Litchfield enquirer., 1858-05-27
THE DEATH OF HERBERT.


full and saddening details which came few hours
later confirmed the announcement developing the
most affecting tragedy our people have ever felt an
interest in. The act was evidently Committed under
the influence of long-protfacted melancholy,
amounting almost to frantic despair this was the
consequence of domestic difficulty operating upon
an exquistely sensitive mind, which unfortunately
ran to extremes of joy or sorrow all through his nm
| happy life. Indeed those who have seen only the
occasional results of his uncontl olable impetu0sity
of feeling, and1ooked upon his unusually stalwart
frame, have never given him credit for the better
nature which overwhelmed him in sorrow at the re-
| action.
| The incident more Immediately affecting his mind
commenced with his second marriage, which occur
| red at the House of Prayer in this city the 18th
of February last, the rector the Rev. Mi. Shackle
| ford, performing the ceremony The bride was Miss
! Adela R. Budlong young lady from Rhode Island,
with whom Herbert had formed sudden and roman
| tic attachment during visit she was making in
| New York 1t appears from his own statement to
the writer of this about the time of the occurrence
that he relieved her from the assault of rufan
| in one of the New York avenues, and accompanied
her to her hotel correspondence followed, and re-
suited in the wedding, which was comparatively pri
vate only four gentlemen of this city being present
by invitation with two from New York, in addition
to the brides mother and brother. They came from
| New York in the 2 P. NJ train, which was delayed
by an accident for about an hour the way, and it
was late in the afternoon when the ceremony was
| performed. !
The parties proceeded Immediately to Mr.. Her.
bert's cottage at The Cedars,' about two miles
above the centre of this city the Passaic River
and for time they were perfectly Happy in each
others society Some six weeks after this ceremony
the reptile spirit of calumny crawed into his quiet
home; it is alleged that some one. represented to
be lady took occasion, probably without any idea
Of the tragic result, and poured into his wifes mind
recital of the worst features of his life in the usual
exaggerated gossip and on his return he found her
alone and melancholy
She told him what had passed, butrefused to re-
veal the person This fred Herberts infiammable
temperament, and in the heat of his impetuosity
he threatened to destroy himself if she did not re-
veal the name. She in turn became frantically
alarmed, and ruptured small blood vessel or pro-
duced helnorrhagc of the lungs. This in turn
alarmed Herbert, who did all he could to restore her
health and relieve her mind but from that moment
she determined to leave him, and did SO dining his
absence in New York.
According to his representations he passed out of
his back gate which leads into the Cemetery, and
! she accompanied him to the fence, bidding him an
affectionate adieu. with kiss. On his return she
had gone and the full gush of desolaton and despair
unbalanced his sensitive mind. He strove in vain
! to bring her back, and thinking it would promote
the Object, he left his cottage, which he thought
might have been too lonely for her. and took apart
ments at the Stevens House, New York, Gate Del
| monicos) near the Bowling Green. Here he used
every effort Of his ingenuity to his wife, but
she steadily refused to meet him, and finally in.
sructed her attorney to inform him thai she would
receive no further communications from him. This
last drop overlooked the cup of his bitterness the
future seemed all hopeless. and he then meditatcd
his own destruction. zsys' "@f $780, !
On Saturday he purchased aCoit' srevofvef for the
purpose and had determined to shoot himself in the
Cemetery, at the gate where he parted with her he
loved so we'll. On Sunday he sent for his friend.
Philip H. Anthem. who remained with him during
!; the day and till O'Clock ON Monday morn ng. At
that hour he was conversng with him on the sub
jcct that absorbed his mind, and suddenly went out
into an adjoining bedroom the snap of pistol was
Immediately heard and the unhappy man came
Keeling Lack into the sitting room exclaiming-''I
| told you would do it !" He sank down. and after
| a few groans expired.
Among the private letters left by him was the fol-
lowing to his good friend and neighbor, Miles IAN
| eon
my DEAR MILES L ANsoN The time has come,
and call upon you with the last words of a dying
countryman to come and perform your promise.
| My last friend, do not fail me.
When you receive this shall be lying dead in the
cemetery. could not be easy in New York, and
must not be buried in the Potter Field or by char
Have me dressed in the clothes which have put
in the carpet bag, with the little packet ] have
sewn to the shirt upon my heart, and the pin cush
ion with Herbert pricked upon it under my head
"a plain oaken coffin. with this inscription only:
| Henry William Herlert-aged 81
| Let me be buried in your lot send the coffin
| down by the steamer no funeral and no pomp. /
send note to Mr.. Shackleford he will perform
| the service.
inclose draft for ten pounds sterling on my sis
ter, which will pay all expenses Ihave written to
her. Come the moment you receive this. or you
will be too late. and they will thrust me into some
hole away from humanity. She has refused all re-
Cancellation absolutely and forever but she is not
bame and it is my last request that no friend Of
mine will blame her or defend me- except to say
what sOlemnly swear with my dying breath. that
did not marry her for moncy-that did not know
| when married her, and do not know no,c whether
| she has any money or how much-that never had
a word Or dispute with her about money, and never
said one unkind word until that Monday, when 1
threatened my life if she would not tell who bad
accused me to her falsely.
God forgive and God bless her. forgive all men
who have wronged me- and ask forgiveness Of all
whom l have wronged Every shilling I owe in
America will be paid from the lease of the ,bsnss
and the books which leave behind me- ready to be
published.
Give my last parting love to all my friends think
of me sometimes as most miserable man. yet your
true friend, HENRY WIN. HERBERT,
| May Is. 1858. Stevens House.
l wish to have very small, very plain maidstone
of Little Falls Bellville stone, with this inserp
| ton {:
HENRY WILLIAM HERBERT,
England,
| =. aged 81 years.
| Alfelicissinus.
Will you take care of Vixen. She has been my
only comfort. She has never left me for mo-
ment. 1 am sure she knows Lam wretched.
God bless you and Yonr wife,
The following is the last letter he ever wrote
MY DEAR MILsss-You will find me in the
Cemetery, just outside the garden gate, where
stopped for the last time to look at her beloved
| face
AS you go for the Coroner, telegraph to Philip II.
Anthem, No. Is West Twenty fourth street, these
three words Herbert Is dead. @-s
He will know what to dc, Your old friend,
4 HENRY WILLIAM HERBERT
f.ro;v., unrl>a~4 - LII,