The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1889-08-09

One OF the SaddeSt pieces OF news
the CHRONICLE has ever had to re-
cord is the death of Col. Roger J.
Page. editor of the Marion Times
Register, which occurred about ten
days ago under most distressing cir
cumstances. Col. Page was returning
from Ashevile. He reached Marion
about II O'Clock at night and started to
his room. Some one came up behind him,
fred several shots and fled. Col. Page
fell dead. No one recognized the man
who did the shooting. The Coroner 8
jury returned a verdict that he came to
his death by gun shot from the hands of
a party unknown to u.s." On Thursday
last Edwin Brown who was thought to
have fired the shots went to the sheriff s
office and voluntarily surrendered. He
waived an examination and was commit
ted. He will be tried at October court.
What Caused 1t:
The Marion Times Register says: The
facts as they can be gathered are simply
these, Col Page was married man, liv-
ing apart from his wife for some years,
she being a resident of New York He
married the daughter Of the late John
Mitchell, the Irish patriot who controlled
or edited the Richmond Examiner during
the war He came to Asheville some
three years ago to practice the profession
of the law: He became dissatisfied with
the results of his efforts in this, and some
| months ago came to Marion and took
charge of the Bugle newspaper and
| changed its name after short time, to
| the Times Register. The Office of the
| Times Register was on court house street
| nearly opposite the dwelling house of one
| of our prominent citizens, a physician.
| He was received into the family as a vsi-
To- -A1 ha
| ing a man of fine intellectual attainments,
| educated and cultured, and fine CONVEX
| sationalist. 1t soon became evident to
| those who took the trouble to observe
| closely, that his intentions were not hon
orable, and hat he designed to ruin the
character of the gentleman's wife. His
visits boc ,me more frequent, until stolen
visits iD the absence of the husband, were
| habitually practced, and until he had OBJ
! tanned such an influence over the wife and
| mother as to arouse the suspicious of the
husband. The Investigate ms only con-
| firmed his suspicious, but too surely.
When he was notified to cease his visits
and attention, Col. Page sought advice
from a few gentlemen in the town, pro-
testing his innocence of any improper
conduct or intentions, but carefully con
cealed the worst facts bearing upon his
conduct, and which have since reen made
only too plain. He was advised to cease
his visits, but to go on as if nothing i'm
proper had occurred, for his own sake and
the sake of the wife and mother who must
suffer if color was given to the suspicious
Instead Of ceasing his visits as he was no
titled and warned to do, he kept up com
munication with his victim, and five days
after he had received the warning, and
two days preceding his death ID the alb
sence of the husband, be again made a
stolen visit to the house whose peace he
had destroyed.
The deluded man seemed to be the vic
tim of his own passion, which unfortu
nately carried him to his destruction, and
has wrecked the peace Of the family whose
hallowed precincts his ungovernable pas
sion led him to invade.
While the killing is to be regretted, the
aged parents and connections of the
| ruined wife and mother, upon whom hi:
lusting eye fell, and upon whose honora
BILE name this has been the first and only
shadow that has ever been cast, will have
the sympathy of all honorable thinking
| men.