Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-05-01
MRS. FRANK LESLIE.
A WOMAN'S ENERGY, PLUCK AND
RARE EXECUTIVE ABILITY.


Triumph Over a Long Succession Of Diff
ficultie. and ObstacIes-A Woman Of
Refined Taste and Femininity.
sGo to my office, sit in my place, and do
nv work until my debts are paid" were Mr..
Leslies last words to his wife after hearing
that he could no longer live.
It was in the winter of 1880 that Mrs. Les
lie lost her husband. The great publishing
house of Frank Leslie was at that time in
volved in a tangie of debt, and the business
already in the hands of IN assignee. Almosa
the dying words of the publisher were a no
bic testimonial to the good wife, the intelh-
gent. ready help-mate as he honored her
with a sacred trust. He told her TO take hii
place at the desk, to finish the work he had
left undone, to lift the reproach Of debt from
his name, and when that was done she was TO
continue the business of the publishing house
herself.
She was young and very beautiful
woman, that sad-hearted widow, who turned
from a grave to face difficulties the most per-
picking, TO begin a contest that many wise
ones prophesied would end badly for her. But
those sage, incredulous, head-shaking fnan-
ciers did not know what a woman can do
who has energy and pluck united with rars
intelligence and mind formed for executive
work By legal process and in response &c
her husbands wish, Mrs. Leslie abandoned
her Christian names Of Miriam Florence and
became in the law and to the world Frank
Leslie To the business world she becams
even more than Frank Leslie; when the
slender, sweetfaced, gentle-voiced woman
walked into her husbands Office, and putting
back the sad announcing folds OF her creps
veil, announced she had come to stay, her
gentle, gracious femininity won the sympathy
of those about her. But when she came The
next day as early as the earliest clerks, and
the next day and the next, something mors
than respect and sympathy for the brave lit
tie woman came into their regard for her.
DEVELOPED A REMARKABLE FACULTY.
She sat at her desk like Napoleon over hi.
war maps. She developed a remarkable fac
ulty for knowing news for Selling upon thu
very things that caught and charmed thu
public mind A thousand and one things il
the history Of illustrated newspapers origin
ated in her BRAIN and were executed for hei
papers. All day long she bent to her desk
and was her own wise counselor. The hes
of it all WIS that Frank Leslie was NOD
afraid. Big contracts did not frighten her
notes to pay did not cause her to get nerv
Gus, reading interminable pages of proof die
not fret her. thinking out new features fol
her paper did not perple1 her. Away,
CHEEKY in her speech, and with consideratl
words and hopeful for her employees, it is nc
wonder that both men and women fell in
love with the New Frank Leslie and gave he:
the best work of which they were capable
he Xvi, e hay lss,ar
carried out, but only after his widow has en-
countered and triumphed over one long sue
cession of difficulties and obstacles.
Opening out Of the main editorial room or
the Park place front is the private Office OF
Mrs. Leslie, the presiding genius of the entire
establishment. A peep within its walls will
discover rare and attractive combination o!
the surroundings of a woman of refined and
cultured taste and of active business habits
Sitting in her bijou sanctIm in the mid
summer glory of triumph, Mrs. Leslie
presents thoughtful and unusually earnes,
face Her wondrously expressive gray eye
seem to pierce to the inner humanity of sense
and motive; a mouth extremely mobile in it.
play .s added to the whole contour of regular
features TINT at once arrest admiration an6
respect. One can not help taking in also 9
finely shaped head, that is abundantly stocked
with brains.
She is a thorough woman Of business
Every morning she is found in her Office by
9o'clock, and there she remains until 5 OF
half T.ast ; in the afternoon. She signs al
checks and money orders, makes all contract.
for supplies of every sort, looks over proof
of all articles before they are published, ant
approves the makeup Of every periodical DO
fore IL is sent to press.
Mrs Leslie is that most gracious anc
attractive of all human beings, a wonani
woman. She has never been too busy to tall
to a woman. She has ever been quick te
detect their talents and to give them tn,
friendly hand Of help She has proved her
self one OF :he greatest, most enterprising
and shrewd of the publishers of this age, tn,
equal in enterprise, ability, discretion, of AM
man in tine world; and alas. she is not only 8
pretty woman, but she is fond Of dress, ha.
pretty feminine airs, and is, at the proper
times, devoted to socicty.-Lexington Whit
in Literary Life.