The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-04-20
ENGLISH BLACEMAIL
The Remarkable Case Against
William Horny Hurlbert.
A SUIT FOR BREACH OF pRoMTsE

In Which tho Noted Journalist,
Though a Married Man. Is Asked
70 Pay Damagcs-Mrs. Hurlbcrt's
Evidence Against the Biackmaiicrs
Unavoidabiy Kept Out of the Case.
LONDON, April 20.-The event that
has proved of most interest in the social
and political world of London recently
has been the suit of the woman who
calls herself Gladys Evelyn, or Gertrude
Ellis, as best suits her convenience.
against William Henry Hurlbert, well
known in Europe and America as lit
erary man and journalist, for breach
of promise of marriage. This suit is the
result of one of the most extraordinary
and dangerous conspiracies that has ever
come within the cognizance Of an En-
glish court. No one who knows Mr..
Hurlbert, and is acquainted with his
pleasant domestic relations with o
charming and cultured wife, would con-
cider the charge Of this outcast woman
and her paranour in any other light
than that Of the ridiculous if the desper-
ations of the conspirators had not driven
them to bring III, matter into court.
The Woman's Charges.
The woman Ellis charges that she met
Mr.. Hurlbert in an omnibus in the fall
of 1887, and that he followed her home
and made her acquaintance. telling her
that his name was WilfIid Murray. She
and that on May of the following year
he proposed marriage to her. Her para
mour, jackson, one of the lowest of vul-
gar Adventures, supports her assertion
That Hubert often called on her at her
= home in Kensington, and that improper
relations existed between them. This
came jackson has been forced to admit
that at the same time he and the woman
were living together as husband and
wife.
Mr.. Hurlbert's explanation is that his
one time secretary, Wilfrid Murray, is
the person who had the intrigue, and
that tho letters to Miss Ellis, which
were said to be in the masters hand
writing, were really from the pen of
the man. This might be proved easily
enough If Murry We're Mt hand, but he
disappeared from Mr.. Hulberts sight a
year and half ago, and although search
has been made for him he is not to be
found There is wonderful similarity
between the handwriting of Murray and
Mr.. Hurlbert.
Gladys Eveiyn's journal.
OF course there is any amount of evil
dence brought forward to prove the
woman's charge, including a journal
covering the period of the intrigue she
alleges There is nothing in the journal,
however, that might not have been
trumped up, nor is there aught else in
the testimony offered that is definitely
cotroborated. On the contrary, the let
ters offered in evidence are not only of
30 vile nature that not one of Mr.
Hurlbert's friends can possibly believe
that he wrote them, but "Wilfrid Muir
rays use Of the English language is of
such nature that it would be out of
the question for a man of Mr.. Hurlbert's 5
culture even to initiate it.
The trial opened unexpectedly to the
defendant, else his wife would have
been his principal witness. She has just
returned from Rome, arriving too late
10 testify. In conversation with a re-
porter Mrs. Hurlbert said
Mrs. Hurlbcrt's Indignation.
at is monstrous that the English laws
are such that an infamous woman like
this plaintiff is able to bring into court
such charge against man like my
husband Ii could only have reached
London in time | could have proved
alibis on several of the most conspicuous
charges. We first learned of this con
spiracy in September, 1889. On the 5th
OF that month we paid visit to Lord
North in Oxfordshire, aud remained
there until the 10th. On the day of oui
return received a letter addressed to
me in strange handwriting. This let.
ter contained two Enclosures One was
letter purporting to be written by Mr.
Hurlbert to this woman, and the othei
was letter addressed to Mr.. Hurlbert
] carried this to him in his dressing
room, and moment afterward he
brought it to me in my room. 1t was
written from Bordeaux, and the writel
said that unless Mr.. Hurlbert was pre-
pared to send e200 at once by draft more
letters of the same sort as tho one pur
porting to have been written by MIR
Hurlbert would be sent TO me.
Proofs of Biackma
'aThis communication proves thii
blaekmailer guilty of two lies. In the
first place the letter alleged to have beer
written by Mr.. Hurlbert in London was
dated Sept. o, and on that day we wert
both at Lord North's place in Oxford
shire, Then she testified in court tina
she did not know Mr.. Hurlbert was a
married man until 1890; and yet thi
very letter, written in 1889, was directed
to Mrs. W. Fl. Hurlbert at our home il
Southwel Gardens. This woman alst
testified that Mr.. Hurlbert proposed
marriage to her on May o, 1887. Or
that very day Mr.. Hurlbert joined me il
Paris, and we went on together to Flor
ence, SO that it is impossible that he wa,
IN London at that time, Iam able Il
prove her testimony false in q score o.
similar instances"
Justice Cave will conclude his sum
ming up in the case today, and there il
very little doubt what the verdict of tn,
jury will be. Mr.. Hurlbert says tina
after the verdict is given he will sift th'