Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-11-29

the remains of q middle-aged gentle
man who had died of consumption en-
route. A Juno-like woman OF forty.
with dark eyes as bright as the large
diamonds that sparkled in her ears.
who stood at the exit leading from the
cars, turned away with sadly-dis-
appointed look after scanning the face
of every alighting passenger and seek
ing the conductor eagerly inquired for
one Mr.. James Whitman. On learning
that a gentleman of that name had
died during the trip she was deeply
affected, and. declaring herself the
dead mans wife, she summoned an
undertaken and had the remains con-
viewed to her hotel. She declined all
offers of assistance and companionship
from those about her, saying that she
preferred to watch alone through the
night with her dead.
On the following morning. though
evidently worn out by grief and
fatigue, she ordered carriage and
was driven to Table Rock. Alighting
and requesting the driver to deliver to
the proprietor of her hotel a letter
which she gave him, she deliberately
walked into the water before the man
had the slightest idea OF her intention
and was Immediately swept over the
falls. Her body was never recovered.
The letter which she had given to the
hackman inclosed considerable sum
of money and told a most romantic
story. Her name was Emily Glidden.
and twenty-three years before in
Williamsport, Pa, she had been mar
ried in jest at picnic by a young
divinity student to James Whitman,
the illegitimate son of a deceased old
bachelor who had left him a fortune
of five hundred thousand dollars.
Whitman and Miss Glidden became
deeply attached to each other and
were to have been married in earnest,
but the young mans health compelled
him to go abroad. For the remainder
of his life he was 3 cosmo-
politan, living sometimes in Lon
don, sometimes in Paris and some
times in New York. Miss Glidden, who
had meanwhile removed with her
widowed mother to Chicago. never
married. Whenever Whitman landed
in this country his first act was always
to telegraph for his old sweetheart,
who would Immediately come to him
and remain at his side until he again
departed for some foreign cline,
though she never accompanied him in
any of his wanderings. He had just
returned from a sojourn in the West
Indies, whittier he had vainly gone to
stay the ravages of the slow consump-
ton which for years had been destroy
ing him and was en- route to meet Miss
Glidden at Niagara when death over
took him. The suicide letter declared
that life without her dead lover would
be insupportabie, and expressed the
hope that her remains might be re-
covered in time to be buried in the
same grave with his. 1t directed the
hotel keeper to apply the money in
closed to the payment of his bill, of the
search for her body and Of the funeral
expenses of Whitman and herself. It
also gave the name and address of q
distant male cousin of the dead man
his only surviving relative, who sub
sequently inherited his large fortune.
Coming down to later days we find
that there have been many romantic
suicides here within the past few
years-most of them too fresh in tho
public mind to require more than a
mere mention. Among such cases is
that of Thomas Hilson, a 6efaulting
wool dealer. of Philadelphia. who en-
bezzled fifty thousand dollars from his
partners and who. after spending the
greater part of it in brief career of
almost unparalleled luxury and pleas
ure. ended his life in January, 1883. by
jumping into the rapids from Luna
island because he no longer had means
with which to continue his riotous
manner of living. On April 9. 1884.
Thomas Vedder and Van II. Pearson,
of Suspension Bridge-a little village
about two miles below the falls-broth-
ers-in-law who had long been at vari-
ance on certain subject, went out to-
gether for a drive. Their horse and
carriage were found the next
morning on Goat island. while
Parsons dead body was found
on Luna island with two bullet
holes in his head. Portions of
Vedder's clothing were scattered
about. but he could not be found. On
the 9th of the following June, how
ever. his dead body was discovered by
some workmen who were building
bridges at the Cave of the Winds.
Whether this was case of double
suicide or of murder and suicide will
never be known. Another mysterious
case was that of q husband and wife
named Roland. Belgian couple. who
on q June day in 1879 visited the
Three Sister Islands. Roland pres
emily returned alone to his hotel very
much excited and declared that his
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