Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-31

RoQues and she went to France to live.
There Florence, the daughter, who had been
a great belle, met James Maybrick. rich
manufacturer of Liverpool. whom she was
afterward convicted of poisoning and for
which offense she was sent to prison.
A Popular Novelist.
The most eminent and popular citizen Of
Mobile, present and past is Mrs. Augusta
j. Evans Wilson, the novelist, the first and
most successful writer of fiction in the
south. Thirty years ago her novels were
on every drawing room table in the coun-
try, and she has the distinction of being
one of the few American writers who have
be come rich from their royalties. She has
written successful novels. st. Elmo was
perhaps the most popular novel and most
widely read and brought her the largest
profit. At one time she received an income
Of $4,000 year from her copyrights. Some
people think she has an unfinished manu-
script, but If it is so she keeps the fact
a secret and the silence of her pen is eX-
planned by her fear lest she may diminish
her reputation by failing to reach her
former standard. She retains the manu-
scripts of her fifteen novels all of whlcn
were written by her own hand almost with
out an erasure, and with letters as regular
and perfect copper plate engraving. Inc
manuscripts are beautifully bound in mo-
rocco and may be inspected by her friends.
Mrs. Wilson born in 1875, which
n,a keS her now seventy years old, and has
ried late In life and has had no children
of her own, but has been devoted to the
children of her husband by his hrst mar
riage. He was L. n. Wilson, business
man engaged in various unromanuc enter
prises in Mobile and vicinity He was
much older than she and had no literary
taste or tendency, but. they always seem
ed to be congenial. Nobody doubts that
he worshped her, while she pinned a rose
liz his buttonhole every morning before he
went to business. They had a beautiful
home on Spring Hill avenue, about three
miles out of the city in a grove of mag
nolias and live oaks but two or three
years ago, because of her advancing age,
Mrs. Wilson moved into the city, and now
lives at $50 Government street, in tall,
old-fas hioned house, with her brother,
Howard Evans, who has devoted himself
to her since she became a widow twelve
years ago
A friends who knows her we'll says:
Mrs Evans is the loveliest character IN
this part of the world. Everybody ad-
mires her and everybody who knows her
loves her. She has a deep, human inter-
est; is very charitable and helpful, and
never had an unkind thought toward any
one"
Compiling Southern History.
A younger author, who is making much
fame as a new historian, is Peter Joseph
Hamilton of Mobile. Born and reared in
this city, he graduated at Princeton in
1879, took a degree at LelpSlc III 1901 anu
has been a lawyer by profession. A few
years ago he made great success with
volume entitled Colonial Mobile" 1t
created such profound impression that
he was induced to undertake a series OF
similar volumes, which are being pubilsheo
under the title, THE Colonization of the
South" History is entirely silent concern
ing events in the southern states between
the beginning of the eighteenth century
and the outbreak of the revolution; and
after the adoption of the Constitution until
1915 there is practically no history. Very
little has been printed concerning those
periods. They have only been incidentally
touched upon by other historians, and Mr..
Hamilton is filling the gaps.
He has searched the archives of France,
Spain and Great Britain. for all three ma.
lions held sovereignty here during that
period, and he has discovered an immense
mass of valuable material He has also
found among the cathedral records of Mo-
bile and New Orleans a great deal of value
and interest which he Is now working into
shape for publication.
Thomas Cooper De Leon, the satirist,
who is now quite an old man, has gone
blind, but he has learned to use a type
writer and still continues his literary work
furnishing daily contributions to the news
papers and special articles from time to
time. He was brilliant man in his day
socially and intellectually. His list of pub
lished volumes fills many lines in the cata-
logues His -Four Years in Rebel Capt.
tals'' was undoubtedly his most successful
book for it had an enormous circulation in
the south, but his THE Rock and the Rye"
a satire upon 1.-The Quick or the Dead and
other tempestuous, emotional novels of that
kind, was perhaps more widely read.