Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-07-15
CHICAGO tETTAA
Correspondents Pablo Ledger.
Ourckao Julv II 1899

faSnl0naOle Oatn house. The murder
Of the doctor was, evidently, for the
purpose of obtaining money. How
ever, the culprits gained nothing, for
the deceased did not carry his money
or valuables on his person, always
keeping them in secret drawer in his
office, known to no one save his son.
The murderers are still unknown to
the law, but it is believed that a negro
man who is now under arrest is the
perpetrator of the terrible deed.
The Stiles murder is the" sensa-
ton Of the city. Charley was one
of the very fast young men of the age;
fast in everything, from specializing in
wheat to MASKING feminine hearts.
He was a favorite among fast men and
fast women, and while calculated by
age, intelligence, good looks, polite
and winning manners to ornament.
moral" society, ne chose to follow
ths sin-gilt path that led him to his
death before he had reached middle
life by several years. He wal a son
of the late General Stiles, of Dixon,
ILL.,, who, last August, passed suddenly
into the shadowy land in the arms of
the unfortunate woman who now oc.
cupies d felon's cell for having killed
the much loved son of that father.
Efie Stiles was generally believed to
be the legal wife Of Charley, as he
was universally called. He, it ap-
pears, met her in Baltimore, and
induced her to follow him to Chica.
90. Fer seven or eight years
they passed as man and wife. Still
there were many men who knew she
was a little fast" for a virtuous mar
ried woman. But she was winked at
by those in the secret, and the very
beautiful woman reigned queen wher-
ever she went, and every one thought
Mr.. and Mrs. Stiles were the happiest
OF people. But, sad to state, this
appears to have been quite the reverse
Of true. They quarreled and made
up. and quarrelvd again. Finally, all
this resulted in murder-in the killing
of Mr.. Stiles by his beautiful para
mour, the witching Fife Sterling, as
she was known to the demi monde of
Baltimore, where, at fourteen years Of
age, she entered upon the road of sin
that has led her into a prison cell.
That Charlie isdead, there is no doubt,
but that Fife murdered him felon
iously is very doubtful; in fact, it is
generally believed that the killing was
done in self defense, if not accident
ally. MI. Stiles roOmed at the Palmer
House. Yesterday morning, early,
Fife called on him in his rooms to
take, as she says, a farewell Of him,
because of i'll treatment received at
his hands Sunday night. She says
she asked him for a farewell kiss, aud
instead Of an osculatory salute he gave
her a brutal kick and commenced
choking her. While at this pleas
antry, which he had often practiced
before, the self cocker" went off
twice, and Charlie Immediately be-
came an angel. If anything else than
self-delense can be made out Of the
case, then your correspondent is no
Judge o human nature. The marks of
violence on the poor fallen girls neck
and the general disorder of her
dress freely demonstrated that she
had been assaulted. Then, is it
any wonder that the woman
resorted to the aid IF the deadly pistol
to aid her against the cowardly abuse
Of the nan who should have protected
her against violence. As she had
never fred a pistol before, and as the
weapon was a self cocker, it is likely
that the struggle and excitement
caused the premature discharge, which
resulted in death. OF course the
calamity is shocking, but it is merely
another fearful moral lesson, one that
fully illustrates that he or she who
sets the laws of society at barefaced
defiance and reyels in sin, may expect
to reap as he or she sows. From his
twelfth year Charlie commenced SOW
ing a very large crop OF wild oats, both
in fast Europe and fast America. To
crafty this passion his late father
furnished him plenty of money from
his Golfers, that were well filed during
the late war, he being a successful
army contractor. 1t may be a refec-
ton on the dead, but such is not in
tended, to say that any parent allowing
his boy to 60 out into the vortex Of a
fast world, and furnish him with
money to crafty his fourteen year old
sinful tastes, should be held account
able for the evil tastes acquired 10 that
crazy season Of Disqualification; but
such would appear to be the correct
view Of the matter. Certainly if
General Stiles had used more parental
judgment and held down his romantic
and peculiar son, the end Of his child,
most likely, would not have been one
to cause his poor mother heart broken
sorrow, and to cause moral society to
blush, The unfortunate Efie is more
to be pitied than condemned. That
she had been treated inhumanely by
the man who lived, as a general thing,
on the bounty OF her shame, is beyond
dispute. Then can it be wondered at
that when she decided to part from
him in peace, he spurned her with
contemplate blows, that she sought
the aid Of her pistol to defend her from
his cowardly attack? No! Any man,
let alone a poor girl, would have done
the same, aud the world would call the
killing self-defense."
Another sensation occurred yester-
day in Chicago. Ii was the exposing
Of a little true inwardness, and was
brought about by the death Of Mr..
John B. Kelly, a stock broker of
means, while under the influence of
I, chloroform, administered by mis- sur
, geon to alleviate the pain of an opera-