Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-05-06
The Rath-MedIfcett Case.
,Corresp0ndenee OF the y. \. World

Truth is stranger than fiction, and vet lev
realize the fact. when the novelist or t.et
de wires a strange plot and marvellous csnoue-
m, nj. critics pronounce the work strainsd d. an
natural. and wildly sensational, and croEn
PEOPLE thank heaven that such thing never
ocenr In real life. Ne; the events 81 ac.ual
Occurrences which I may nov uarrate are a.
Wild ard strange as sny sensational story ga
CHARLIE keade. Let me give the yeritshl- lie
hhSIy OF certain women OF 81. Louis one has
nov caImihsted tn the sudden death OF Mr..
kuth, OF the Lawrence yoay.al and WI dout,t
.sss sppeAr IN the courts, therefore, names msy
be freely siven.
this county not long ago a gentleman of Fr.neh
family, Of marked ability. aud attractive MAJ
ners, had a wife TO whom be wss most ceys-eiiy
attached. She wss not beautiful. and no lonc.r
yOung, but of enc form, more than usasI -
ture. and q seductive magnetism which has nov
proved fstal 20 ~ least one man. For loving ber
ed, and another IL now in danger OF the gal
lows. Mrs. Noullaire did not employ her mae
netic attractions for her husband alone, other
men were charmed by her conversatiOn, her
music, and her poetry. In time q divorce took
plsce, and scarcely had 10 set her free when an
other, j. NJ. Ruth. then engaged IN the post OF
nee here, sought the dangerous prize. stu low
ing The woman intensely, and believing that tbs
divorce had been procured AZ RGth's instiea-
ton, and with hts aid. Nouilaire assaulted Rgth
when escor;ing Mrs. Nouliaire home from a.,
theatre. Both were shot, NOullsire through
the lung, but neither fatally. Rgth married ths
the last.
They moved 20 Kansas. sniMr Rath he,,D,
business manager OF the Lswrunce TTihuns
Again the seductive woman found another 81
love her besides the husband who had ri~ked q
life and tarnished hts name for her sake. n.
family physician, Tor. Medlicott, Was a frier..
OF the husband, and became the friend OF &
wife, IL circumstances 90 not deceive
neigheor states that OF late MedhoOu n.
attention and On al b igh words occurred betWs
Ruth and his wife last "wednesday IN viii
thls mans name vas used But " the
picions OF the husband were reused they m.
have been allayed again, for IN 81 eveniug-M
Ruth having gone 90 Leaven~orth on the A..
noon train Ruth found solsce for his lonr
ness IN game of chess with MedlicOtt. Tn
played, IL appears, until go, and the docfo
then LEFT. Ruth remained in the house with a
lad, Belmont, son of Mrs. Ruth by n form.
husband. Ats30 he babe belmont good ntgh
and went 10 his room. Esrly the next nerp'r
the hoy o1nd him senseless IN his bed
The lad ran for nr. Metlicott who came. q
sent the boy for another doctor, himse N remat,
ing alone with the corpse. Other physicia1
soon came. and though the hand was vet war
arc, sno ne whole body had life-like feeling. ~
tried IN vain hot bricks, hot water and cal
ism, and were compelled st las 10 prone
blfs cead. Meanwhile the coroner and
seems had u ieft ni. AND Dr; Medllcot
death, wondering vainly what could have h.,
the cause OF IL, and searching the clothes OF ~
Gee ,, asea LOT anything which could throw light
lying under his vest on the piano. M.rsbsi
Carnee took the book, looked, perhsns i'm had
tnonghtlese curiosity, for the latest entry, and
sodddeDly cried Here itis" All listened in
the most intense excitement while the m.rshsi
read, traced in Ruth's hand writing hu, ne
unsteady hand and in evident haste 70 com
piete the message before swtft-coming death
should deprive him OF power. the folIowInS
words:
DARLING: The DOCTOR mean DR.. Mesl-
cott-gsve me 9uinine powder. "Wednesday
night, April p. The effects are these. bars
terrible sensation OF a rush of blood "a re
head, and my skin burns and itches. 1 an be
coming numb and blind. 4 can scarcslx hoIa
my pencil, and cannot keep my mind stea1y.
Precipitation stands out all over INV body. anil
feel terribly. The clock has just s'rack eleven.
and l took the medicine about 10 30 %. m \
write this that il never zee you sssin YOU nav
have my b0cy examined, and zee what the
trouhe is Good by, and ever remember NV
last thoughts were OF you. . cannot see 20 write
more God bless you, and may we m set IA
heaven. Your loving husband. L. NJ Rrru
Dr. hedlicou was called, and not being IN
formed OF this accusation from the grave ieself
testified that be had LEFT Ruth feeling apuarertIs
IN his usual health, snd had given him no me-,
lcine on wednesday night, but for some time
~ hntS hsd been complaining OF torpid fever, ana
the sunday previous be had given him a pre-
scripuon OF quinine. A warrant had meant.ms
been obtained, and after having testified me
doctor was arrested. he showed no astOnisiI-
ment or trepidation, knowing nothing OF ~,
diary and its terrible evidence. when he 49,
searched there were found or his person a H.
IN her handwriting
Think OF that dying husband asing lis last
trthgth and failing slght 20 trace ms message
OF love 70 wife whose verses and PORTRAIT ~
even tben IN the keeping Of another, Think OF
that other perhaps waiting all nigh: 10 he ar o: a
death unexpected 20 al bat himself TIE
nearest neighbor heard a noise in the alley be
tween bls house and Ruth's about n o'cIo,k. a
window was heard closed. aud some one wsik-
ing through the alley. Did q Murderer linger
around The house 10 be sure that his work va
ne hat Sfru
I.oIsoned husband writing his accusation. While
TIE ioyer-prisoner waits beneath the window
al q viii men believe that in can be fsithfuI!v
COPIED from actusl events? I do not mean 20
pteyuolce. Perhaps accident or disease NAV
have caused the death, though dispatches asset
that traces OF poison were found.
HE coroDers inquest has adjourned uu,fl
wednesday next, and the stom sch OF the de-
ceased Is beng examined BY the doctors. Let
ns nope, for the credit of the medical profess
son, AID for the honor of human nature thst
mt Suspicion OF the dying man may prove IN
rounded, or, a. least, that the wife NAV not h..
implicated. But the case, as the papers ID Us taT
state Il, is horrible enough.