The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-04-30
THE ROBINSON TRAGEDY
Hetherington Was Driven to
Kill the Englishman.
TWO LOVE LETTERS IN EVIDENCE

with Mrs. Hetherton--He Repeatedly
Promised to Leave Her.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 30.-The steam
ship Belgic has arrived with Yokohama
papers containing full reports of the trial
and acquittal of Lieutenant Hetherington,
of the Marion, for shooting Cover Robin
son. The verdict was a great surprise to
English and other foreign residents, who
expected that Hetherington would be pun
ished.
1t is said, however, that after the trial
the British officers visited Hetherngton
and expressed their pleasure that he had
been acquitted. According to them Robin
son ought to have been shot some months
previously
Boosted of His COnquests.
The evidence, even that of Cover Robin
sons own servants, shows that he was
hbertine who boasted of conquests, and
the letters that were made public at the
trial show him in a despicable light, for he
lied repeatedly, even to the woman he had
compromised, assured her he had burned
her letters, and afterward showed them to
her friends, and broke his solemn promise
to Captain Bartlett not TO speak to Mrs.
Hetherington at any entertainment, and
also his promise to Hetherington not to re-
turn to Yokohama while he and his wife
were there.
Two of the Couples Letters.
During the trial Hetherington's counsel
read letter from Mrs. Hetherngton to
Robinson. Some extracts follow:
'In all this trouble l have never lost faith
in you until now. l was told you tried to
throw all the blame on me and acted in an
ungentlemanly way generally, but did not
believe it, Now l don't know what be-
lieve. In the first place, you told me you
had burned all my letters. Now you say
you have them. What do you mean by
that.
GLOW dare you tell me that you supposed
had mounted the high stool of respecta-
bilityi l never fell off that stool until fell
into your arms, and l shall never attempt
to mount it again in my own mind We
have brought this on ourselves. 1t can't be
helped. Now the only thing to be done is
to let it die out once and for all. The whole
navy out here is in arms about the way
their women have been treated and it will
end in some awful trouble unless we keep
quiet. I'll watch Judge and keep him from
saying or doing anything more. He thinks
you are going to leave Yokohama, and ]
out you are not. Cover, for Gods sake,
take back what you said. Don't say you
hate me-"
After Hetherington thought that the
affair between his wife and Robinson had
been broken off he found the following let
ter in his wifes valise:
"My own, my pet, don't know whether
should write to you or not, as upon my
word, l am scarcely responsible for my
words or thoughts got your letter when
/ got up this morning. l believe l was mad
for a few minutes.
Your Don't ask me to meet you again
mean to be a better wife, aud good night;
good by seemed to be all mixed up in my
brain. Good Godl darling, you don't mean
you are going to throw me over, after all
that has passed.
"Do you realize that you have made me
love you, worship you, and are you now
going to say, i have had enough good
byE l went down town and saw you smil-
ing at tho window as if nothing had hap
peued. Have been mistaken' Have you
no heart! No, L cannot believe it. Those
great big, blue, loving eyes looked too true
into mine, and did not lie when they looked
what your lips said: Il love you'-and yet
you say all is over
My love, see mo once moro, anyhow,
and will swear to you as man and gentle
man that won't ask to meet you again, as
you don't want to; but let me kiss those
lips and eyes once more, and then-well
forget if | possibly can. Those golden
hours passed with thee, as I sang to you
in my song at the concert. l love you, my
darling and am crazy after you. l don't
insist, of course, but if you want to do one
more kindness to me meet me once more
ere we part for good"
The Judges Charge.
The court, in charging the jury, gave his
| conclusion Us follows:
| ''As shown by the evidence, for more
| than two months the defendant had been
trying to avert trouble. He had notified
| the deceased by letter to cease attention to
his wife and was assured that his wishes
would be complied with.
! "When matters became nole'serious Cap
tain Bartlett interposed and received the
solemn word of the deceased that he would
cease his attention to the wife Of the de-
fendant. Even this did not avail, but, on
the contrary, he continued to pursue the
wife, according to the evidence, relentless
ly, almost fiendishly.
"During all those long, weary weeks that
the conflict of emotions was contendiug in
his heart, i'll all of his talk to his friends or
enemies the defendant never made sug-
gestion of shooting the deceased.
SIN December the defendant did not know
how bad matters actually were, but he
! knew they We're bad enough
"Robinson had confessed that he loved
the defendants wife, yet defendant could
not believe that there had been anything
criminal between them.
$50 time goes on. Robinson goes away to
Kobe, not long distance, but far enough to
relieve the wife of the defendant from his
| influence.
"She makes confession to the defendant.
Feb she tells him of that wild midnight
ride to Robinson's house, Oct. %, 1891; she
tells him everything.
''ln view of the facts / cannot conceive
how any man under the same circumstances
! could have mniDtaine5 hie saif CONTROL nn