Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-02-12
AN INDIGNANT TOWN.
100 Kdilor OF n. Rsptste-:

To tAs bdiior of the Rs0tsts-:
MoBGANTowN, February 10. - A
shameful and devilish libel was sent 10
the Wheeling papers from this town
and has travelled as far as Cincinnati,
which is reflection upon the town ana
indirectly, upon every young lady IN IL:
The substance of this dtsgracetul
efnsion IS contained in the following
paragraph which quote:
"A kodaclz'. belonging 70 MorSantown
young gentleman has been the means OF
placing several very prominent and pretty
young ladies in an unlooked-for but wlthal
attractive position. The young gentleman
has sister who is quite an expert amateur
photographer, and some time ago several OF
her lively friends, who have seen many
pictures of stage beauties as sent out Dy
cigarette firms. from wondering hoV they
( would themselves look on card board de-
termined to get the young lady TO take
"peep" at them ''iust for the fun OF the
thing" never of course, expecting the
portraits 10 fall into masculine hands or DC
contaminated by masculine. eyes, but 10 be
treasured and admired in secret among
themselves. With this end in view they
all met at the young amateurs room, and
the young lady's brother who next day ran
across the negative, with several OF Lis
friends 10 whom he showed them, one and
all are now willing to be qualified that the
meeting of the "frisSy' young ladies was
highly successful, ana that all the cigarette
stage beauties fade into insignihcance be-
side the six Maids Of Athens"
The whole thing is disingennous and
Incredible on it's face because il pro-
ceeds to represent the brother OF one OF
tpe young ladies as coming into posses
sion OF the kodak" aud giving eager
publicity and circulation to his sisters
shame.
But for the brother, indeed, whose
fond delight in his sisters disgrace
brought it 10 light there would, accord
ing TO this bungIing fabrication, have
been no exposure!!
Nevertheless, even so awkward and
clumsy a canard furnishes sufficient
basis for the hungry gossips Of COM
munity to take IL up end keep IL alive;
TO roll it as I sweet morsel under their
tattling tongues;and to give them. under
the guise OF moral censorship, the
right to turn IL over and over, speculate
about its truth, aud discuss the proba
BILE actors in the supposed scene, until
every young lady OF the town has been
made the defeDseess target of base
and baseless public criticism.
Is IL any wonder, therefore, that
wave of public indignation has spread
over this town through the disclosure
that large number, il not majority,
OF the young ladies have been brought
under suspicion and their fair names
secretly besmirched by the gossip which
this silly libel has prompted?
will not dignity the base effusion by
any effort TO show It's utter falsity. It's
every line and syllable bear on their
face the evidence that it is only the
emanation OF the morbid Imagination of
an unconsioDaole scoundrel who does
not respect even the virtue OF his own
sister, and who would stab a lady in the
dark aud besmirch her fair name simply
to crafty his penchant for lying and
the meanest kind of SANDER.
Nevertheless, 1t seemed necessary to
notice il, il not for the purpose of refu-
tation, at least to appease the sensitive
feelings OF a society OF young ladies
whose high sense OF virtue and care
for their good name Indignantly brooks
even the most unfounded suspicion.
Nor is there any community 10 any
state or any land where the good name
OF It's daughters is more sacredly
guarded or more worthy Of the highest
honor than in Morgantown.
therefore ask, Mr. Editor, that you
will allow this comment upon the mat
ter in question TO go 10 the public
through the REGISTER, which, If it
serves no other purpose, will give no.
tice to the Bohemian blackguard who
perpetrated the scandal land who is
known that il be ever shows his head
in this town again, will guarantee that
it will be as bald as an onion all the
balance OF his life. Respectfully,