The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-04
ASAD STORY OF LOVE,
Romance, Marriage, Criticism
And Suicide.
NEWSPAPERS ENTERPRISE
Causes This Terrible Tragedy-The Brooklyn
Eagle to Blame-It Told the Tale
Of Secret Alliance.

of this city, committed suicide at o'clock
Tuesday afternoon. The cause of the sui
eide was an article in the Brooklyn EagJs
of Tuesday, which told of the romantic
courtship and secret marriage of young
Linde to a beautiful young girl named Anna
Williams. The text of what the Brooklyn
Eagle said read somewhat as follows:
1.-THE curtain has rung down OF the first
act of charming comedy drama, the hero
inc of which is a popular belle of St. Angus
tines Roman Catholic church, a beauty of
the intense type
1.-THE hero is young Mr.. Augustus Ste
vens Van de Linde He is golden haired
blonde youth of twenty-three summers, Of
medium height and figure, who is described
as having model disposition and moderate
habits. He is the son of James H. Van de
Linde MIR. Van de Linde, ST., is very rich
and his son is in bank in New York
Augustus is the only son and he has a
pretty blonde sister, who alone of the other
members of the Van de Linde family seems
to have taken graciously to the bride. The
courtship was kept quiet by Augustus, be-
cause he did not feel like submitting his
suit to his parents before everything was
was proud and did not want to give her
friends in ST. Augustine such a fruitful
subject of gossip and speculation.
but the Van de Lindes came to hear of
it, and Mrs. Van de Linde expressed de
sire to see the girl who was reputed to be
so handsome. But Miss Williams did not
go to the Van de Linde mansion because
she felt that her visit might be construed
as a notice that she was angling for Angus
tus, whereas the opposite was true
FINALLY, on August 20, the couple de-
cided that the best thing to do under the
circumstances would be to get married and
let the folks do their growing afterward.
Miss Williams and her lover drove to
Bishop Loughlin's residence and explained
the circumstances to him, chief among
which was the fact that Augustus folks
were Episcopalians. The bishop granted
special dispensation and directed it to the
Rev. Father p. J. McMarma. pastor OF
Our Lady of Mercy church, and thither
went the couple to engage the priest,
Miss Della Williams acting as bridesmaid,
and the BRIDES brother, Thomas NJ Viii
liams, was the best man. No invitations
were sent to the Van de Linde family, who
were in Saratoga, and none of them were
present to see Augustus go off in style. The
bride has never seen her husbands par
ents who are understoOdto be in an amiable
frame of mind. They are back from Sara
toga and Augustus is living at home as he
has ever since his marriage, and as soon as
the young couple can screw their courage
up to the proper point, will visit old Mr..
and Mrs. Van de Linde, acquaint them with
the pleasant fact of the marriage and go
through with the usual routine
of tears, penitence and forgiveness.
After that they will set up housekeeping,
but the WilliamSeS will shed no tears il
forgiveness is not forthcoming. Mrs. Viii
liams Van de Linde has money of her own;
her mother has some more money, and
Augustus earns comfortable wages, so that
nobody will starve, whichever way the sec
ond act of this comedy-drama turns out.
"Hhe marriage has so far been kept pro
found secret. Father Bedford, of ST Au-
gustine's church, had not heard of it this
morning, and rldiculed it as improbable, as
Miss Williams had belonged to that parish.
Nevertheless. the drama is in full pro
gress"
The writer OF this gossip had no idea of
the fatal significance OF the closing words.
1t sounded the death knell of the unfortu-
nate youth. When Patrick Lyons. ianitor
at 20 Court street, returned to the Office
of Van de Linde, he was surprised to see
the door locked. However, he believed
that Van de Linde had started for home
earlier than usual. He opened the door
and entered the room, which was dark He
raised the shade and in the semi-darkGess
saw Van de Linde seated in a chair in front
of his desk with his head buried in his
uduuS. AL ISI TIC ldu IdlStu dll Lu6 SuduGA
he ascertained that the young man was
dead; he had committed suicide. Tightly
clutched in his hand was a revolver, 81
calibre, from which a bullet had entered
the right temple. In front of the dead body
was copy of the Eagle from which had
been clipped the story of his marriage, and
lying alongside was pair of sheers with
which the cutting had been done, all
covered with the young mans life blood.
A thorough investigation has developed
the fact that Van de Linde took his wife
out for walk about o'clock. After he
left her he bought copy of the Eagle and
walked back to the office. When he entered
| he said to Ly IONS: "This is pretty thing;
but you may be sure that no friend of mine
wrote it." He then read the story again
and became very pale. He cut the piece
out of the paper and asked Lyons to read
it. Lyons read it partially and was sent
out to do some petty errand. 1t was then
Van de Linde took his position as stated
and fired the fatal bullet
When news of the tragedy was conveyed
to the young wife she uttered acry of my
GOd'' and darted up stairs only to reappear
Immediately with her bonnet and rushed
out of doors crying my God, ~ moaning as
if her heart would break. She ran through
the street to the house where her husbands
body lay. Several persons were watching
to prevent the young wife from entering
the room in which the body was lying, but
she outwitted the watchers by going
boldly in another entrance.
She did not make any scene when she
saw her husbands body, but tears ran
down her cheeks in streams and tie
ianitor in charge of the office directed a
policeman to take the young woman outside.
''But 1 am his wife, she said. 81 don't
know" he replied and expostulated. The
undertaken said he was not acting in
proper manner, as the young man was only
eighteen years of age, and he did not intend
to allow any one except the dead boys
parents to take charge of the body.
Mrs. Van de Linde fingered around the
Office for half an hour, but was finally per-
suaded to return to her home. It is feared
| that the shock may craze her