Bell, Thomas

FH's much put-upon secretary 1898-1904. Bell's proximity to FH's affairs enabled him to shed much light on some matters of dispute, such as Lord Alfred Douglas' allegations of swindling against FH, which Bell said was rather a matter of sharp practice. Bell also convincingly argued against FH ever having been a cowboy. (This interesting material comes from his regrettably unpublished book, Oscar Wilde Without Whitewash, a manuscript copy of which was seen by Philippa Pullar.)