Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-12-06
OSCAR WILDE DIES IN WANT.
Once Famous Aesthetic Expires In
Obscure Paris Hotel.
ENDS DAYS IN SecLusION.
Gong Illness from Spinal Meningitis Has
n Fatal Tormina tion-Lifs Ruiaed by
Great Scandal - His Troubles with
Marquis of Quesnsbury.

Paris, Dec. 3.-Oscar Wilde. the
English author and playwright, once
received with honor in the highest So
siety circles Of Great Britain and the
continent, and noted the world over
for his brilliant, If erotic, works, died
asst night in this city in poverty and
obscurity and under an assumed name.
The once aesthetic, who until he went
to an English prison in 1894 under a
Of the rougher side of life, spent the
last few months Of his life In actual
wretchedness. Under the name of
Mammoth he occupied lodgings In
small hotel in the Rue des Beaux
Arts, Latin Quarter. For weeks he
has suffered from meningitis. He
was found dead by the landlady. A
few hours before his demise he was
received into the Catholic church.
There was a rumor that he had COM
mitted suicide, but it lacked conf1rma-
ton. Lord Alfred Douglas was with
Wilde on the night preceding his
death and was one of the first to reach
ZIG uolel dlleT the DOuy was us
covered on the following day.
The great scandal that ruined Wilde
came about through an action brought
by the marquis of Queensberry. whose
motive was the protection Of his son,
Lord Alfred Douglas, over whom Wilde
had exercised an evil influence. The
evidence at Wilde's trial shocked the
civilized world and covered him with
disgrace which II was not possible for
him to outlive. He was sentenced to
prison for two years. At the expi-
ration of his sentence he quilted Eng
land, IT was later learned that he
had settled in Paris. From a pet Of
society he had become the most des-
pissed Of social outcasts. Recent re-
ports from Paris were to the effect that
he was living in abject poverty.
Great Scandal Ruined His Life.
After his losing conflict with the
English courts Wilde made his home
in Paris. He hoped to rebuild his
shattered fortunes, but the fates were
against him and he encountered many
hardships. He struggled along until
he reached the point of absolute desti-
tuition and then sickness came upon
him. Friends of former days sought
him out and kept him alive by char
tiles, and finally last year sent him to
the Hospital la Salpetriere when it
was learned that he must undergo an
operation. He survived the shock,
hYy ic oil hot
he became ready prey to the fresh
malady that afflicted him. Wilde's
wife secured a divorce from him after
he was disgraced and taking her chill
dren, Cyril and Vivian, left the Wilde
residence in London. She died in
April, 1898, on the Riviera.
Ends Life la Poverty.
Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin in
1856 and was educated at Trinity COL
lege in that city. He went to Lon
don in 1879 and originated the aesthe-
tic movement, which was satirized by
Gilbert in the opera of Patience"
written for music composed by Sir
Arthur Sullivan. In 1881 he visited
America and delivered 200 lectures on
art. From 1880 to 1895 he was busy
with his pen and turned out several
volumes of poems, essays and novels.
He is the author of numerous plays,
many of which have been produced in
America. The best-known of Wilde's
plays was Lady Windermere's Fan"
His most noted novel was The Picture
OF Dorian Gray" At one time his
works had quite vogue among fash
ionable people. Wilde had lived on
tho continent since 1897