The evening times., 1897-06-17
DECLARES SHE WAS CRUEL
Apart From That, 'One of the Sweet-
est Girls That Ever BreaJhed."
Joined Her i'll Weulock at Her
Fathers Altar, aud Will Never
Sanmit to Divorce.

severe attack of Influenza, and the period
of confinement to his house in Victoria
square, Southampton, has not been abse-
lutely dull, since a press agency has sent
him part OF a ton OF newspaper clippings
| concerning allegations made against hin
| In connection with his wifes petition for
| divorce.
Mir. Langtry has at last determined to
| break his long silence, and he has Issued
the following signed statement
They say / forced my attentions on
pretty Miss Lily LIE Breton at the hall in
Jersey. This is not true. l myself gave
| the invitations 10 the ball at st Killers In
1874, and it was an understood thing be-
tween me and my friends that all the
prettiest girls on the island, noted for its
beautiful women, should be my guests.
Among many others. the lie Bretons re-
ceiyed invitations. / think Il was at the
instiCatiom Of an old friend of the family
named Young that Dean lie Breton, his
| wife. his son and his daughter, were present
- was introduced to the undoubted
| belle of the nall by her own brother, young
lie Breton. and if l Were capable OF ro-
nance | would say there was no struggle
| between u 10 htIp away llpiAi cum ''i'SA
! The simple prose is, l did not dance
with Lily lie Breton until half through
the night. but after that took her down
4 to supper.
i don't know that our courtship matters
much To any one. In five months we were
! man and wife old Dean lie Breton, her
| fatLer. married US. 1t was i'll his own
beautiful church Of st Saviours, in st
l. ,,r, af
| 3 o clock in the morning. There was really
nothing strange about this. He was
anxious TO catch the O'Clock boat for
southampton
Il have been painted In various hues and
darkest OF all in America, but l made a
marriage settlement at the very outset on
Lily asSigaedtO my wife property which
had been left me by my father valued at
upward Of $40, 900 That settlement has,
Of course, never been interfered with, ano
still exists. Under the terms Of the settle
ment my wife has only life interest In
the property, but as far as know she has
enjoyed 1t up 10 the present, AMI this /
know as a fact My life is fully insured so
as - clear the pTopertyin the event of my
death
Many allegations have been marie ganst
me. and these I would like to 60 through
seriatim.
A more lying or foul charge has never
been made than one which accuses me of
physical iIl-uSage OF my wife. | never in
uy life once raised my hand against any
woman, and those who say that l re-
peatedly struck Mrs. Langtry speak a de-
liheratc lie.
No, there was nothing in her character
that I could take exception to. She was
Just twenty years OF age when we were
married on March IL, 1874. and hasten |
70 say that during the eight years We lived
together there was no suspicion even uf
temper in the disposition of my wife, which |
would have furnished the smallest ground |
for complaint.
Apart altogether from absolute cruelty, |
she was one OF the sweetest girls that |
ever breathed After our honeymoon we |
lived in Jersey for some years, and then |
we came TO reside here in Southampton.
1t was not at that time the great transat. |
lantic port that it IL now, with its great |
American Line and its big Southwes ern |
Railway bringing 10 and fro all the wealth |
of two great nations and pledged to their /
careful convenience and protection. South |
ampton has grown since those days.
1T was here that my wife contracted |
typhoid fever, and after l had Dursed her |
through IT cur medical advisers recunr
mended a change of air. She desired to /
live in London. 1 cared nothing, so we |
went t. London, and We lived in Belgravia.
She was 9 very beautiful woman, aud we /
had many friends
Il don't care to speak of our first es-
arrangement, but may say this, that 1T was
in sSl tEat had an offer to 90 to America |
to ascertain the value of some property be
longing TO Miss Adelaide Nelson, and in |
which il was said Edward Sothem, son OF
~ the originator Of Lord Dundreary. had
some interest. The offer was made nle by
George Lewis, of Ely Place, now Sir George
Lewis, and the terms We're very satisfac- |
tory
I'VE agreed, Lily and I, that should 60
went and remained In America five |
months, kept there by cablegrams and let
ters which had no real Importance saw |
the estate in question, and all the work il
was Necessary for me 20 do | completed in |
less than two hours on the spot
1T would be idle for me to say that /
had no suspicious.
'when 1 returned I met Mrs Langtry
i
live together again, but she did not care
to come hack TO me, and so we parted.
However seeming cruel it may he,
now affirm that / never heard that my
wife had given birth to q child, OF which
] WAS reputed to he the father until re- |
ceived the divorce citation, which was
served on me here a few months ago. |
That Should dispose OF the question OF
deSertiOn, But there are still further
facts that should dispose of this odious
charge. | am told that affidavits or state |
ments have been made to further tho plea
Of descrtion by Sir George Chetwynd, Sir
Robert Peele, Lord ROSslyn, and 9th ars
None OF these persons have L ever to my
seen In my life and certainly
with not one Of them have ! ever exchanged |
words.
Now for the cruelest tale of all. 1t has |
been said that during the ten years lived |
n Holyhead she never passed through the |
London and Northwestern terminus with
put my meeting her and taking money |
from her. There is nothing more infamous |
about Mr.. Gladstone's 'Unspeakable Turk
"During my ten years in Holyhead from
time TO time Lily, as they call her, was
passing through, but / never saw her. She | !
once, ON hearing that I had been sick. sent
me GO, but this I returned through the
post
Il never even saw my wife during that
lime No; have never seen her Willingly
jnce ] returned from America. but once !
Ehen she drove rapidly past me In her ]
a 10 \ 1