The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-07-04
ONLY A PRACTICAL JOKE.
"a' 1t Cost the Iife Of an Am.r..a
Suit0r.

- tsFiELD, Mass, June 3O--A pract;ca
!oke played by a young lady ON two s,
| IAnced lovers caused the suicide al; W Stoel,
| DrIse OF robert Stinson, the Young son =
S4;"sg Stinson, Of Norristown. Penn
snson 4no.I was twenty-three years old, a grad
;s;a .ae OF Lengh University ,and a bright. prom
a+ Is hy young man. Hehad been studying Law
admitted to the bar next wear. " ~
,r FOR some time he had been enpaoed r.
MISS Cara Edwards, of West stockbridee
anu % month ago he started from home tt
make her visit. On his way he stonnet]
at oswego, N. Y, where he acted as hest
man at the wedding of a college chnn
named Morrow. The next week he snenf
~ Taking an active part in the festivities
roWwing, dancing, whist and tennis.
Une evening while rowing ON the lake will,
~: lM.ss morrow she began to tease him about
Ne Ne .a uevooion to certain young lady in
massachusetts, and said she Thought the
young lady ought to be informed Of his gal
iAntr1es TO OswegO beauties.
ioung Stlnson laughingly told her she
ha6 better write a letter to his affiancetl
ana gave her Miss Edwards address.
day or two after Miss Edwards received
q letter from Miss Morrow to the effect that
nopert Stinson had mysteriously disap-
peared and his Oswego friends believed he
was drowned in the lake. At this startling
intelligence Miss Edwards swooned and
was found by her family with the letter in
her hand. Her father telegraphed to Os-
wego Tor particulars and soon received a
dispatch reading:
Robert has returned alive and we'll. It
was all joke.
Then it was discovered that the letter
had finely-written postscript which read
Strange things happen in this world and
this letter is all rats.
Indignant at such thoughtless cruelty Mr..
Edw ards commanded his daughter to end
her relations with Stinson, In day or
two, however, came a letter from him ex-
onerating himself from blame. Then Mr..
Edmunds telegraphed him to come to
Stockbridge and explain. He did SO and
soon after his arrival a week or SO, hefully
proved his innocence. Then the wedding
OF the lovers was fixed for September
The news of Stinson's death had, how
ever, spread like wildfire in the little town,
and every one he met quizzed him on the
subject. So great did the annoyance be-
come that the young man told friend
that the gossips and inquisitive people
everywhere were driving him crazy.
Meanwhile his father, hearing of the ap-
preaching nuptials and wishing to have
them postponed till his son was admitted
to the bar, sent his second son, Harry, to
propose postponement,
The two brothers met here on Friday and
had long interview. They were to meet
again at 4. After leaving his brother Rob-
ert appeared very Respondent and visited
several barrOOms. Being totally unused to
liquor he was before noon in pitiable
condition. In this state he took the train
for West Stockbridge and went directly to
call upon his sweetheart.
Greatly shocked at his condition the
young lady concealed it from her family
and ministered to his wants. At 6 o'clock,
however, he escaped from the house un-
noticed. He bought a revolver, and after
writing two letters at the depot sent dis
patch to his brother saying:
81 am gone"
Then he lighted cigar, told the station
agent he was going to his aunt's, and went
out. Next day he was missing. The whole
town turned out and he was found by the
railroad track with a bullet hole in his
temple and all but two chambers of his re-
volver empty.
The letter he wrote to Miss Edwards was
simply note saying he was going to his
aunt's and would see her in the morning.
She is wild with grief. The young mans
suicide was doubtless due to temporary
insanity caused by over-application to
study annoyance at the practical joke
played upon him and modification at being
,een by his betrothed while intoxicated.