
had levied black mail upon Fanny. Mr. Wikof has
sued Mr. Bennett for libel claiming that he has muated
and nterlined some OF the letters making it appear tina
Wiko guilty Of falsehood, The whole affair az
pears to be a sort Of childs play
1t is indeed Z" a sort of chlds play" We admi,
the imputation, and had it been confined merely to
Wikof, and the miserable paper which he seeks tc
establish we should never have paid any attention
| to it. But when We find all the other newspaper
IN the city and many others of equal standing in th
| country, greedily snatching at this poor ,
| fdlsehoods, and retailing them, we deemed pro-
per to give dignity to the subject by publishing the
| evidence OF our perfect innocence of all his base
Observation-Disclosures which we fortunately had
| in our possession, and which we complete to-day
| If the publication of those letters has hello
| their author up to the contempt and ridicule
| of the public-lf they have presented him to al
men he is ridiculous, silly, conceited, fiat
contemplate and unprincipled individual, he ha
brought the misfortune upon himself. II he b,
laughed at both in the old and new world, he hal
| excited the laughter himself; nd certainly no one
,tter perusing these letters, can doubt for a mo
nent that he merits not only the ridicue, but tht
obloquy, of every man of honor or responsibility
Il we TO go further into this business, and il
Court of Justice show up sill more in detail tn,
character of this creature, by the evidence of edi
'ors aod others in this city who have had inter
| course with hiu, we could establish the points o
his controversy in still stronger light. But it il
, unnecessary We are satisfied with the triun
phant defence already presented of our disneresl
sduesS, and IF this wretch's baseness and false
| mood.
Now that we have placed the whole of this evi
dence before thr public, II remains to be seel
whether th- newspapers in this city and elsewhere
VINO 10 greedily snatched at the chevaLer's story
and published 1t for pay gratis, will present tn
proof oi its f,lsty We call upon the press Of tn
city Of New York to do US the Justice 10 look owe
hose letters, including that one trom Fanny Elss
er herself. for the evidences of the propriety an
disiBterestedness OF our conduct and the purity {
our motives In the whole 81 that business. w
nave no wish TO bring prosecutions against any c
hose editors who repibllshed his charges. provide
hey do us justice men ought to do. But W
| naue riynn Them whining fhaf Is fhia he MOI dOut