Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-07-19

the suicide of one Charles Latcha, member of
that community, whose demise was made the
occasion of general expression of blasphemy
and ribaldry. Latcha appears to have been
young man, born of pious parents, and bred in
the ways of orthodox propriety. He was
printer, became a convert to the Free Love doc
trnes short time ago, went to Berlin, became
disguised because he could find no ''afinity" to
cherish him, and on the 22d of June, last, COM
mitted suicide. He left the following letter, ex-
planning the reasons for his act
TO THE BERLIN socIALIsTs--vALEDICToRY.
Justice demands that should give you my
experience before taking my final leave Of you.
And l will give it as briefly as possible, as well
as can:
was the only child of an ill-mated pair
They were Orthodox, though not very strict;
they were what were called, good, respectable
folks" Neither of them were uncommonly de-
veloped in any direction. They ''Ioved each
other from first to last" mother tells me. 1t
| must have been very BLIND love! Three years
after their marriage was born-a puny little
thing with an angular brain. But in the eyes
of my parents was, of course, little angel, u
young God. One year after my birth my father
died. l was left in the care of my mother aud
| grandmother, who kept house together. My
grandmother was Presbyterian Church mem
her, and lived up to Gods laws as revealed
through the Bible as well as she could. Look
| ing back to the time when l was but four or
tive years old, remember deep, melancholy
| feeling which has cursed me to this day. This
| feeling my natural condition. | expert
| enCed little interval of happiness and
then. was not like other children. did not
play. l was unhappy. My mother taught
school and went to her school when l was five
years old. She petted me, humOred me, let me
have my own way almost always. Sometimes
grandmother interferred, and demonstrated with
| mother, and talked seriously to me. Mother
and grandmother were very kind to each other.
Well, in short, | was spoiled.
Grandmother died when | was thirteen years
old; then the housekeeping broke up, and
was aPprentced to a printer to learn the art Of
printing.
After working at printing nearly year, an
uncle came and took mother and with him to
Michigan. We stad there n while, and then
moved to another place, and then to another,
and finally to Iowa, where we lived three years.
At nearly every place lived l got employ
mcnt in a printing office.
became Free Lover while in Iowa, through
the medium of Nichols Monthly Then through
The Social ReColutioniSt heard of Berlin.
came to Berlin and found it was my home; had
expected the same.
Well, l have been happier since have come
10 Berlin than | ever was anywhere else. But
INV soul has not found another with which TO
rest--my heart, no home.
In my younger days I was selfconccited,
owing to false training; but since coming to
Berlin, have come to a truer knowledge of
myself, and discovered that am poor, miSer-
able specimen Of humanty-and that has added
another great weight to crush my aspiring soul
| possess awful aspiration-I want to be good
wise angel; but, with my miserable organiza-
ton, can never be even GooD-never!
When was miscrably existing in the world,
and looking to Berlin, thought ''lE Berlin
will be happy; there will find brave, and low
ing and free men and women, and | will be
happy" And have found the Berlin Social.
lists as brave and free as expected, but l have
discovered that no earthly, outside conditions
can make me happy. exiled myself from the
world, to save myself; But Cannot BE SAVED!
and now, at last, LEAP INTO OBLIVION!
And none of you will say did wrong. You
would be wrong for me to stay here, burden to
myself and those around me. l of no ac-
count. Let me die, die, die!
You have all been good to me, and have
meant to be good to all. If l have not been
good to any one, l ask forgiveness. And my
prosecutors forgive, and those who have SLAM
dered me, forgive; l forgive all. believe in
Necessity.
There are but few of you but will be sur
prsed at my final act; you thought was happy.
tried to appear:happy. did not want to cause
others unhappiness. kept my MISERY inside;
| at times, now IL OuTne4! OnCeI one oil you
said to me, ''You look as though you was in
pain" TUNED it off as though nothing was
the matter with me. was in pain. There
ALWAYS WAS Something the matter with me !"
And here l unite my protest against and
utter my curse upon Marriage. And curse
Relgionl And l curse God" the Father
Monster!
And say to you, seriously, from the depths
of my sympathizing heart: Do NOT bang Chill
DREN INTO EXISTENCE, TO SUFFER! If yn.' cannot
parent healthy, happy chid-if you do not
KNOW you can do this-refrain, 0, refry,iu
You WILL HAPPIER WITHOUT ME. And the
chair upon which sat, and the rooms fingered
| in, and the things touched will be free ION
my blighting magnetism; and thus you will be
happier! And the spears of grass which
| tread upon and sickcn will gain new strength
and happier life when am gone!
Most of you will only think of me as having
passed on" to q happier sphere; but l see no
existence beyond, and think know what Death
will be to me; and welcome the great fate of
SILENCE" which the Universe has in store for it's
abnormal child! die-as have lived-ALoNE!
Farewell!
There was silence deep as DEATH
And the boiiest held his breath
For { tue!'' CHARLIE.
The Age adds that LATcuA 'liyed several
hours, and was perfectly tranquil to the last,
conversing freely as he was able in regard to
his last act, and in justification of it" The