Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-08-08

| sip VI tilo Jay III ta0O CO4AAuN1NJ
husband did not seem to nina tnese
reproaches, at least he seldom answered
them, but he complained bitterly to his
friends of the lack Of congeniality
which existed between him and his wire
and often used to say that married lie
was failure.
Goodwin met this woman and loved
her. Early in the spring Mrs. = went
to South Dakota to obtain a divorce.
Whether Goodwin saw the announce
ment in the papers Of Sunday stating
that the Judges of the court in South
Dakota had decided to be more strict IN
granting divorces or not, is, OF course,
not known; but he probably did, and
that knowledge might account for the
sad, reproachful, pathetic strain which
is contained In the following letter:
"NEw YORK, August 2, 1891.
sslfy OlCn Precious, Darling Wife:
'sI never sat down to write you with
my heart so full Of sympathy, tender.
ness and love as tonight. never loved
you more or needed your love more than
now, and yet do not know where OF
how to begin my letter.
| IL Sttluo dS lnOuSn IL 4 udN tANOA JSN-~
in the last few days, and as il the ex-
periences Of a life time had been crowd
ed into them. Ny brain seems like a
tangled skein, and impossible to find an
end that might follow without inter
section. Everything crowds upon me
in tumult, and it is only by this preface
that can hope to unravel my thoughts
and Law them down separately and side
| by side TO take up one by one until
have mastered them all, and have them
all on paper for you, by beloved Essie,
to read and understand.
81 have not appreciated the last two
or three weeks the damage was doing
you, the state of mind was putting you
in, for could not very we'll write you
when ought to and wanted to, darling.
I said, my wife knows me-knows l
would write if I we'll could-knows that
nothing wrong is keeping me from her,
and will fret at the obstacles in my way
and hold me blameless.' did not know
what l was doing. did not know the
doubts, anxieties, fears, torture l was
causing. You know why l did not,
dearest, for l have already written you
at length, and by degrees we want to
drop the subject and put it all behind
US. But not, dear, until l have dwelt
on it sufficiently for you to understand
how keenly feel the sorrow, angel, l
have brought to you"
at was not at once, dear, that l
grasped the situation. l could not APP
preciate at first the true state state OF
your feelings, but since 1 did, then came
my agony. All the time l thought OF
you nestled in that little house with our
dear babies around you, fixed OF pur-
pose, confident, answering -
And Just as he finished that last word
bullet entered his vitals and he died
with his last message to that woman in
completed. or course, there are refer
ences in the letter which only she can
understands; but the torture Of mild,
the remorse, the distress, the penalty
which he was paying for his sin are APP
parent throughout it. 1t will be OBJ
served, too, that he refers to "our dear
babies" as though confessing the pa
ternity of those unfortunates, who, in
law, can now know no father.
THE STORY OF THE CRIME.
While Goodwin was penning the lines
in which he spoke OF the tangled skein,
impossible to find an end that might be
followed without intersection, one OF
those threads called circumstance was
coming to an end, and that end was to
be reached by a bullet which was to
take his life.
In 1888, when Goodwin first went to
Larchmont, there appeared in that re-
sort an actress known as Evelyn Gran
vile, but whose real name is understood
TO be Betty Green. Larchmont was
then, and is now, favOrite resort for
actors and actresses who are obliged TO
spend the summer in New York or
vicinity. Almost all Of them are Of the
reputable sort, but there occasionally
joins their company one who is talked
about for no other reason than her pro-
fessional ability. Evelyn Granville was
such an actress. She had won no great
repute upon the stage, but she had a
notoriety, enviable or otherwise, for her
ability to attract to her train young
men who are easily fascinated by the
charms Of those who appear upon the
stage.
Miss Granville was not very pretty
woman although she was comely
enough, but she was extremely viva
cious; and was happiest when she bad a
number Of young men engaged in firta-
tion with her or paying her such atten-
tion as seemed we'll to them. Among
her admirers were young men of con-
siderable repute in business and in the
professions. She has said upon the wit
ness stand within a day or two that she
knew Delaney Nicoll well, and II this
remark is true, it must have been in the
days when the District Attorney was
not adverse to some of the minor frivol-
tiles and excitements which are not
deemed very improper for young man
beginning life in New York city.
At Larchmont, Evelyn Granville Tor
Betty Green) met 81 saw young Good
win. There is little doubt that his
handsome figure and manner attracted
her attention, and there is some indica-
ton that she there became acquainted
with him, and to her extreme annoyance
found that he was wholly Indifferent to
her charms, and that her destinations,
so successful with most young men, had
no effect upon him whatever. There is
some reason to believe that Miss Gran
vile became seriously chagrined there
at, and ascribed Goodwin's indifference
to the fact that he was infatuated with
a married woman. At all events she
never forgot him, nor the fact that he
treated her with indifference of formal
courtesy.
She probably met him again, because
after that season at Larchmont, she had
among her admirers number of young
men who were friends and intimates of
Goodwin. She lived in respectable
apartments on Lexington avenue, and
WAS herself. so far as anyone dared say.