Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-03-01

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There was strange mistress over my
fathers household; he was not altered
for the better. and 1 quickly saw that
this woman had complete control over
him. 1 asked for my mother, and was
told she had gone away. No other in
formation or satisfaction would any one
give me.
II, too, was then under the influence
of woman-a good woman-a better
woman God never put on earth; the
only being, except my mother, that 1
ever truthfully, loyalty loved. She was
the daughter of my fathers rival in
business, whom he hated with deadly
hate; but, strong in the new heat OF an
honest affection, l resolved to tell him
all and to ask of him provision to enable
me to marry the girl loved.
II did this at the first opportunity.
Make her your mistress, my boy
ruin her as shall ruin her
canting father, and 1 will give you half
million in lumpY
"That is the answer with which he
met me, the bride with which he
tempted me. Can you wonder that 1
am what am, when I had such IA
ther?
II answered him as man who really
loved pure woman should answer, for
at the time, I was an honest, true man.
Our words after that were fast and hot;
he cursed me and drove me from him;
my parting words to him left no hope
for reconciliation.
II had not cultivated the moral
strength to enable me to stand against
this reverse. With what money I had 1
plunged once more into dissipation. The
money gone, sold all I owned to en-
able me to still sink deeper. My love
tried to hold me up and back, but the
devil had me and tore me from her, and,
at last, hopeless and broken-hearted,
she died.
"Then it was that war came, and I
gladly enlisted in your company, Cap
tain. You all thought 1 was brave
Bah! it was that 1 was too great a
coward to kill myself in the quiet of
night, or deliberately. I wanted to be
killed in the excitement and heat of
fight. You can see now how I sought
death; how good really brave men fell
each side and around me, while came
through it all unframed.
Il grew tired Of the restraint of dis
cipline. The fighting was we'll nigh
over for us, and so Ideserted-that was
my only reason for doing so. drifted
about from one city to another. I fell
lower and lower I was burglar and
highwayman-any and everything short
Of a murderer.
"Two years ago I came back to this
city. In one Of my haunts found a
man who was continually on the look
out for tjobs' for others, of more daring
to execute. He told me of a woman
whom he had watched for years. She
lived alone, in an old mansion, about
ten miles from the city, and was known
as Crazy Madam. No one ever saw her
face. She was closely yelled always.
This man had watched her through the
boarded windows of her home; he had
seen her take, time and again, from her
breast, package; she would lay this in
her lap, hiding it from view, but would
fondle and gaze at the contents for
hoursS He was convinced that this was
either money or jewels of great value,
and to rob this female miser was the
sob he proposed to me.
II was short of money then, and in
a desperate mood, through hard
drinking. I knew the locality we'll;
knew the house; it was one
that stood on the estate of my mothers
parents, for she, too, was wealthy when
she married my father I undertook tc
rob the woman.
"That night, soon after dark, I was
at the old mansion-I peered through
the broken shutters and could see the
woman sitting before fire Of wood
burning brightly on the old-fashionec
hearth. I had learned my burglars
trade we'll by that time. Easily opened
the frontdo Noiselessly I crept along
the dark passage and into the room;
had masked my face with my handker
chief.
I'm few moments I was behind her
then my arm went about her throat, m,
hand over her mouth. I choked he
almost into insensibility. She lay quie
until attempted to sieze the packages
I felt in the bosom of her dress; thel
more than human strength came to her
she fought with the vigor Of ten men
Il was made furious by her resist
ance, she never screamed; she saved al
her strength to defend her treasure
and this, convincing me that it wa
treasure indeed, caused me to exert my
; self still more to obtain it.
II put in play every deyilish art
knew. At last her struggles grey