The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-20
WILLIAM II. PAGES LETTER.
~r,tIyG WHAT IT WAS THtT DROVE
MN TO COMMIT SUICIDE.

.,.rr,ns that hi. wife. by " secret Marriage
.,a U,comcIthe Frequent Companion OF ~
d., who had Money The Denial OF
an. woman that She was ever Married.
The letter that was found by the side OF
robo1y Of william II. Pace. the ticket agent on
na coptral Railroad Of New Jersey. who COM
,,,i,,ed suicide on Thursday evening has been
handed over for publication. 1t is written ON
letter heading Of the company. as follows:
CtSrR,t Rutro,n ~ INV irpsFv,l
TRANSFORMATION Dtr,srsKSr,
CONHtNtrAw SrAtioS July II, 1878.
~, ,ht. method Of letting the public know how 1t
ne that / take the rash act oi having the Public
,m"n re, .u is77 Miss wood and myself was married
~ x,vsrk she did want me to let any one know that
r married ON account of her fQthcr So said nothing
'",t onlv 10 one Person and dat is the switchman
va , IN, lat month she for to grauhe her parents
st.,p going with seth q Babcock because he has got
1,. of money her FOLKS think II she marrics lots Of
IN, II will helm the hole family We TO sleep In the
raror to ke,p the family from knowing any thing about
y"i. i. True and She canno, deny it II she tells the
uuihe II race
About two months ago. according TO tho
sunchman's recollection. Pace told the switch
man tina, il anything should happen to him he
would find letter In his desk. and asked him
IN deliver It rs addressed. This letter was first
dated in May. The date was erased and July"
written over IT, 1t il manifoct that tho
letter hal lain in his desk while no had
broolodoyor his troubles Tor two months before
he carried ont his purpose. The reason OF his
hesitation ran only be cohiccturod. His habit
Of hanging about the bridge in view Of Miss
Woods residence. coupled with his remarks to
various persons. would indicate purpose TO
take other lives that he looked upon as having
blasted his own.
His remark to Jonas Smith ut noon. when he
showed the pistol. and said that folks would
have something TO talk about next day; that
there would be- an interview between him and u
rich man who was running after another mans
wife. and he was prepared il there was To he
any shooting. points to the same conclusion.
Ills long vigil in the Same spot. end
ing at . o'clock in the morning. Just
before he went behind the house, sat
down on tho garden walk. and shot himself
through tho head. makes it almost certain that
II the rich man who had cstranged from him
the woman he looked upon as his had strollcd
Rlon. that way with her. there would have been
more 20 mourn than the few friends OF the
crippled dweler in the lonely ticket Office at
Communipaw.
Officer Grady. the last man known 10 have
seen Pace alive. says that he said nothing 20 in
icatc his purpose while he stood talking with
him NJ the bridge. He said he was going to
leave Communipaw shortly.
suppose" Grady said. you have eot a
better place."
Yes" Pace replied d" l am going 10 a better
place"
Shortly after saying this he started for home
Seeing that the officer staid behind he said
Amt you going 10 walk down 2" and the OIL
,er. consenting. accompanied him as far as the
corner Of Pacific avenue, in which no resided
On the way he said very little except 10 rs k
the offl GER IL there was any place open whore h
could get drink. H. appeared excited. m
u" officer thought 1t WIS OWNS 10 liquor. Thu
drink that h. sought WIS rytd'ntl, for the lur-
pose II ncrving himself for the fatal shot that
BE- had had IN contemplation for months and
u" hour for which had now come.
Ms Wood did not show In manner or CON
ver- ton that she regarded II rs very serious
matt. r.. She said smilngy.. know nothing
about the cause Of Mr.. PAGES suicide had
not se"n him for months"
When Informed Of The contents Of the letter
the palrd a ltile but said: Why. never bad
She was asked il there had boon any engage
mcnt hntw"en them .gnl eay, an eyasl We az
single. AMI knew WIZ.
such an ol serNatiun was made to poor plco
II fNthcr confirms his story than hers; for b.,
rnnhiDd "a a friend several months ago that h'
had proposed 20 rent the rooms over The stat .f
u begin housekeeping with hcr. and that sh'
declined To- h"gin 50 humNly.
Mr.. w Il. Bennett. a near friend II Mr., Pace
went to Newark at the suggestion 81 Mr. VI
saa T@S for w rSor he ms Mi e a, hc &
mentioned In II. hut could ind none. This neg
ntivc evidence. ,nupl"d with Miss Woods de-
NAL. are not sufficient To- outweigh the drciaTa
ton Of n man that he had heen wrongod. whcl
he scaled that declaration with his blood.
IL will be seen that the lrtt"r imput"s nothinl
wrong to Miss Woods. but simply claims her al
his wife. II he had gone further. and put
more uncharitnblr constru'tinn uuon n"r con
1uct-ss uniouhtrdL, ~" u"ighhnrhoal scnndt
has done. his l,.tter might have been attribute,
b the distorted prompt,nes 81 jealousy. Bu
there s further coniirmntQn i i.
Conductor John job n-fOn. his fellow tOardcT
has frequently heard him enter the h use M al
early hour in tn" morning. about tho time Wh"i
be claims to have been spending his night
under the sam" roof with her as ll'- Nii" VI
remark 10 Jonas Smith about TIM; a ricl
man with another mans wife shows IN
thought that she WIS his and that she had ln.i
wr'ngfully taken from him. o. have been IA
p"rmosl in his mind when b" determined tIa
he would do violence 10 himself. b. rnap- e
others Conversation with dozen or mora %
h'- ar1uaniances. among them some ~ hl
most Intimate friends. shows that none Of then
.y"r saw any indication u ms lnity about M
He talked feelngly on the subject. but alw 49,
rifiunally. All in whom he confldcd concur II
Fnying that he was deyotrd,y attached 20 tn
woman u" looked upon A. his vito.
meyer saw man IN ny life ono OF his feel
lw riiroNd men said, ~ 30 gone on woman
II didn't seem 10 he nhle To- give her up
Pnoc's accounts with III" company hc sorvo'
w'r' .Dund 20 i' CORRECT, although Tor time
ruwor fo the contrary had prevailed.
Mr.. srth O.. Eairoeh VIII, se name figures 81
u'l l.u~auily iu the letter thai II WIS the sul
i'mrl" 90 l1y o-ide hin on ~" garden walk. i
'Hrhc.aroi p'lnhls over 10 years. % man 81 q
t.um .i-ui. Vlth ~IiEhty ~t.uf'nH SliuulIn re
amt pr"maiurey AGED countsnHnor, wh
W ut, -'.m 60 = mon -y getting Hn i'nl q.
uHh pretty face 81 twenty SUNNI rs. HI
VIE 20 one tim" a dral'r IN clothes, hu
ff'Ir 4 from bus ness several years ap1