Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-02-27
81 certainly shall, it is my

CcIIdillty Sliaiii, IL ID III
duty.
Then sit down here and write
what | dictate, but you will new
er see me in Court. | shall die
now, and that soon.'
81 hastened to comply with his
wishes, and, lying there, he re-
peated as / wrote:
4 loved my wife dearly as.
any man could, and did not In.
tend to murder her, but she had
had a school-boy lover, to whose.
memory she clung with a persis-I
tent fondness which reused the.
demon Of jealousy. l did not
want her to think Of any one but
myself. AT dinner that day she
had unfortunately again angered
me about the beardless boy, who
had that day called upon her.
We passed up the stairs together
without the servants noticing us,
and, on entering our room, she
expostulated with me. She was
half sitting on the edge of the
bed. 1sprang to her side, clutch
ed her throat, and, forcing her
back on the bed, uttered angry
words that have never since left
my ears. She attempted toI
and / drew the heavy
pillow over her face only for a
moment, but that moment of ter
ror sufficed to develop the latent
heart trouble, and | looked into
the dead face of my wife. / en-
to bring her to, but
SHE WAS DEAD BEYOND RECALL.
I put on my street coat, and in
maze of terror hastened into the
street unobserved by any one in
the house. My first impulse was
to fly, but second thought show
ed me the futility of the attempt.
Vainly striving to still the tu-l
mutt of my heart | walked the
till fatigued. Then re-
turned to the house, partially dis
arranged the silent figure
on the bed, and summoned aid.
| did loose consciousness for a
time-and God knows my grief
has been genuine. / have suffer-
ed beyond human endurance, and
but for my gray-haired father and
my sisters / should have given
myself up to the law
ale ceased speaking, an d
wept as only men weep, while |
shed many tears also. After he
became more calm he signed the
paper, and / witnessed the sigma
ture, as did also the clerk Of the
hotel, who little thought the ter
rible portent Of that slip of paper.
81 then telegraphed to Super
Kennedy to send me
an officer, as | was on the eve of
a discovery of Importance. The
officer came with all possible
speed, duly authorized to act on
my case. Ny patient was failing
SO rapidly that no steps were ta-
ken for his arrest, and at mid
night following the arrival of the
officer Mr.. Williston died. We
two witnessed his death which
was very affecting indeed, as he
continually implored Dora to
forgive him. AS soon as ar
rangements could be made his
were forwarded in the
care of the off Ger to his
friends in New York. There
were no wrongly-accused victims
of circumstantial evidence to be
indicated, and the confession
was sealed up and put away un-
til the time should elapse during
which it was probable any accu-
sation might be made. The time
has already passed"
The cautious reader of this
true narrative may, if he chooses,
find in the Herald of March 26,
1861, the following notice:
HIS DEATH NOTICE.
eDied, in New Orleans, March
10Th, Charles WilIiston, aged
twenty-nine. His many friends
will regret to learn of the sad
ending of prosperous and prom
ising life, but the mysterious and
sudden death of his lovely wife
SO preyed upon his health as to-
produce a rapid decline. His re-
mains will be brought home for
Frequently when the public
cry about the important cases
being dropped by the police is be-
cause of some similar result Of
their search and it is best and
wisest to bear the reproaches Of
those uninfoimed, a higher power
having wrested from them the
and right to bring to
justice the guilty.
Mrs. Benton spoke of many
other cases of more recent date,
In which she had aided the police
in their efforts to find out crilni-
nails, but preferred to keep the