The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-12
Money COMBINES q ourse.
From the CHICAGO Mail.

A few years ago there lived in Atchison,
Kan, a family, the head of which was O
man in comfortable circumstances, whose
cosy cottage on one Of the best streets of
the town sheltered a wife, son and a
daughter, the latter a beautiful girl Just
budding into womanhood. The family
stood well in tho city, and the boy, bright
in his studies and correct in his habits, was
looked upon as one Of the promising young
men of Atchison. One day the father fell
sick and died after a very brief illness
When it came time to settle up his estate 1t
was discovered that instead OF leaving his
family in comfortable circumstances he
had left them almost penniless. The home
stead and few hundred dollars in bank
was all that could be found. What he had
done with the money he had earned none
could tell. but with stout hearts
the bereaved ones set about earn
ing their living in the world. The
boy went to work, the girl gave music
lessons, and in the little cottage there was
plenty of family affection If but little
money. One day the widow, while ran
sacking desk, discovered key. 1t had a
strange appearance to her. 1t fitted DO lock
in the house, nor at her husbands place of
business. vague suspicion entered the
mind of the widow that this might be the
key to the place in which her nus band had
deposited the earnings of his lifetime. With
Judge Horton to aid her she went to Kan
sas City, and, after making tour of all the
safe deposit vaults finally discovered one in
which her husbands name was registered as
that of box owner After the necessary
legal steps had been taken she was per-
United to try her key. Sure enough the
box opened, and to the astonished eyes OF
the widow were displayed government
bonds, railway stocks and gold coin amount
ing in all to nearly $50, 600
kt.~o@ - Al
| that night for Atohison. The widow aud
her children saw q new life opening before
them; the days OF poverty were passed; the
struggle for existence was over; they seemed
| fairly TO walk on cir, and for months moth
ing occurred to mar their perfect happiness.
| Then trouble came. The boy, steady ana
industrious while poor, became wild and
dissipated. His follies We're the scandal of
| the town. He scattered money with lavish
hand. In vain his mother sought to curb
him He saw in her only niggardly guar
dian, who, having gold to give, doled him
cut silver. His sister no regarded as one
who would rob him Of half the money that
| ought to come to him at his mothers death.
| Suspicion, jealousy and hatred entered into
the family circle with the newly discovered
| wealth.
Well, enc morning Atchison wss startled
to hear that the daughter had been found
| dead in her bed, with an empty chloroform
bottle by her side. at was suicide" said
the sorrowing mother and brother, and as a
suicide the town regarded it for a time.
But something strange about the demeanor
| of the brother awakened vague suspicion,
which grew and spread until an investi-
| cation was demanded TO make the story
short, the young MAN was put on trial for
the murder of HIS sister, found guilty, and
sentenced To the penitentiery for life There
he is now, welding pick down in ono of
the dark and narrow galleries of the peni-
| Tertiary coal mines. which reach far out
beneath the swift-howing tide of the muddy
Missouri. His mother is now O raving
| maniac.
Such is the story of new-found fortune
1t is but fair to say that many Atchison
people, notably Senator Ingalls,, believe the
| young man guiltless of the crime Of which
he was convicted. But surely among the
money which brought violent death to a
young girl, wrecked the reason of a widowed
mother, and condemned youth TO spend
his life Ia the darksome galleries of prison
coal mine, there must have been some of
the accused pieces of silver which Judas
received, and weich, according to an old
superstition, have come down the ages
bringing dire sorrow to all into whose bands
they fell.