Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-21
MRS. W. 0, PRYOR RETURNS
Ripple Of Public Interest Created by the
Announcement.
SITUATION r0E THE YOUNG WIFE
ENoncrntcd by Circumstances and
Forgiven by Her Husband,
who Lies Critically III ut
His Home.

The return OF Mrs. Pryor, the young wife
Of Captain w. o. Pryor OF the Dodge Light
Guards has created ripple of public inter-
est and tho fact that she was so i'll when
she reached Council Bluffs that she had to
be carried from the carriage to the door of
her fathcr-in-law's home created sympathy
for her. and this sympathy will be not at
all decreased by the additional fact that the
young husband is lying seriously i'll at the
same place.
When the young woman left Council Bluffs
after the sensational disclosures made pub
lie through the press 1t was with the avowcd
intention that she was not to return until
she had cleared UP the charges that had
been made against her. The following let
ter from H. Benton Olmstead. an attorney
of st. Paul, Mimi, who has taken deep
interest in the case explains why she re
turned. aud will increase the sympathy ere.
ated by her pitiabie condition when she
reached the home of her husbands father
Immediately after the receipt of the letter
Mr.. Pryor tolegraphcd his wife to return at
once. The letter was directed to Mr.. Pryor
at his Omaha address:
Dear Sir: 1 am in receipt of your cs-
teemcd favor of the 18th Inst and have
carefully read the same. Yes, am familiar
with all of the charges made against Helen
by this fellow, and believe them all 20 be
the wild maudlings of an insane man. You
can see by the way he wrote me his idea
was to keep me away from her holding him
self out as guardian You speak OF receN-
ing letter from him; have you not received
the sworn statement, or afidaNit? There
was one made in the presence of Mr.. Gard
ner and a Mr. Crane as notary public. and
was told that Mr.. Gardner would send the
same to you. | think now that l shall have
the matter placed before the grand jury of
Hennepin county, and | have no doubt but
Wheeler can be indicted for his offense. The
fellow hates me, |. e., fears me as a dog
does his master. 1 would not take his word,
but he knows If he makes false affidavit
he would be punished. If he is not prose-
cuted my opinion is that he will continle
to do all he can to make your home per
manent wreck, for he is desperately jealous.
think he would take life if he were not such
a coward. He has threatened to kill Helen
If she caused his arrest Mr.. Gardner, his
employer knows that he is guilty Of this
terrible deception. and gave him to under
stand that If he did not make the affidavit
he would discharge him, and told him he
ought to be in the penitentary. While
still have a firm faith in Helen, l am going
to, on your account, make a thorough in
vestigaton and research, which may, how
ever, take weeks and perhaps months, TO ac-
complish. | am in situation to be able to
40 so WIN advantage, as / am IHe SIate
manager OF the Probate and Es
tates association of New York,
which has representatives in every
state and principal city l have begun cor
respondence with the clerk of the surrogate
court in Syracuse who is an old school
friend of mine, and | expect to find out
great deal.
at is now past 4. and I am obliged to go
to Minneapolis on this very matter and can
not write more now; will write in few
4. 4 Ill .nynt f,,I
out what has become of the affidavit Helen
will accompany me. | expect her in the
office momentarly.
POINTERS FOR A HUSBAND.
"Now, you must indulge me while l make
some observations. l am a third party, and
in way disinterested. l can look at the
situation Just as the world would. You
loved Helen well enough to make her your
wife. If that love was true, you should not
believe her guilty until she was proven so.
You, who loved her, ought to deal with her
more gently than the world, which has no
interest. But, look at 1t for moment You
have been more severe than even the law.
The law believes a man innocent until he
is proven guilty, but you have believed
Helen guilty and asked her to prove her in
nocence. Is it fair? Could you not do as
much as the law and believe her innocent
until she was proven guilty by competent
evidence? l. who am but as a brother, be-
lieve her innocent and | shall continue to
do until she is proven otherwise. How
will you feel when she Is acquitted? VIII
you feel that you have done the right thing
to have turned your wife over to the world,
in which there is no dsinterested charity,
perhaps beset on every side by unprincipled
men who set no price upon virtue and
honor? A young wife without a relative
near heart aching almost to breaking, left
to battle 1t out alone? What the poor girl
would have done without me las she says
God only knows. She has found a ready
a.
ing faith that has lifted the darkness lit
tie. II you could have seen her tears in
this Office ii would have broken your heart.
You have written Helen how hard it was
for you to bear it, but have you thought, II
such things are hard for a strong man to
bear what must it be for a mere girl to
stand it all alone, to face the being who has
tried land with partial success) to break up
a happy home? If you believe me friend,
you must permit me to censure you for not
standing by Helen in this trouble. Suppose
the boot had been on the other leg, would
she have believed in you. or would she have
deserted you at the first advance of suspi-
cion? Oh, no. Womans love goes clear to
the threshold of prison doors, yea even to
the gallows, and this has been true ever
since Mary followed the blessed Christ to
the cross, and may 1t ever be so. Oh the
mother love, the wife love is sublime!
"Do you intend to keep Helen from you
until this can all be cleared up? Is II just
Is it fair? ! ask in all candor and II she
proves herself innocent then will you open
your heart and your home to her? If SO,
what better are you to her than the whole
world?
PROMISES TO CLEAR UP ALL.
"If you value my advice, which is from
the depths of my heart, there is a God
in heaven, to Whom we must give an ac-
count and to Whom and in whose presence
you pledged your love, life and fidelity to
this girl | say to you. take her as she is to
your heart. Believe in her and ask God to
help you do so. Encourage her and aid her
in clearing up this matter. Be friend to
her when she most needs one. and for my
part will not rest until / find out every
thing, | have begun to do so, and ! have
the dates of her parents marriage. her faith
er's location, his lodge connections the pro-
bate records, etc. and intend to make
thorough investigation, but as | said, 1t may
take weeks. What must Helen do all this
time? DO you wish me TO care for her? She
Will not live a month in her present state
of mind. | have urged her to return
though she is hurt stung to the heart, and
she has promised to take my advice, If pos
sible to do so, Let me know how you feel
about this matter, | am willing to take the
chance OF championing Helen's cause, and
cannoe you her husband, do as much? Why
am | Interested? | have not received a dol
lar for my pains, but I'll not betray friend.
oh, no. | am willing to share with you the
risk, the trouble, the chance OF disgrace and
the hope of JOY and final Justification. VIII