Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-07-12
AFAINT HEARTED LOVER
Annoyed by Jokers and Rivals
 He Sought Out Death.
TOOK RAT POISON IN AN ORCHARD.

All Night He Lay Under the stars. and Now
 He Is In . Critical ConditIon-ToId Him
 He Was Too Young to AEArry-A Letter
 From . Rival.
 NKw YORK, July 1a-John Church, the 1s-year-old son of well to do truckman of this city, who lives at Oradell, N. J., be came engaged to Miss Euphemia Post, % years of age. of Etna, a small village about a mile from Oradell several months ago Miss Post is an orphan and lives with her uncle and aunt. When the couple first met, a young man named Charles Lewis was paying attention to Miss Post, but Church speedily busted him. and few months ago the engagement was an- nounced.
 With this announcement began the trou- bles of young Church. In the first place.. his relatives told him he was entirely too, young to be married, and that he must im- mediately break of his engagement. This he refused to do, and on that account his relatives kept threatening and nagging at him. Then the young men of the village, angry because he had succeeded in win ming the heart of the belle, began to annoy him.
 They sent him letters, signing different 1 names to them, among them a letter pur- porting to be from his sweetheart, in which he was informed that she no longer cared | for him, and that she desired the engage ment broken.
 victim of Jokers- He rushed to the house of his faneee, only to find that he had once more been made the victim of practical joke. This sort of thing occurred at intervals Several days ago he received letter post marked Passaic and signed "C. L." The writer ordered Church to break of his en- gagement with Miss Post at once or take the consequences, the consequences, ac- cording to the writer, being a bullet through the heart.
 | This letter worried Church exceedingly. He knew the initials were those of Charles Lewis, and he also knew that Lewis and | Miss Post were on at least friendly terms before he made his appearance. Besides, the letter was postmarked Passaic, to which town Lewis had moved. Church took the letter to his sweetheart's uncle and guard ian and asked him what he should do about it. The latter laughed and said it was only another joke.
 No, 1t isn't" said Church; Lewis will Kill me if he can. I know it." Il NOnsenSe, lau&neu Inc other, ana went away. The other night Church bought some rat poison and went home. He was not seen again until he was found about half & mile from the Church residence in an apple orchard. Albert Price, one oi the searchers. was walking through the or. chard when he came across Church.
 Found In an Orchard.
 The young man was lying unconscious
 on his back, while beside him lay the box
 of poison he had purchased. The box had been broken open, and the poison was strewn on the ground. Price summoned
 help, and while several young men cArried the lad home half a dozen ran for doctors Dr. Simpson of Schraalenberg admins
 tered emetics and had the young man put right to bed.
 He refused to say afterward, however
 whether the young man had taken poisor
 or not. The Churches deny emphatically that the lad took any poison. They say ht
 simply had a fit. It Is generally conceded
 however, that the young man tried to com
 init suicide. Miss Post was prostrateC
 when she heard the news. She could giv , Inc reason for her lovers act, excepting 2 that she had refused a couple of days be | fore to marry him secretly. P He will recover" " she said to a reporter l land then we will be married" al Young Church was still unconsciou f this morning. His condition Is said to b
 very critical.