Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-01-04

Eight days ago he received letter from
young lady in Germany, whom he was
| engaged to marry. breaking off the en-
| gagement. Mr.. Niederstein, who Is 9
! native of Bonn, says the young woman
was the daughter of one Baron Marx OF
Bonn.
"YouDg Won Sternberg came to this
country about year ago. Mr.. Hesse
said. He told me once that he was
obliged to leave Germany because of duel
at the university about Miss Marx, in
which he killed his opponent. l believed
his statement. He first found employ
ment, think. in a restauran in Brook
| Ign, and a few months ago came to me as
| ting dollar week and Ills expenses He
never was intoxicated, and attended close
| X to business. On Monday evening he
attended a Christmas entertainment in
MIR. Niederstein's family. returning to
| the store at about 10 O'Clock, leaving him
| to close the store st about IL. He came
to bed at II O'Clock, having sat up.
| presume, to write the letter to Mr.. Me
dersteiu which l found IN the room this
morning. When I awoke I found that
he was breathing very heavily. [ tried
! to waken him, and could not. Then
saw our poison box ia the room, and the
note. I called Mr.. Niederstein, and we
summoned Dr. Halves. who applied the
stomach pump, but without effect. He
said it was case of morphine poisoning,
and that Won Sternberg would die. We
had him removed to the Presbyterian Hos
pital, and he died there four hours after
! ward. without having become conscious.
He hal no relatives 10 this country, but
had warm friend in a prominent Ger
man physician in Brooklyn, who knows
his family, He was great student Of
German poetry. and had lately been read
ing Heine.''
1.-The young man was attracted by my
name" Mr.. Niederstein said, yes.
terday, land called on me to learn If
was one of the Niedersteins of Bonn
W ben he found that was he made HIM
self known to me. Won Sternberg' g father
is baron, died few years ago, leaving
Richard an income of 81. 900 francs year,
but he could not touch the principal, and
his guardian. who is his uncle, and is q
professor in a German university, was
given more than usual authority in the
matter of the property. Richard led a
rather wild life at the university, and on
the strength of his expectations contract
ed enormous debts. I have heard about
a duel he was engaged in, but never that
he killed ANYBODY. He had been receiving
s35 month since he had been in this
country, his guardian devoting the other
$545 month to the payment Of his
debts.
"a few weeks ago Won Sternberg wrote
| to Miss Marx telling her just what he was
receiving in the drug store and what his
prospects were, and telling Der that it
would be about six years before he could
marry her in manner BETTING her sta
ton. Three weeks ago he mailed her his
photograph. and friend, who is an artist,
pu. his coat of arms underneath it very
beautifully. When he received the ans
wer to his first letter eight days ago he
| brought it to me and it is still in my pos
session.
The letter was addressed upon the out
side to L. Richard Won Sternberg. 1t was
written in hand as perfect as copperplate
Oh paper apparently stained with tears,
and translated was:
MY EVER AND ONLY BELOVED: The
last time dare to Call you such, because
l never thought 1t possible that circum =.
stances should be as they are. The mere
idea is enough to drive me mad. One thing
has become certainty. We are bound to
part. How l have thought and thought
IN the last weeks and tried TO get last
Anchor of Hope. But hopeless Nobody
stood helping me as prayed, and on the
other hand, everybody was against me,
and asking them to leave off threatening
me. But the threats of others force me
to write this letter.
Your letter came, and with that letter
my last hope was gone. Six years! An
endless long time.
They will say many things. l fully be-
lieve that you love me. But that long
time may kill your love. When you come
back then you will be just in the prime of
your ears; but l on the other side, will
have lost the bloom of youth. I am
woman. You, however, being bound by
your word, would not hesitate moment
to keep it, even if by doing it you were
made very unhappy. Rather than put you
to that Hnhappiness, will not hold you
to your pledge any more. | love you too
much to draw you into unhappiness tits
quite enough if one is made miserable,
| My parents and sisters refuse their con-
sent, and never will give it to me. I am
entirely in their power If yon could come
back within one or two years, as you prom
ised when you left me, would withstand
all their threats to the last. But with this
l lose my hold. / see the end only too
plainly, Richard, Richard, why did you
teach me the highest felicity in the world
only now to let me sink into misery? If
you bad been frank before you went away,
perhaps everything would have been salts
factory. But now it is too late 1 forgive
you with all my heart, and beg you to for
give me, in case this grieves you. God is
my witness how suffer under it. Later
on you will find that I am only trying to
seek your own happiness. will daily pray
for you, and whenever anything good hap
pens to you, think that have asked God
for it, How infinitely have loved you!
I thought that | could overcome every-
thing. You we're my first, young, and only
fove, and ever will be so, because belong
to those natures that Can love only once.
In whatever circumstances 1 may be, do
not forget that my love belongs to you
forever and in eternity, and whenever you
are in want of true friend come to me.
Promise that to me: that is the least I can
ask for.
One other request l have to make:
Leave me your photograph and your let
tiers and the betrothal ring for mem,ry's
sake. All the other pretty presents are at
at your disposal. Please say what you
want me to do with them. M, letters,
and the few things you have of me, |
pray you to keep in memory of me; but if
thsau Si.aL,ld hf !, ~ Ala + r.. III