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Correspondence from Annie Horniman to Mr. Shelton
May 10th, [19]00
Dear Mr. Shelton,
The following is a quotation from a letter which I received on May 5th. The writer is Mrs. Ross-Scott of 4 Kingswood Road, Upper Norwood . "One thing I'll tell you before I close; Dr. Berridge [Edward Berridge] said to me, that if you helped . . . and the others with your money to fight . . ., he would tell your father you were dabbling in magic and he felt sure your father would have you shut up in an Asylum; whether your father would or could do so, you know better than I do, but forewarned is forearmed."
I know that this is very absurd but I want Dr. Berridge made to understand that I can protect myself. My father might try to take legal steps against me on any pretext however unjust. Dr. Berridge doubtless thinks that I have further expectations from my father and so imagines that this is an efficacious sort of threat. My real dislike for him came from my objections to the sort of literature he distributed amongst my friends. I have never done him any harm. Could you legally write immediately and tell him in the proper form that he must "shut up" ? I only want to frighten him. He has a terror of publicity, and I have nothing in my own life of which I am ashamed.[1]
With kind regards, Believe me,
Yours Sincerely
Annie Horniman
1—He must be made to understand that such libellous statements about me must stop. He would look very foolish when asked to explain publicly what "magic" means.
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