Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1890-06-05


Below will be found printed a pa
thetic letter from the young broken
hearted wife addressed to the edi-
tor of this paper, written this morn
ing at the residence of Mr.. Leake.
Mrs. King does not believe her
husband is guilty of any of the
self-confessed crimes alleged to
have been committed by himself:
MRS. KINGS LETTER.
To the Editor Of the Ledger.
MEXICO, No., May 31.-There
have been so many false state.
ments made concerning myself and
my husband, Mansfield King, that
I feel it my duty to relate the facts
as Tar as I am concerned. When
"Mansen and I were married he
was as highly respected as any
young man in the community. Pa
did not have him hired. The
papers have stated that he was an
idle, worthless fellow. Whatever
he has proven to be since we
separated, he conducted himself
all right when we lived together.
I admit that my father was oppos.
ed to our marriage, but he always
objected to every young man that
came to see me. I had lost my
dearest friend, my mother, and my
home was home no lsnger without
her loving presence. I thought /
would secure one of my own, but
alas how badly I was deceived.
I loved 'sManse" as well rs woman
ever loved a man; I clung to him
and tried to conceal his faults as
long as I could. He has criminat-
ed himself and accused himself Of
crimes he never committed. I will
never believe his hands are. stained
with the blood ofhis fellow being.
I know he sis, not guilty of scarcely
anything he charges himself with.
He has broken my heart. I have
no interest in life /; my only hope
is that death will put a speedy end
to my sufferings of mind and body.
I know it is sinful in me to feel 80,
but what have to look forward to
but the very blackness of despair?
I hope God will forgive "Manse"
for the wreck he has made of my
life. MRS. MANSFIELD KING.
Mr.. ]. G. Leaks, a respectable
and intelligent man who lives on
West Love street, brought Mrs.
Kings letter to this Office. Mr.,
Leake stated, in emphatic language,
that the miraculous stories King il
telling ofthe many desperate deeds
committed by himself, are one and
all fabrications, the delusions of Q
diseased mind. Mr.. Leake thinks
King is crazy. In regard to the
murder of the man Carter it is pre-.
posterous to even think of such 9
deed having been done by King
At the time Carter disappeared
King was only 13 years old and
hence, at that age, would not have
had the courage to commit such
a crime. Mr.. Leake says it wal
not Kings nature to be vicious; or
the other hand he was Ms kind anG
gentle as woman, and at tha'
time a young man held in high
esteem in the neighborhood. Car
ter disappeared 10 or 12 years ago
and the supposition was he went t
California, which no doubt is true
from Mr.. Leake's statements t.
this reporter. Regarding the Den
yer bank robbery our informant
states that he does not believ.
Mansfield King was ever in tha
city; and he knows he never hat
the nerve to do such job. Hi
crookedness in Chicago is all I
myth. King was reared q countr,
youth and when he left his wifi
was unsophisticated in the ways o.
the world. No one of his forme
friends ever heard Of him being il
Chicago. That King degeneratet
after he left home Mr.. Leake say
Is true, and no doubt he is guilt,
of several petty crimes, but tn
miraculous stories he is Il ling tn,
st. Louis officers are all imagining
of demented mind. The suddel
disappearance of the suppose'
murdered Carter, Mr.. Leake says
was accounted for in this wise
Carter lived with his mother-in
llaw, who had half-witsed daugh
tier Ia sister-in-law to Carter an
lhe was thought to have been q
Itoo intimate terms with this girl
1.-The fact being noised throuQhuu