The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-02-21
ONE WOMAN,s PERFIDY.
Result of her TriflIng With two Brothers
From the PHILADELPHIA Times.

|
ARKANSAS CITY, ARK, Jan. "a
recent cave-in Of the bank of the Mis-
sissippi carried away a ruin Of ghostly
reputation, which has been left aban-
doned for number Of years to the
unearthly tenants which are said to
have claimed it as their own. Situa-
ted as it was some seven or eight miles
from this place and no longer stop
ping place for the boats as they pass,
few white people ever visited it, while
the negroes could not be prevailed on
to go near the spot even in daylight.
This shell of house was all that
remained of once splendid country
place which some years before the
outbreak of the war was the home
residence of wealthy family named
Bentley. From the landing wharf
here, which has long since decayed
and fallen into the river, hundreds Of
cotton bales were sent away on the
steamers, which were only too glad to
stop and partake Of the good cheer Of
the hospitable owner, veteran of the
Mexican war. But cloud fell over
the home.
One of the sons went mad in ST..
Louis and killed himself over the
gambling table where he had lost the
proceeds Of the crop Of an entire year,
which he had just sold in that city.
Two Of the other brothers were the
devoted lovers of the daughter Of a
neighboring planter. 1t is said that
this girl, a finished coquette, led both
young men to believe that she would
marry them, pledging them to secrecy:
But one night the elder, going to
call on his sweetheart, found her
absent from home, and was riding
back through the plantation, the
sound of his horses feet being hushed
in the wet earth, and came upon the
lady and his brother standing beneath
tree, oblivious Of the driving rain,
and by fash of lightning saw his
brother bend and kiss the woman he
loved without any objection on the
part Of the lady. The lovers did not
observe that they were watched and
the other rode on resolved. on punish
ing what he looked on as the treachery
Of his brother.
He waited for him for some time,
nursing his wrath, and when at last
the young man ran down the stairs to
meet him the younger brother saw him
coming and seeing, too, the gun in his
hands ran up to seize the weapon,
crying to his brother to hear him and
to tell him at least what he had done.
But the jealous man wrenched the
gun from the hands of his victim and,
placing it against his heart, killed him
instantly. The mother, hearing the
scuffle, ran out of her room and slipped
upon the blood Of her youngest son,
who had fallen on the stairs.
She fell with her face against her
dead one, while the murderer ran
from the house to where his horse still
stood, and putting spurs to him rode
like one possessed for the home Of the
lady. He threw himself at her feet,
begging her to fly from the country
with him, and suspecting something
of the truth she parleyed with him
until she wrung from him confession
of what he had done. Repulsing him
the moment the dreadful truth was
told her, she told him that she had
never loved him nor his brother; that
both had served only to pass the
tedium Of country life, announced that
she was about to be married to q
wealthy Frenchman in. New Orleans.
The madman, for such he now was,
rose to his feet and dragging her by
one hand, while his other stifed her
cries, he flung her upon the hearth of
the open fireplace and buried her face
in the burning Goals, and held it there
until both her eyes were burned away,
with portions of her face. Releasing
the sufocating, half-dead woman he
galloped back home and hung himself
to tree before the house.
The mother went raving mad, and
would wander about the plantation
wringing her hands and bewailing he1
loss. The father, who was away from
home at the time, returned now to die
of broken heart, leaving as sole
heiress of the place his only daughter.
young girl who had been in the con.
vent during these frightful tragedies
Filled with the idea that it was he1
mission to atone for the sins Of hel
brothers by prayer she returned home
and spent her days and much Of hel
nights in praying and scourging her
self until her mind also gave way
under this strain, and one day she
flung herself from the top Of the stair
way that had been the scene Of hel
brother crime, and was found by the
frightened servants dead with broker
neck. The place now fell into the
hands of distant relative, who rented
it out to tenant. But this man only
remained few weeks and left, de-
claring that he would not stay week
longer if the entire plantation was
made his. Tenant after tenant sue
ceeded each other, none remaining
however, more than month or two
| Ll..-l III nroro ,ot;onot 90 to tbr