An English Doctor Elopes With an American Girl.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 354, 27 March 1889, Page 3

An English Doctor Elopes With an American Girl.

A- souia-l scandal has-been caused at Nice by, the arrest in -Paris of an American girl with an English doctor. The young lady's name is Ida Wilcox, daughter of Mrs Castar Wilcox, 'of New York. She is 17 yeaVs'old arid, pvofcfty,' 'and had, been'much admired since,ber arrival: afc Nice with 'her mother a month, before". They were-staying at the Pension Anglaise. Two weeks ago Dr. Sel ton ai rived "from England with a son eight years old, and stopped ' afc tHe. same house. The doctor claimed* to' be an invalid, and came south to i-ecdver from an injury caused by a fall' from a horse. He was a handsome fellow, of good address and plenty ot "money, and from the outset paid' a great deal of attention to Ida. , A week ago.the landlady told Mrs Wilcox that the doctor was flirting too much with Ida, and advised her to put a §top to it, as'the doctor had a wife in England. Mrs Wilcox -eluded Ida, but as thegirl was not inclined to discontinue the intimacy, the mother left Nice with her daughter and moved to an hotel at Men tone. The girl left a note for the doctor telling him where she was going. He followed a day afterward and put up at the same hotel. The mother met him in the hall, and there was a great row, and the girl promised to give him up. ■' The doctor tried to get Somebody ho take his boy to London and put him in charge of a I'elative there, but failed. He the he appeared at the railway station at Mentone with the hoy and Ida, whom he passed off as the boy's governess. Ida- seemed much excited. The agent sold them tickets to Venimilie on the Italian frontier, where Ida cashed a cheque payable to either herself or mother , for £350. The first statement that the>-girl stole the money was wrong. The cheque was given her by her" mother to. >cash. With the funds thus obtained the elopers went via Geneva, Turin, Dijon to Paris; where they were arrested. iThe mother waited all day for Ida to come back wifch the money/but instead a messenger delivered a note 'from the girl saying &he had run away, and 'asking to bo forgotten, as she was determined -never to .return. The mother, at once went to American Consul Hathaway, who, saw the Public Prosecutor, and the police of Paris were wired to arrest the couple immediately on their arrival. When the train arrived at the station, Selton called a cab and told the driver to go to tho Grand Hotel, but before he could start tho police collared him. He protested that the girl was of age and came with him of her own accord. The girl 1 refused to leave him, and they were taken back onthe iirsfc train to Mentone; « where the mother awaited them. Tho laws regarding abduction are very severe at Nice,', and friends of the girl's mother propose to" >raake ib warm for the doctor, ' " rj " •'