New-York tribune., 1870-05-11


clad to help you in"
He did help me in ten thousand ways in winch
never shOnld have permitted him to take part II
had had the slightest knowledge OF the feeling which
was 10 grow up between us. He helped me make
arrangements to send Percy home when Was Was tno sr
me 10 ono or two friends and wrote to Mrs Calhoun
and Mrs. Sinclair of the step had taken, winch
asked him to do at once. All these things wmch
common prudence would have prevented him from
doing if here had been any guilty secret between US
or any relation except the simple one on his part oi
epenly and uureservedly. He saw Mr. Mcfarland
and told him he was my friend in this, and that he
had teegraphcd to my father TO come on 81. :; .,o
presenco of Mr. and Mrs Oliver Johnson. Mr. Sincial
and my father and Mr.. Mcfarland, L announces nee,
to him my absolute detennnation to Leave nm; nm
/ told him he Knew he had lost my affections ears
before and that what now did would De lil.i' ~ II,
said very little except this for any ao adotoI 10 s
conduct Mr.. McFarland interrupted imlnsulattIy;
Rnt he was unusually calm for him. ana salu seNeia
times that he accepted my decision as nnai; anu
added. bow to it and submit " H. etIu ad rrad ,,
nv father TO 20 home and remain all mght win llm
TO see that e did nothing desperate Of course ms
constant threat that he would commit suicide, ana
that i'm such case "his blood would be on my
head" had always caused me some anxiety, Whlch
am now convinced might have spared mysen' H.
Richardson called at Mr.. Snclairs and STAYED an
hour or two with the family. lie told us all that IN
few days he was going to HaIti2ru 10 n9S tbe 7t6
of April. when my engagement expired at the
theatcr. and 1 thought if he went saD away I'm IN
again Hs 50 When he arose to leave that evening,
went TO the dooz to saywhat could not say poioie
the others-that he had been rey VEkY go3d 10 me-
that | never could repay hlin, Dpt that pou
would surely bless lnm for it: l could not
say this without strong emotion, and while
about facing the world with two babicsp l
answered: :" Ii looks hard for woman, but then
am sure ] can got on better without that man. than
with him" Al this, Mr. Richardson, still holding
my hand, which | had given hih TO say good
bye" stopped down, and speaking IN lower tone
that he could not be heard through the ;to Goor
said these words: Il wish you TO remember my
child that any responsibility you choose TO give ne
in any possible future shall be very glad TO ta9G
he went away without a single wOId more beng
spoken by either of us. turned and went upstairs
and said nothing to any one that night 1t may have
been two davs later Mr.. Richardson called again. 1t
happened was in the paTlor alone when he came In.
in the talk which took place then, he t9ld me lhat
during the storms of tire last few days of my life he
had become interested in ne and very fond OF me;
that was the woman of all the world whom he had
seen TO whom lac would gladly intrqs the care OF his
motheTl,ss children that my prudence ana reserve
during all our acquaintance, when he knew was
unhappy. had won on him greatly that ne tored me,
free tomaIrv he wanted me to know fully this feel
ing What could i say Mr.. Richardson had all my
respect Tor his chvaly and generosity to me before
ne had spoken thus. When he spoke, all my heart
went out to him as freely rs the river hows toward
the sea. The formal separation from MI Mcfar- ar
land in which he seemed to release me from the
bondage in which he held me, had had to me the
moral effect OF divorce. had feeling which
perhaps no one can understand. 1t was as If mill
stone had been cut OFF from my neck and left me as
free and unbound L ever felt IN girlhoOd Mr..
Richardson seemed to me in every respect the
opposite of the miserable who had SO long tor
mdnted me. His goodness to me, his unusual sir myth
of character, united with his tenderness and sym
pathy. made it absolutely impossible not to love
him, While he waited for me to say something to
answer what lie said, did not think OF the i'm
prudence of it at all only asked him earnestly II
rtaaf or nroq II
in trouble had not led him to mistake this for q
warmer feeling. He laughed at this. and then |
began to think of my family and MI fchaIdson ana
of my whole unhappy position, MIR. richardson
blamed himself afterwaTd, and our friends all
blamed us for this declaration on his part and my ac
ceptance of il, as an act most rash and lmprudent,
but / know we neither of us meant TO do anything
either immoral or even improper. to counseled me
to tell my friends all he said and take their COUNSEL
Our talk at most was not o very long one, ana
within few days he went TO Hartford and did not
expect to see him again for an indefinite time
After his departure went back TO my old room in
Amity-st where my trunks and wardrobe still re-
NAMED 1t was convenient to do this, and some one
of my lady friends went to spend the nights with me-
Two nights after went there, Mr.. Richardson un-
expectedly came from Hartford, intending TO 90 to
Washington for day or two. lie had written me
several letters during his stay at Hartford which
had received and answered. He arrived IN New.
York on the 18th Of March, and on the evening Of
the 18TH when went out OF the theater f0und
him there waiting for me. He was asked to call for
me by the friends who usually took me home, and
who, on that night, were gone TO the opera. After
walking few yards from the theater, Mr.; Mcf ar
land came up behind and shot Blr. richardson,
infcting a severe but not dangerous wound In the
thigh As soon as he had done this he fired two shots
in quick succession at me- but without wounding me,
as Mr. Richardson had told me TO run as soon as he
felt himself hurt. On this evening after he had
been at the Station House with the policeman who
arrested Mr. Mcfarland, Mr.. Richardson went with
me to the house of friends and remained III New
York till he out of danger and then returned to
my fathers in Massachusetts,
At this time heard first OF the intercepted letter
from Mr. Richardson to me, which he had written
from Hartford after the conversation which had
taken place between us lnever saw the letter or
knew its contents till it appeared In print. The
letter was mixture of jest and of sentiment which
any one who knew Mr.. Richardson would readily
understand. shall not 90 TO explain it point by
point. but the ausion to his love for being the
"growth of years" was simply sentimental eX-
preston as in point of fact had known him only
few months, and had been acquainted Win MN not
more than four months.
Just after the shooting, while | was In the great
distress of mind following such horrible occurrence,
Mr. Mcfarland went to my rooms IN Amity-st, and,
gaining access TO nv by such representations
as poisoned the minds of the landlady and the
servants against me ITO whom, OF course had sald
nothing about my aairs), he broke open my trunks,
took out all the private correspondence 1 nao pre-
served during my whole life riiied my wrltng-desk
and portfolio and even searched the pockets OF my
dresses He took not only my letters, but all my
accounts and receipts by which could show what
money had earned the notices and advertisements
which had preserved OF my dramatic readings and
even robbed me of all the Mss, and odds and ends
of literary labOrs, some of which had long time
had hand, ana from tn:it 10 lnlS HdNe Dcrci
seen any of my private papers OF all kinds lie also
succeeded in interceptng two or three more letters
from friends ont Of town This is the history OF the
private letters he has been able to introduce into the
case; and feel compelled 10 add, as was proved III
measure at the trial. that all these letters, except
those two intercepted from Mrs sinclair ana MIS-.
Calhoun he had previously read; that the letters
from Mrs. Calhoun TO me about the stage had beel;
read by him months before / left him, and that all
her efforts to get me an engagement were as wei
known to him as to me. While 1 lived with Mi.
Mcfarland never had letter which in any sense
could DC called private. DE never, that remember,
brought me letter of which he had not first broken
the seal and gone over the contents. And am glad