St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-02-04
REMARKABLE LETTER.
Pathetic Appeal Of Father Who Loves
His Daughter.
MORE FOOD FOR GossIPs.
Another Chapter in a European Scandal
Involving Minneapolis Young
Lady.

1
| Lady.
| Carlos Wilcox who has been so deeply
| distressed by the newspaper accounts
of the unhappy scandal involving the
name of Miss Ida Wilcox, who is pre-
sumed to be his daughter, that have
been waited over the seas from Nice,
| has contributed statement, or rather
| letter column or so in length for pub
| lication which will have the effect of
| keeping the unfortunate affair fresh in
| the public mind at a time when it threat
.ened to drop out of sight. until at least
! something of an authentic nature is
learned. Mr.. WllcoX's contribution is a
remarkable one, in which he appears to
argue to convince himself that the re-
ported elOpement-is simply caprice Of
a headstrong, passionate girl who had
| a tiff with her mother whom she had
decided to leave and return to her father.
After describing infinitely his reception
| of the news, and his feelings, he goes
into psychological examination OF his
daughters characteristics.
'My daughter, Ida, he says, is proud,
high-spirited, independent, self-reliant.
She is not to blame for this. 1t belongs
to her nature. 1t is in her blood, and
comes to her by right Of inheritance
from an ancestry of the past. 1t may
not he bad trait of character, even in
woman, if controlled and governed.
With this. l will also say. that she has
a warm and loving heart, affectionate
and confiding. | have always found
her truthful. loyal and obedient, as
children usually are. have never
known her to speak falsehood, utter
an impure thought, or do mean thing
in all her life. Under this combination
of traits, is it surprising that some
times under too great stress of restraint
or opposition, her proud spirit will
swell into some show of Indignation.
and her sense of humiliation and of
wounded pride may then manifest it
self in an exhibition of resentment and
rebellion?"
AS if offering evidence in support Of
his theory he narrateS an incident when
the young lady was but two years old,
when he chaStised her for some foolish
offense. This, he found, enraged her
more, he could neither conquer nor sub
duesher proud spirit.
Der mother, Mrs. Wilcox, he speaks
of as being herself woman OF pride
and spirit, and not always as holding it
under restraint and control, and per-
haps assuming to herself larger share
of authority, has not always been so
fortunate as have been. She has more
often given her daughter this mental
Offense, resulting from having her heart
and spirit wounded. II am satisfied"
he says, that this is the secret and
only true solution of this unhappy af-
fair. The girl was wounded and mortl-
fed when the mother met that doctor in
ha ba1 ond tho oohlourom ctatQc
it, there was Immediately great row.
AS hen will fight for her little brood.
so will true mother fight for her child
when she thinks it is in danger"
4. He is satifed, from the facts so far
obtained, and from his knowledge of
their dispositions and their proud and
high-spirited feelings when immoder-
ately aroused, that Miss Ida was greatly
wounded and offended in some way
with her mother on this occasion. And
still young and child-like in heart,
though determined and selT-reliant, she
declared in her passion that she would
leave, and would go home to her father.
as she has often before done by fleeing
to the arms of her father for protection,
when she felt in her wounded heart
that she was being ill-treated by her
mother.
AS for the English doctor with whom
Miss Ida is reported to have elOped, he
draws on his Imagination, and pictures
him as a man who thought he was act
aug the part of a gallant in aiding the
young lady to leave her mother. beng
under the impression that she was
harshly treated. And when ida re-
solved, secretly, perhaps, to arise and
go to her father, this gallant young En-
glishman most likely volunteered to see
her safely through Paris, and through
Havre, to and on board the French
steamer, which was to sail the next day
for New York. She was no doubt de-
termined to 60, and not to return,as she
said. But she was going home to her
father know, and feel in my heart that
this was truly and surely her purpose
and determination. But the mother had
different views of the case, and being
equally determined to prevent her go
ing, succeeded in throwing out the
strong arm of the law, with lightning
speed, across the continent, and with
her legal hand arrested them, both i'll
time, and perhaps just in time, to save
the girl, if, indeed, he was the dark
villain he was suspected of being, and
such as the cablegrams would seem
to paint him. But as for my daughter
having the least thought of any crimi-
nal act whatever, beyond that Of leaving
her mother. cannot, do not, and Will
not believe. until she confeSses and ac-
knowledges it with her own lips. This.
ofcourse. was cruel thing for her to
do, but the very nature she inherited
from this same mother impelled her to
do it in the moments of her uncontrolled
and ungoverned passion. | have no
doubt that before this Is seen by other
eyes than my own, she will have gone
back to the arms of her mother, who.
though proud and spirited herself,
nevertheless has one of the kindest
and best Of hearts. And the moment
she does this l know she will be for
given. 1t is not necessary that my for
givness should be asked, for my fathers
heart has already granted it. And al
though friends may chide or upbraid,
and critics may gossip,and all the world
besides may leave and desert her, yet l
never can, will, or shall. Whenever she
comes my arms will be open to receive
her.
The letter carries with itan eloquence
that is almost pathetic, and it is to be
desired that Mr.. Wilcox is correct in his
theory and is not hoping against hope.
Mr.. WilcoX's venture into the realm
of conjecture furnishes fresh material
FOR THE GOSSIP MUNGERS
to dissect. Numerous tales concerning
the young lady have been circulated,
all of which appear to have
foundation based upon some exploit
which might be attributed to girlish
indiscretion or a superabundance of
gyivacity. None of them were worthy
of mention save one, perhaps. and that
only in the way of contradiction. This
is story to the effect that the English
doctor with whom her name has been
! associated in connection with the Nice