Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-07-01
WILLIE WILDE IMDlGNANT
A Few Hair Curling Observations
i. on His Lost Love.
Nis S~ensibiIities Shocked, His Good Taste
Offended and the Whole Blooming
Business Is q Bcrs..He 10 Liv.
ing With Mother.

Wilde, Familiarity Known as Willie,
when shown an article embody.
Ing various major and minor charges
made against him by Mrs. Leslie,
treated the matter with becoming Dig
nifty and was at first disinclined to say
anything whatever on the subject Of
his matrimonial differences. Eventu-
lilly, however, he consented TO speak,
though he first confined himself to
what he termed the strictly legal
aspect of the case.
III do not share Mrs. Leslie's desire
for publishing vulgar i~ndelicacies,
which are as untrue as they are in bad
taste. but the fact that this article has
appeared compels me to speak out.
When the divorce action was first set on
loot ! was perfectly willing to let it go
by default, and it was not through
the hat names have been dragged in
TO such rcgretable prominence In viola
ton of all the laws of good taste. When
The complaint was first served upon me,
IN October last, the only cause alleged
was that ! had been guilty of infidelity
with a woman whom ] had never seen
In my life, and whose name was stated
to be Carmen, and who l am TO under
stand is "A notorious person of Hire
pute. Later received a letter from
Foss & Ledsan, English agents Of Mrs.
Leslie's attorneys, informing me that "A
special commission had been appointed
20 take evidence at the American con-
mlate and | was Mt liberty to attend
and c~ross-examine the witnesses.
| did attend and cross-examined
10 good purpose a number Of
private detectives who were employed
by an inquiry agent %humorously named
Jolly Death. This Is no joke, but his
real name. The detectives swore that
since May, 1892. they had logged my
every movement, and informed me OF
much concerning myself of which | had
previously been absolutely ignorant.
The other witnesses consisted of two
keepers OF a house OF bad repute In
London who swore that on September
III and frequently afterwards l visited
heir house with the mysterious Car
men. IL is interesting TO note that one
Of these detesta bic creatures absolutely.
Jailed To remember me when I spoke to
her and cross-examined her. Natur-
ally / wanted to cross-examine the
mysterious Carmen, but she was not
produced. neither could / after re-
peated efforts prevail upon the oppo-.
site side to bring her forward, though
Mrs. Leslie wrote hat by her express
insistance | was to be present at this
creature IS e. examination. Judge ofmy sur
prise when after waiting several weeks
for the production Of this vitality i'm
portant witness ! received a letter from
Foss & Ledsan informing me that they
had received ~peremptory Instructions
from New York under no circumstan-
res to give me any information about
the case or communicate further with
me These letters arc in my possess
ion. Thus cut off from all touch in the
matter. | took no further steps, and
anew nothing about what happened
until news of the divorce was cabled
from America. Mrs. Leslie also cabled
ny mother.
81 have done my best to avoid pub.
sicity.'
81 assure you this is a fact and no
pleasantly. Mrs. Leslie and l parted
IN Brussels on perfectly good terms
las; August. she going to America and
I returning to mothers house. We had
been ON "A tour through Italy. and re-
.ui ming, spent two weeks in Belgium.
! have Lady Wilde's direct authority
10 state that Mrs. Leslie never returned
10 London and had n long, earnest con-
versation with Wilde in presence of his
mother. She sailed direct from
Havre, therefore no interview OF
any sort 10 place. / never wrote
her that had burned my ships behind
me- l never induced her to buy me
S~tanhope; never coaxed her to be taken
back in her affections; never caused
bills to the amount OF $50, 600 to be
sem her. All other statements are
equally untrue. In justice 10 such
friends as | have in America, France
and England, l thought it right TO talk
thus freely TO you, and am exceedingly
obliged for the opportunity to say once
Tor all what my own in~clinations
would have prompted me 10 keep TO
myself. l can now only trust that
the whole unpleasant subject may
disappear from the sphere OF public
criticism, but must finally express az
amazement that in the long article in a
New York paper, TO which she oblig.-
ingly furnished her own portrait and,
nine, she should have made no mention
whatsoever OF the real ground upon
which she brought against me the third
divorce suit In her career, and il may
interest her to add that when YOU saw
Wilde he was on his way to fulhll his
duties as theatrical critic of a London
weekly paper" =