New-York tribune., 1919-10-31
Mrs. Ella Wilcox.
'POetess of Passion
Dies at Age of 64
Famous Author Passes Awav
in Connecticut After Long
Illness Brought On by
War Work in Europe

NEW HAVEN, Conn, Oct. so.-Mrs.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox, author and poet,
died to-day after a long illness at
her home, Ths Bungalow. in Bran
ford, Conn. She had been bedridden
since her nervous collapse, several
months ago, in England.
To those who had shared with her the
seclusion of her home, the death of
Mrs. Wilcox had not been unexpected.
She had been under constant medical
attention since her first illness, her
friends often despairing of her re-
covery. She regained her strength in
July sufficiently to be brought back to
the United States. At that time she
was carried from the steamship on a
stretcher and placed on train for
Branford. She frequently had express
where she had lived in such happiness
with MIR. Wilcox and where most of
her literary work had been done.
Was Sixty-four Years Old
Mrs. Wilcox was in her sixty-fourth
year and is survived by brother and
sister, both residents of the West
The arrangements for the funeral have
not yet been completed. The body will
be taken to Springfield, Mass, for
cremation, and a service will be held
there, although the time has not yet
been determined.
After cremation, Mrs. Wilcox's ashes
will be taken to Short Beach and the
receptacle sealed in a niche in he
granite ledge on which The Bungalow
stands. This was done with the ashes
of Mr.. Wilcox, who died some years
ago.
The property at Short Beach, by deed
given since Mrs. Wilcox's return from
Europe, passes to Mrs. W. II. Ritter,
a close friend. Mrs. Wilcox had re-
tanned life interest in it.
Was Born in Wisconsin
Ella Wheeler, under which maiden
name Mrs. Wilcox first won prominence
IN the literary world, was born at
Johnstown Center, Wis, in 1855, and
was educated at the University Of Wis
consin, only a few miles from her birth
place. She began writing in childhood
and at the age Of eight had completed
novel; of sixteen closely written
manuscript pages, which has never
been published. At the same age she
also wrote much poetry. Not until
She was fourteen, however, was any of
hcr work published. Then one of
Frank Leslie's periodicals not only
printed one Of her poems but also paid
hrf 80 lor IL. inns encouraged her and
stimulated her productivity until sne
was composing two or three poems a
DAY. and selling most of them for cash.
Her first volume was published when
she WAS about eighteen years old and
was entitled DROPS of Water" 1t
was a collection Of the verse which she
had contributed to "Harper's Maga-
zine" "Leslie's," '"Thc Saturday Eve
ming Post" and other periodicals. Sew
cral years later Mrs. Wilcox offered to
Chicago publisher a volume of poems
which she called "Pocms Of Passion"
The manuscript was returned with the
A Chicago newspaper heard of the in
cident. and Mrs. Wilcox gained much
publicity. Another Chicago publisher
then brought out the volume, which
had wide circulation and was generally
regarded as not at all deserving the re
proach which had been cast upon it.
BY the time Of her marriage in 1884
to Robert NJ Wilcox, business man
of New York, she had published four
novel entitled "Maurine." During her
married life she made her home in
New York and at Short Beach, Conn,
and pursued her literary career with
undlminished activity. She was a regu-
lar contributor to various newspapers
and magazines, and brought out many
volumes in both verse and prose. Her
poems were generally melodious; they
dealt largely with the familiar pas
sions and everyday experiences of
human life; and many lines and pas
sages from them have long been among
the commorest quotations and house
| hold words.
Mrs. Wilcox devoted much serious
attention to psychological study and re
search and to various phases Of
humanitarian work. In 1918 she visited
England and was presented to the
King and Queen at court at Bucking-
ham Palace. Her husband died in May,
1916, and she thereafter gave more
time and labor than ever before to
humane and benevolent works.
In The midst of the war, in Febru-
airy, 1918, she went to France as the
general representative of the Red
animal relief, and on that errand was
commissioned by the Red Star to ask
General Pershing to accept from it the
gift of two motor ambulances for
army use. She spent more than year
abroad in strenuous labors until last
June, when her health failed and she
spent some time in a London hospital
On July 81 she returned to this country,
still so i'll that she had to be borne
from the steamship on stretcher
She was taken to her home in Con-
uectcut, but never regained her
health.
Some Of Mrs. Wilcoxs books are ::
Sweet Danger" "'vas 1t Suicide ~
Everyday Thoughts" Poems of
Picasure,' "Three Women" "The
Kingdom of Love" "The Beautiful Land
| of Nod" Poems of Power" "a
" oman OF the World" Poems of Sen
| .imcnt' "POems of PROGRESS and New
| Thought Pastels," Sailing Sunny Seas
| and Poems Of Problems' In 1918 she
wrote "Thc World and l." an auto
! biography.
| OBITUARY NOTES