Telegram-herald., 1890-03-13
THE MYSTERY ENDED
A Letter from Clarence Toog 70
Hls Father Explains AL.
WHY DID Go. 1907 PUBLISH IT?
~Fi..ss Dos't Isii Any 0ss UaIsss IL Be
h-rh<E'-kssp the secret from
brsGAsF kred-Aa ETriEx bat
h-peatsnT >0a's Cry.

loot, care Of +. ". BAH. Any man
with aa ordinarily steady hand could
have played checkers on Mr. Balls coat
tAil A. he hustled to a livery stable, and
a .4mllar performance could have taken
place on the horse, tail as Mr. Ball
lathered him out - lhe loot home
stead, tso miles ia the country. The
nature Of the letter would indicate
that considerable pressure must have
been brought u bear by Employer Ball
on his unfortunate enploye, Geo. :.
Foot, ia order - induce him 70 allow
republication after the pathetic request
don't tell anyone, uniessit be mother. "
surely, Mr. loot must be aware, that a
man OF MS character could obtain
another situation, even II ne
was obliged 70 lose the one
he now holds on the Democrat,
through an honorable desire To re-
spect ms unhappy sons confidence.
some such alternative certainly must
have been forced upon George loot TO
have induced him 10 betray his own
child, 10 have driven HIM To plllOry his
own flesh and blood 10 have urged him
10 diyulge the sacred confidence OF a
repentant II erring son, who turned
for comfort and advice 10 his father in
ms hour OF sOrrOW and rcmOrse, and 20
allow that sons brOken-hearted wall OF
misery and weakness 10 be used %
make sensation for the Grand Rapids
Duly Democrat. Which of the two acted
the betrayers part IN THIS matter? Can
1t De the father turned upon MS oh-
sprIng' Turned upon hi, boy TO whom
only this one act of sin in all MS hfe,
can be charged? y boy who has rccog-
nized his SIN, in whose mouth the
fruits Of MS crlme have already turned
10 Dead Sea fruit, aud vino with eyes
opened 70 his fall has already set his
foot upon the first step in the straight
and narrow way and in deep humility
sobs out: 81 Will arise and go unto my
father" Not hls father betrayed
him. 4 thousand times no.
Mr.. Ball, TAR better would it have
looked for you had you. when you heard
or read the contents OF that letter, re-
spected the sons agony, the fathers
shame and have joined him in respect
ing MS SHINING sons trust.
However, whatever arguments were
brought to bear, and whether the elder
loot consented or not, the lettec was
published and It etfectually explodes
the "Toot mystery II is as follows:
AT SEA, NEAR LISBON, Feb. %, 30.
DEIR FATHER-IIOw good these words
sound once more; and OH how sorry
am that, through an act OF mine. il
NAV be Tor the last tme' | am sure
you VIII o. Justified IN forbidding them
when you have read this letter
don't know how | came to do ii.
Am sure | never thought of il until
that night. Oh. | wish | had died he
fore / came TO this. / was sitting in the
office IN front OF mv safe, which was
open, when my eve fell on the $1,000
package, and for the first time | thought
of taking t. And with that thought
al. the good an me seemed TO leave. and
] resolved 20 take lt, not for the sake OF
the money, out Just for sake Ot the
wrong. ! did not think Of what could
do with the money when / got u. Had
It bCcu that that wanted, ! could have
chosen a time when tho safe contained
several thousand dollars. Then the
thought came 10 me 10 try and make
YOU tb,uk that some one mad made way
WITH me and thatI was dead. Ii seemed
~ though the devil himself was in me;
] danced about 1uj laughed with de-
light when thougtt OF the wrong |
was doiUga1d of the sorrow aud trouble
J would cause. You know how I ar
ranged things. how ! left everything I
was known 20 possess. and tired To make
it appear that / was tne victim OF foul
play.
Don v0u think 7 must have beer
crazy or ont 0f MY Wiud. I am sure |
toa.i mover have tuougnt0t such a ter
rnic tnu- had it not been 80.
- little dld ( think 0f the money
tnat iid not even count it. nor do I
snow how much there was. or how
mucl spent.
1 formed uo plans as 20 what I should
do n the future. but simply took the
first tram lor Detroit. Reaching there
i went 0r to Montreal. and while there
decided CD ~ tn England. I stayed n
Liverpool about p weeS. taking the
first steamer for ~outh America. and
II without any plans for the future.
IL vas only after I reached Buenos
Avres that I seemed ~ realize what I
hat done and the q sgrsce I bad
hrouahf uuon myself md vou. ! was
overcome with remorse and what had
So flsd me with delight before now
drove me nearly mad.
after thiusng the mattcr over
decided The only right thing for me 70
DO ras "a 20 back and give myself pr
tn the authorities. rsturn what Ett.e
money 7 had left. snd after serving ny
turr. make my FIRST am 20 repay
what ( had taken With tHts end fn
v-.rr am now 0u ms w1V ias e. Ihs
letter w reaCn vou some me before
+ art f.sex so vou nfi ne prepared Co
recl. vc fnc ucws ~ NY retnrn. fiease
orr't trI any one. unless tf ~ mother.
what have told v0u- shall make 70
statement to the authorities, nut SIMPLY
r cad guilty
Thca. smother request. can yen
Nrereut Fred fns ~ olt whE am
awsv -o .ong Iou .et afm know
ar1 coming h1rs. ant [ Vl - az
hertv before be- old enough 20 under
sraud have wrtter h'n1 q letter. VIII
rou give il to hir1
am zis8 that v1u still have WI
ANA Fred am sure thcy VIII never co
Rasf hsve-
have bought some feather aowers