The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-06-28
THEY DIED TOGETHER
Two Young Lovers Deliberately ST

Burford became intimate, and one Satur-
urday evening not many days ago he
called upon her. and they went away to-
on the Midland railway. That
was the last seen of them alive by their
friends, for late that night they were
found with bullets in their heads. Each
was lying en- the floor Of the railway car,
with blood in pools surrounding them,
and a silver plated pistol, six barrels,
four undischarged, on tho seat.
Neither the man nor the woman was
more than 90 years old. There WIS no
evidence Of their having qusrreled, and
the railway officers, the coroner, and ell
others who saw the bodies were puzzled
to know what might have been the cause
of the tragedy. BY degrees it vas dis
covered, and when all the circumstances
became known to the students Of crime
it was agreed among them that this
double murder must be ranked among the
more notable otfenses of this degree
which occurred in England. 1t was on
the part of each person a case of d:lib-
{ lie death. If either one had been in
s. ne it was insanity only upon the sub
iect Of death. But there does not appear
any evidence that either the lover or his
mistress had lost reason ever to this ex-
tent. All their actions up 10 the time of
their being left alone in the railroad car
riage were rational and natural.
On Saturday evening when Fcron
called to take the girl away he came in q
cab. She appeared as if she had been
expecting him, was dressed in a pretty
gown and was vivacious. The emily curl
Gus thing in her behavior occurred before
her lover arrived. She had been with
some Il in the house and casually re-
marked:
Il must leave you now and go and put
on some clean clothes, for | am going to
die before the evening is over"
But Miss Burford said this without ex-
element, and the person who heard it
thought it a joke until the next day,
when the prophecy was fulhlled. Feron
brought the girl a bunch of lilscs, and
they sat and talked for q few minutes
and left together in a cab. The driver
took them 10 the central station of the
Midland railway, at Derby, at $40 p. m.
They appeared on the platform Just as
any other ardent pair of lovers might
have appeared, and had some refresh
ment in the dining room. Feron bought
two first class tickets 10 Nottingham and
return. When they arrived there they
took a leisurely walk through the town
to the Talbot hotel, where they dined.
Neither then nor later, at the railroad
station, was any strange act observed in
their conduct. They took the $50 p. m.
train from Nottingham, and seemed then
in the hsppiest spirits. Some time later,
when near Trent station, the platform
porter, on going to collect their tickets,
found them dead in their carriage. They
had been alone there, SO there was no
witness OF Whist had happened in thelasl
half hour Of their life.
The inquest showed that the young
people had been planning fer their death
for many days. Mrs. Clara Williams, at
whose house Miss Burford had stopped,
testified that Feron had called there fire.
qucntly during the fortnight preceding.
Ealh seemed devoted TO the other. Miss
Burford astonished Mrs. Williams one
day by manifesting intense interest in a
Sensational novel which described how a
lover had poisoned his sweetheart by put
ting something in her coffee. The girl
said:
1T would be nice to die with my
lover. 1t would be nice to die in each
others arms"
Mrs. Williams told her not to think OF
talk of such things, but the girl only
laughed. Some time afterwsrd the
young woman remarked: How funny
it would be if they were 10 find us dead
in a railway carriage: only we should
miss the best of the fan. We should
like to hear what they would gay when
they opened the door"
This was so extraordinary a statement
that Mrs. Williams regarded it only es a
joke. The girl was in the habit of talk.
ing f1ippantly about serious things. She
once called attention to her dress epcn Mt
the bosom, an | said: How nice it would
be for G bullet to so in here" Mrs.
Williams could remember only one con
yersation between Fcron and Miss Bur.
ford in which she heard them speak as if
they had been discussing suicide. AT
that time the girl was sitting beside her
lover, and lie said:
Il would die for you, Lille. Would
you die for me?"
Yes, would" she replied, and kissed
him on the cheek.
On the Sunday before this Miss Bur.
lord showed Mira. Williams a pistol. She
raid it belonged to Feron, who was down
stairs. The two women went down to
the room where he was, and Feron took
the revolver and held it close TO Miss
Burferd's face. She did not tremble a,
all, and said she was not afraid, for he
knew how to use a weapon.
All this testimony went to show that
the young lovers had contemplated tax
ing their lives. Letters found on Feron's
body explained further their actions.
One of them was addressed to George
Feren, Brussels. 1t read:
My Dear George write you today for the
last time, as | am going to commit suicide
this evening. l have had enough of life, aud
am quite satisfied to die. Besides, a pretty
girl Is going ts kill herself with me, so 1t will
be all the better. 1t is useless to give you
the reason OF our suicide; it is sufficient to
know that she loves me. She has the same
detention to die, and we have decided to kill
ourselves. We are going by rail to Noting.
ham, half an hour by train from Derby. We
viii enjoy ourselves during the evening; then
we viii take train, and on the way back / will
point my revolver at the temple of my mis-
tress and then shoot her; then / will kill
myself by firing on my temple. She has
asked me that this shall be lone because she
cannot handl the revolver. Now / have
only to assure you that this way Is the best
there Is no better way than to love sn honest
young girl and TO be loved by her. Oh, II l
we're to begin again. Kisses 10 all at home.
Receive two last ones from your cousin Rob
ert. Z. S.-You were wrong In not writing
me lately; this would have afforded me so
much pleasure.
Another was addressed to Fritz Pattce,
Brussels. 1t said:
My DEAR FRITz: My good old fellow, l am
| going to be buried In the Garth without shak-
Ing hands with you for the last time. l have
had no luck, because you knew what l had
before going TO Brussels. You will be the
only one In Brussels who knows my secret. ]
have not told my father. / love an actress
and she loves me also. / shall commit sui
eide tomorrow evening. l believe che will
kill herself with me. l know that it is very
sad to die at the age OF 10; she is also Is
| years and 5 months. However, l DO not re
| greet 1t. I will do 1t In a railway carriage. she
has really the intention to commit suicide as
well, for she cannot live without me; she has
a true love forme. However, you know what
girls are; she might be weak and feeble al
abe last moment Therefore, dear Fritz, be
sery careful, and remember sometimes your
old friend Robert. Kisses for you, for your
mother and brothers. VIII you understand
-- "a - 49,.