191. Wright, Frank Lloyd . Autograph Letter Signed "Frank" to his first wife Catherine asking her to defend his character. 4to, 4 page written on single side of Nicollet Hotel stationary; light wear, stain to upper margin of first page, pin holes to upper margins.

Minneapolis, MN, November 1926 [8000/12000]

My dear CatherineI don?t know where to reach you directly- but send this to Francis care(?).I would like to see you and talk over the situation in which I find myself just now and which must react heavily upon you as well as the children - Because this vicious ?wife? so called - declares it her intention to show us all up - as at each others throat, quarreling vicious, a truly disreputable family.She ???(?) to do this because- during the years I was taking care of her- she would urge(?) me to write you about divorce, I would do so employing some harsh language which I would of course regret.I would write sometimes in a bitter spirit and discard the letter, ashamed to send it. It seems ??(?) she would keep such letters (?) copy them intending even(?) then if she failed to get her price when she got her papers - to blackmail me with them.Letters too, to Francis while at school. To John while he was in the disgraceful situation in Japan.Now the only defense to have any weight against a treacherous use of such material gathered in such characteristic manner is the integrity at the bottom of my feeling for you all and yours for me.For no matter what any (?) mistakes have been, I have looked forward, meanwhile working too - to the time when I could have my children in my home - a playground for them and for theirs's. And see you comfortably independent - and pleased in what I could do for them and with them - meanwhile sharing in their ??(?) life yourself.M. was a vicious obstacle to all that. I am ashamed to think of how my feelings, that because she had no one but me I must defer to her - and did so only to exaggerate her demands ??(?) they were merely wanton, has worked out now.It is a long dreary story that makes me heartsick as I look back upon my weakness in it. Weakness(?) because when the side of my nature was appealed to the side I call my ?manhood? in other words, my ?self-respect? where my ?sense of honor in what I had undertaken with her was concerned - I would always make my(?) sacrifice to that.And she was cleverly undermining me with the children always - and the same with everybody else.It is too late to mend the horrible waste of those years. It is not too late as ?-(?) now situated to do much that remains to be done, because I have found the right spirit, cultured(?) in the same simple ?mature fashion, as myself to help me.Had I the companion I now have ten years ago we might have all had a compensation the griefs of the misfortune that was ours.For Olgivanna(?) is good. Just as Miriam was bad. Jane and Maginel(?) both say she is all I say she is and more. I am sure that I raise no hurt in you by what I say of her.well meaning fools have said to me that the way out of my difficulties in the public eye would be remarriage to you - then live as I pleased. The thought of that shocked me. ????(?) you would enter the hell such a perversion of natural feeling would create just to wash my face with society. And you know I think without my saying it, that were there no other women or woman in the world - that would be impossible to me - no matter what advantage might come to me or you from such(?) an action.The reasons for this are so many that I won?t try to name them. But you, I think will understand.When the report got into the papers that you were coming to aid me in this fight for freedom to live and work - Reporters asked me if that meant a possible reconciliation with you - I said ?No certainly not. Why is it impossible to understand a mother?s solicitude for the character of the of the father of her children - so far as it is in her(?) power to show it clean of low accusations and better than an unfortunate situation would paint it!I said if Mrs Catherine Wright comes forward to say a good word about my character as a man as she knew me - it will be more for her children than for me. It is what I would do for her. And is all sense of justice lost because I can no longer live with you and am trying my best to rectify a mortal error made with Miriam - by being faithful to one that?s found faithful to me in that endeavor? I enclose a copy of a letter from Olgivanna to Jane (?) - which I asked leave(?) to copy for it shows her spirit, and her suffering now. And she is very frail - The ?- (?) friend of my life - of all our lives, has done and will do her best to kill this woman who would befriend my children and freely with a good heart help me mean more to them and have them mean more to me than ever was the case(?).It has(?) been a long way, and a heavy burden. And it seems now that the friend has won and I have lost.But if all(?) that love that was in our lives can now come forward and stand in its strength, over(?) the wreck of its earlier hopes and say this iniquity has no value - for here we are as one! We would all be blessed by what has been. And no one cursed by the advantages that might come to another or to others.Olgivanna wants to meet you and talk with you. I think you should meet her. The(?) prejudices natural to you, the situation being what it is - would be sure to disappear in your realization of her simple friendship for you all and her natural sincerity - I want to see Llewelyn. I hope you can disabuse the children?s minds of the wretched idea that by showing any consideration to Oglivanna they are ??-(?) to you.The whole of our lives at this late day be wrecked by such a false feeling.Those who are most with you feel it most, naturally, to disabuse their minds of this, no more should be needed than the nature of the situation as it exists but meeting Olgivanna herself would remove I am sure any doubt you might have that such an attitude on your part would ???-(?) unfavorably to their relation(?) to you.we are all now out of the conventional ways - and only in our sense of what is kind and humane, and as truth may be modified by that kindness and humanity can we ever save anything out of the wreck.Write me at this hotel - about your feelings about it all. I enclose a shadow ?-(?) of the ?terrible woman? and the ?horrible baby? -And also of the ???-?(?) - and is yet. I know there should be money in this letter. There will be so soon as I can get home and get a few weeks to untangle the affairs the ?wife? has thrown into almost hopeless confusion. Do not be discouraged nor feel your protective for your declining days if there should be such - in jeopardy. They are not really - for I am not going to fail,Faithfully as always"