Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-12-03
THE STRANGE MoEN CASE.

In all the range of romance, and the
widest vagaries of dramatic fancy, there
has been nothing to surpass in strangeness
and seeming improbability the Moen-Wil-
son sensation. Such story on the stage
would be pronounced to be improb-
able, and not command the re-
spect Of even a crossroads critic. In
brief, the tale runs that very wealthy
citizen of Rhode Island has suffered for
years, and to the extent of some 100000,
under the blackmail levies of one "Doc "
Wilson. The strange secret of his
power over Moen was not known. The lat
ter, of high standing in church and soci-
ETY., persistently denied that Wilson knew
of anything to his discredit and excused
his submission to the levies on the ground
of unwillingness to engage in the open con-
Hlct and notoriety necessary to fight the
blackmailer. Finally the latter sued upon
a note Of the former, and so the case found
Its way to publicity. Wilson, after re-
markable experience in the Courts and the
press, reveals his secret. In short, it is
that he is the son of Moen, born after mar
riage. His mother died years ago, and
Moen married second wife, by whom he
has sons and daughters to inherit his vast
wealth. The child of the first wife was
given in infancy by the father to one Jo-
mas Wilson, who received payment for
rearing it and keeping the secret. On his
death-bed Jonas revealed to the youth the
truth concerning his parentage. There
upon young Wilson went to his father, re-
cited the story of his toll and poverty, his
exile from home where he had the right
to dwell, his claim as an heir to the wealth
in which the father rolled, and he de-
manded acknowledgment and reparation.
After hot contention and many repulses
and threats by the younger man to force
the elder to confess him his son, Moen
yielded so far as to buy his silence and so
for years Wilson bled him freely The
family of his reputed parent, the Wilson's,
knowing the secret of the young mans
birth, and learning of his success with the
millionaire, proceeded to levy blackmail
upon the blackmailer, and the latter now
asserts that as fast as he relieved his father
Of money the Wilson's, by extortionate
demands, fleeced him of it. In support of
his claim that he is the son of Deacon
Moen, Wilson shows letters of the Deacon
in which he is addressed as SON." Moen,
on being confronted with the confession,
fairly slammed the door of his palatial
residence in the face of the reporters, pro-
nounced the whole story "a downright
lie" and refused to say more than that the
fellow Wilson was nearing the end of his
rope, and had become desperate.
1t is all strange story, indeed. Assum-
ing it to be true, one can easily imagine
the hell in the bosom of Moen all these
years, from lack of courage to face the
truth, acknowledge his son and do him
justice. 1t is sad as well as a marvellous
story. Many are the cases of tardy justice
done to wronged woman by deceitful man
recorded in society's history, and to the
credit of civilization be it said that society
has uniformly applauded the manliness
that has, at the marriage altar, rescued the
injured, and repaired as far as can be done
the wrong that is more cruel than all
Others. Mems attempt to cover his wrong
doing-if the story be true-has resulted
in bringing upon his head punishment he
might have avoided had he remained the
courageous man his marriage to Wilson's
mother indicated that he was. The sin of
the man has found him out, and the atone
ment he might have made in the hour of
the right time is not now possible.
But, if the strange story of Wilson is
not true-eircumstantial as it is, and fort
fled by the fact that Moen has for years
yielded to the enormous levies made upon
his purse-the mystery only deepens. The
dispatches this morning come to the sup
port of Moen's emphatic and bold denial.
The dramatically traditional old family
nurse comes to the 'front.' material being,
but the counterpart of the nurse of romantic
fiction and stage creation. She counts the
years of her knowledge of the advent OF
the present generation of Moens, and finds
Doc Wilson to have calculated himself
out Of existence as Moen. If the nurse
is right, Wilson an imposter and the
reputation of the first Mrs. Moen-who
was known as woman of noble character
cleared of all shadows, what shall be
said of the strange act of Deacon Moen in
paying such vast sums to the blacEmaiIer
all these many years, without explicable
reason? Yet, many an innocent man has
submitted to the extortion of blaekmailing
conspiracy. All in all, for profound mys-
tary, the Moen-lyilson case has scarcely
had its parallel in private life, and never
It's superior in fanciful romance
LoNsDALE's JUDGMENT.
Lord Lonsda'e brought Violet Cameron
~ tb;c country aud at.ennte5 tn create a