The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-03
Oscar Wi1des Most Intimate Friend Writing His Life

ulence. with the most insecurely bal
anced of chips on his shoulder He
proved, however, to be Just tall, clean
shaven well dressed. pink skinned,
simple and good humored boy" who
looks to be the runner and skillful horse
man that he was before he took to lit
erary work, and who generally gives
the impression of having lived out of
doors most of his life and of having less
than his share of the worries of this
existence. Besides his sonnets which a
pretty prominent literary critic de-
clared the other day entitled him TO
a place beside the finest of British
bards Lord Alfred has. of course, pub
lished no end of light verse and par
ody under the pseudonym of THE Bel
gian Hare and for three years or un-
til quite recently, he was the editor and
sole owner of that really distinguished
literary weekly. THE Academy
Lord Alfreds Forthcoming book will
not be a confession; he declares that he
has nothing to confesss When ques-
toned as to his motive, after so many
years of silence of a last making pub
lie the story of his association with
Wilde he lost his expression of toler-
ant good humor, and there was a hard
look in his eyes and bitterness in his
tone as he replied.
Il am writing this book" he said,
TO clear my name and that of my little
son, because the Allegations against
me IN connection with Oscar Wilde,
which hitherto had been circulated by
means of irresponsible gossip and in
nuendo, have at last found men with
at least some litrary standing-though
not the authority of having known
either Wilde or myself--to father them
and because they have been set down as
facts in works that purport to be
critical studies of Oscar Wilde as
man of letters. l suppose the details
of the libel action which | recently
brought against Arthur Ransome for
repeating in his Life of Oscar Wilde
the oft-repeated fiction that | lived on
Wilde, and that the evil influence ex-
ercised over him by me was the cause
of Wilde's downfall, are still fresh in
most peoples minds. / lost that case
| knew should lose 1t, though l was
then ignorant of the existence of the
suppressed portion of DE Profundis,
the savage denunciation of me which
wide wrote in prison In a fit of what
he himself called 1mischievous Madness
The reading of this document dis
covered by Wildes self appointed lit
crary executor among his effects. and
tnough addressed to me, bequeathed by
him to the British museum with the
stipulation that it should not be made
public until 1860, told powerfully
against me, as I was not able to bring
out Facts which would have deprived
that document of all it's force. How
ever, that action had the result which
hoped to gain when l brought It, for
1t revealed for the first time the whole
case of my detractors, knowing which.
I can now proceed to demolish It with
proofs
I'm my book l shall make a full
statement regarding the mistaken at
titude towards me, afterwards ackhowl-
edged by Wilde, which prompted the
writing of the unpublised portion of
De Profundis.' and of his own attitud4
toward 1T after he came out of prison.
shall also reveal the details or the
deliberate plot. inspired for revenge.
to vilify me while living and to be-
smirch my name and memory when
was dead, plot engineered by persons
of some supposed standing In the lit
erary world and carried out remorse
1essly.
''Of all those who surrounded Oscar
WILDE" Lord Alfred went on, II practi-
caly alone maintained disinterested
attitude. Time after time since hi,
death have been approached with
offers of my own price for book about
Wilde. but invariably 1 have refused
to consider such offers. OF course,