Omaha daily bee., 1893-06-24
SHE HAS THE LAST WORDS
Mrs. Frank Leslie Gets the Best of Mr.. Wilde
to the Extent of Several Sentences.
SAYS THE INTERVIEW WAS A FAKE
Denies Ever Having Seen the Now York
Reporter and Is quite willing No
More Shall BE Said of the Divorce
Suit and Its Causes.
tcopmthtcd fs9, by Jane, Gordon Bennett,

tCopDri htcd 1898 by Jdncs Gordon Benn.,tI
LONDON, June 24.-[New York Herald
Cable-Special to THE BEE. IL saw Mrs.
Leslie this afternoon at her hotel within an
hour of her arrival at Southampton on the
Augusta Victoria She was not a little sur
prised to see me for, as she was careful to
explain, she had taken every precaution in
her power to keep her movements secret.
However, when l showed her a copy of the
European edition of tho Herald containing
w. G. kingsbury Wilde's interview, she read
the whole document very carefully, not once,
but twice, breaking off her pursuit
at intervals to indulge in running
commentary upon her late husbands attack
Finally she composed herself an answer at
length to the statements therein contained
''ln the first place." she said, 81 wish to
insist as strongly as / can upon the fact that
the alleged interview with me which ap-
pcared in the Recorder was an absolutely
fictitious one. / think the Recorder was
the only New York paper whose repre-
sentative l did not see at the time
of my divorce suit. Mr. Wilde
forsooth, accuses me of having taken
pains to draw puolic attention to most re-
grettable affair, in which l was an unwilling
participant My only answer to that is the
conclusive one that l incurred at the ex-
pense of many thousand dollars an order to
have the trial take place at Newburg instead
of New York, my only reason being that
desired to avoid publicity
"Nlr. Wilde wisely confines his reioinder
to not very explicit denial of the charge
of intldeity. AS matter of fact
l attached no very great Importance to this
charge, which was one forced upon me by
the legal exigencies of the case. AS to the
minor and trivial charges which the Re-
corder put into my mouth, l agree with MIR.
Wilde, thinking them unworthy of atten-
tion.
lie Preferred to Give Her up.
"Mr. Wilde is silent rs to the real and
major cause of the proceedings, which |
was forced to bring. 1 have no desire
to hurt his feelings or to in
fict pain upou the man whose
name once consented to bear
I have for his talents and intellectual
powers even now q sincere admiration, but
am quite sure he will be adopting the
wisest course in his power if he cultivates
such gifts as silence may possess. If he
| drives me too far 1 shall not hesitate to
make use of the weapon of attack which he
has placed in my hands. At present | can
only say gave Mr.. Wilde the choice of be-
coming temperate, 1 did not even
demand total abstinence or losing
his wife. He selected the latter
course. His choice was entirely
his own. If his desire for oblivion as re-
CARDS this wholly unpleasant matter is us
sincere as mine do not think much more
need be said, but let me warn him that
throughout my whole career / have never
hesitated to fight when attacked. AS re-
CARDS the public only hope 1t can be in
duced to believe that what agree with Mr..
Wilde in calling vulgar disclosures, put INTO
my mouth by an irresponsible writer, are
such as never could have been uttered by me
under any circumstances. l had almost
sooner be accused of murder than bad taste