Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1882-11-08
Letters from A. w. Kimball, written just
before he took the Fatal Poison.

Letters from A. w. Kimball, written just
before he took the Fatal Poison.
The dispatch which we published last
week, stated that A. w. Kimball left let
tiers explaining his death. and so he did.
The mail, few days after, brought an
official envelope directed to Nv. T. Will
kins, Esq, Austin, Mower County, Min
nesota." It was directed in Kimball's
own handwriting, and was clearly and
legibly written. In fact, the hand-writ-
ing was better than Kimball usually
wrote, and he was good penman. In
side the envelope were letters to Mr.. Will
kins, to Mrs. Kimball, w. F. Sutherland,
H. w. Elms and Ole Finhart. The letter
to Wilkins and extracts from the one to
Mrs. Kimball we publish below. A
day or two before taking the fatal poi
son, he wrote these letters, put them in the
envelope, and directed it, leaving the en-
velope where it could be seen. In
deed, he must have been ''in the depths
of dispair and distress" The letter to
Sutherland was one acknowledging his
sins and asking forgiveness; the ones to
Elms and Finhart, were of a few lines
only, of business nature, and Of no
general interest.
Following is the letter to Mr.. Wilkins:
COUNTY CLERKS OFFICE. Soccorro Co.,
SOCCORRO, n. NJ, 25th Oct, 1882.
w. 7. WILKINS, ESQ. Not for myself,
for do not deserve any consideration
from you, but ask you. for the sake OF
her VINO has always been too good for
me, and who has suffered through my
wrong and wicked acts, to do what you
can to soften this last cruel blow. You
You have been generous to us. l have
been the greatest of ingrates. / am ter
rlbly miserable. l wish could feel that
GOO would have pity. for ME, but am
afraid that have been too wicked. can
not pray to him. try. but am afraid 1
am too bad. / don't like to die away
here, and no one to care where Abe Kim
ball is covered from all on earth, but
can not live this way. I should 30 mad.
1 lay awake nights thinking. Oh! God
pity me! Wilkins, have suffered, las l
suppose deserved), but probably more
than ordinary people suffer in their whole
lives. Surely, the way Of the transgres-
sor is hard. Be good to her, Wiki, and
God will reward your good kind heart.
| shall leave my personal things here
papers, &c.-in my trunk. Mrs. Kimball
may wish to have them. If she does, you
can send for them to Mr.. Stanislas v.
Chavez, in whose charge l leave them.
My watch and chain is security for debt
of $2O for money borrowed for her
(poon.>,o\ hmm .Nlfl, I howe nat hinr cleo
No money II Mr.. Chavez goes to any
expense IN my burial, will you please ash
Ellns, Driesner, or any OF the boys OF
Austin Lodge No. 20, I. .. 0. F., to con-
tribute enough to make it good. l have
never asked the boys to do anything for
me before, aud this is my last. l know
they will do it for me. May God bless
aud prosper you. UnworthlIy,
A. w. kIMBALL.
1t is with the reluctant consent of Mrs
Kimball, we publish the following ex-
tracts from letter dated Oct. 25th, con-
tanning the last words of her husband, A.
w. Kimball, to her. We do not publish
them to satisfy an idle curiosity, but hop
ing, from this bitter experience, some
lesson may he learned, that from this
wall of despair that tells of no hope in
this life, and none for the life to come,
some warning may be given to any or all
who are or may be tempted in like man
ner, to sin. If there is any hope for the
sinful soul after the death of the body,
many of the old time friends who remem-
Der the good-hearted Abe Kimball. as
they knew him five years ago, are ready
to join heartily in his own last prayer,
that God would pity him.
~ am in the depths of despair
and distress, and you foretold truly what
would be the consequence of my wicked
and most inhuman course. / should not
complain. brought it on myself, after
repeated warnings from those who were
my friends. can not ask you to forgive
me for the great wrong have done you.
Try to think of me as was
when was honest, and before met the
person who has, with me, causied all of
this trouble and misery. All is
dark before me. and all is dark
ON the other side: Will God have
that am sorry used them in the way
law. / oNV ~ GAA Az" "AOA ~ 10 wv
late. What was the matter with me-?
Why was ! so blind and foolish7 4
Remember me as kindly as you can. You
will have the great consolation of knowing
that all this has been from no fault of
yours How wish that all of this could be
recalled, and we be back in Boston Harbor
again, where we were so happy. What a
wasted life has mine been! But I want
to tell you here that did love you. You
were, in fact the only woman ever did
love. This other was but infatuation.
Think as kindly of me as you can. 1wish
I had more of this worlds goods to leave
you. know your health Is SO poor, but
God will provide for you.
Iwish I could see you. 1t is terribly
hard tor me- me- to 9ro die Dy my own hn
have ever known. May God have mercy
on me, if He can, and bless you. God
pity mel God pity me!